Customer Reviews

Empires of Steam

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4 star:		(2)
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I recently watched this documentary several times in a row. It is truly a documentary, as one would expect to see photography and narration of this caliber on National Geographic. A lot of thought and hard work must have gone into the creation of what you get to see in this tape, because it shows. Just the logistics of travelling through China and India to film the last bastions of actual mainline steam where steam is still king must have been horrendous. However, the subject matter flows smoothly through from one subject to the next. I especially was moved by the historical footage of the Chinese people, as slaves in their own country, being forced to build the railroads at the hands of enemy invaders who wanted a railroad to loot the country of natural resources. Those same railroads are used today by the Chinese as the primary mode of long distance transportation.

We are witnessing the end of steam railroading. Those big powerful huffing, smoking, beasts which hold that certain magic to so many who see them will soon run their last mile. And you thought they already had? Perhaps in the west, but not in China yet. Nor in India, although the end is especially close there. When you see the pictures of the crewmen running these machines, it takes little imagination to place this scene in the United States, or anywhere in Europe in the early 1950s. These men work these big engines every day, year in and year out doing the real work of real railroads. The engines and crews alike are covered with cinders, coal dust, and grease. This is the real world and should not be missed. Excellent audio, photography and editing. I would, however, have liked more footage of steam engines helping diesels up a hill, and more pictures of the poor engines being scrapped. This is the most informative, and interesting video tape on mainline steam you will ever purchase. When you see the double headed 2-10-4s dragging a mile long frieght up a steep grade for many many miles, throttles to the roof the whole way, you'll understand. Mark

I confess to being a steam train afficianado. I have seen many, many steam videos but most suffer from being overly technical and narrowly focused. Not this one, thank you. With a wonderfully mellow narrator and a script that gives an historical and sociological base to the excellent camerwork, this video is very watchable. The music is as mournful as it is appropriate as we watch the end of a glorious period in transportation. Highly recommended.

This is a very well done production on an very interesting topic. The editing and video qualities are superb along with the selection of contents. For rail buffs, steam fans and people who are interested in Chinese and Indian cultures, this tape covers all those territories. Eventhough the tape is not catered towards the most mechanically oriented rail buffs, it still presented present day China Rail and Indian Railway in a concise and interesting fashion.

The scenery and presentation brought out the real adventure spirit . I immediatly want more. The dolby sound track however whilst great on surround sound did not have the impact i expected from roaring iron giants. Video presentation is acceptable though not DVD quality.If you want to enjoy the adventure and excitement of forbidden land scapes and fading empires in the presence of steam giants this is it.

DVD version.

Empires of Steam focusses on the beauty, power and mystery of steam trains with an underlying storyline that encompasses the global transformation of the industrial age to the new information age. I'd highly recommend this film to avid fans of steam trains and anyone interested in how the western world has shaped and continues to shape the global economies of foreign industry and power.

a great visual and informative piece of cinam