June 6, 2006 -- I was rummaging around in the Online Film Critic's web site today and I noticed there is no review for this film, so I'm adding one for a very deserving film. The original name of this film is “Emperor of the North Pole,” which I use here because I like it, but this same film now listed at the Internet Movie Database by its revised title which is the same, except the word “Pole” has been dropped from the title.

I saw this film on television years ago, but it has always stuck with me as one of the better movies about the Great Depression that gripped much of the world in the 1930s. It ranks up there with other films like “Hard Times” and “The Cinderella Man.” It is a stark tale of survival which pits two very tough men against each other, uber-hobo A Number One (played by Academy Award Winner Lee Marvin) and uber-conductor Shack (played by Academy Award Winner Ernest Borgnine). Both men are strong, tough, clever and prideful. It is their pride that gets them into trouble.

The other main character in this film is a young, boastful hobo named Cigaret (played by Keith Carradine of “Nashville”). I found this character to be very irritating, until a long-overdue and satisfying scene near the end of the film when he gets his comeuppance. The other star of the film is the steam locomotive itself. This is a movie about trains and hobos. The spectacular scenery (it was filmed in Oregon) is gorgeously photographed by Joseph F. Biroc (“Superman,” “The Longest Yard”). There is a lot of information in it about how railroads work, and some interesting tricks hobos used to get free rides on them. The film, directed by Robert Aldrich (“The Flight of the Phoenix,” “The Dirty Dozen” “The Longest Yard”) is laden with testosterone like many of his other films. It boils over with conflict.

Shack is a sadistic conductor who hates hobos. He prides himself on never allowing a hobo to ride his train. He has a variety of nasty tricks to knock them off the train if they dare to try to get a free ride. A Number One, on the other hand, is the toughest, savviest hobo around. He decides to challenge Shack, betting he can ride Shack's train and live to tell the tale. The battle between these two prideful men escalates slowly during the movie until there is a final, terrible life-and-death battle on a moving train. Their battle is an epic, graphic, bloody no-holds-barred affair. Not many actors could pull off this kind of action convincingly, but Borgnine and Marvin had the right stuff to deliver the scene with stunning ferocity. These actors were as tough as the characters they played.

I think some of the authenticity that saturates this film is due to the fact that a number of the actors, along with the film's director, lived through the Great Depression. Lee Marvin, Earnest Borgnine, Simon Oakland, Elisha Cook Jr. and others in the cast lived through the depression. Living through those hard times puts a mark on a person that is never erased. Knowing about the depression first hand helped the director and actors make a movie about the depression that rings true. It isn't a great movie by any means, but if you are a railroad fan, or are interested in this period of history, or are a fan of these actors or the director, this is a great movie to see. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2006 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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