The First Great Train Robbery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other films and events of the same or similar name see The Great Train Robbery
| The First Great Train Robbery | |
|---|---|
original movie poster |
|
| Directed by | Michael Crichton |
| Produced by | John Foreman |
| Written by | Michael Crichton |
| Starring | Sean Connery Donald Sutherland Lesley-Anne Down |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Editing by | David Bretherton |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | February 2, 1979 |
| Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The First Great Train Robbery is a 1979 film directed by Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay based on his novel The Great Train Robbery. In the U.S., the film was also known as The Great Train Robbery.
The film starred Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down. The story is loosely based on the Great Gold Robbery of 1855, in which William Pierce (renamed Edward Pierce in the book and film) engineered the theft of a train-load of gold being shipped to the British Army during the Crimean War.
The film features many picturesque characters and scenes of the Victorian era, particularly the criminal mobs of the time. Although set in London and Kent, most of the filming took place in Ireland. In particular, the final scenes were filmed in Parliament Square of Trinity College, Dublin and Kent Railway Station in Cork.
- Edgar Award, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, 1980 — Michael Crichton
One of the deleted scenes in this film includes the former Miss Ireland and model Nuala Holloway. A brief scene which shows Sean Connery and Nuala Holloway running from a bedroom was filmed. The scene shows Connery's character rushing when his accomplice Donald Sutherland has fulifilled his task of copying a safe key and has a riot faked, was cut out to tone the promiscuity of Connery's character.
However, Nuala Holloway appeared in other scenes, including the climax set in a courtroom and starred as a double for Lesley-Anne Down. Coincidentally, some of the scenes in the movie were filmed at a dis-used train station in Nuala's home town of Moate, Co. Westmeath in Ireland.