Customer Reviews

Luxury Trains of the World: The Venice Simplon Orient Express

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This one was done right. This series is a bit inconsistent (the polar express is really bland) and others are good but the production was a bit hasty and seemed not so well planned.

However this London to Venice video was very well done. The scenery was solid. The train interior and the shots of the cities travelled to were good. And the clips of Venice were overwhelmingly beautiful, a few were better than I'd even seen in non-train films. This one is a must have for train buffs.

Because people don't know of this series, it gets short shrift. The competitor "Travel The World By Train" series is way more consistent and better organized on average, but the price of the other series is way, way higher. In this series, even if one gets an average or not-so-hot one, it's only a few bucks. The other series is prohibitively expensive and sometimes not always available.

This video was one of the best values in train-oriented multimedia I've yet encountered.

Fantastic camera shots and narration; it certainly makes you want to take this trip! Clearly shows how trains are truly the best and most relaxing way to travel.

1998. All that you could ask for in a program of this type. We are quickly drawn in and can soon imagine we are actually one of the passengers. The trip is very scenic and the photography, often quite artistic, is excellent. The narration is highly informative and even the musical score contributes to the mood. The closing quick tour of Venice, beautifully filmed, reminds us of the 1950s Heburn film "Summertime." This one surely cannot disappoint even the most discriminating collector of train travel documentaries.

The title - taken literally - fails the Trades Descriptions' Act (or whatever the US equicvalent is), for this journey by train from London to Venice makes use of the Brenner Pass between Innsbruck in Austria and Verona rather than the Simplon Tunnel from Switzerland down to Milan. I have made the trip on the latter stretch on the Paris to Venice sleeper. Even at first-class, it was cheaper and certainly much quicker than the train featured on this DVD, but I am the first to admit that my journey was not conducted in as great a style of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.

And this takes us to the heart of this DVD, for its focus is not really on the journey itself, the landscapes viewed and the towns, villages, fields and woods passed through. No, the focus instead is on the style of the train itself, its décor, its ornament, the richness of the food served, and the richness of the history of the carriages.

Interviews with passengers and staff often give the flavour of a blatant advertisement. I did not succumb, for there is something in my nature that somehow sees the offer of travelling in the style of a millionaire at prices that even I can afford a little demeaning of the very concept that the railway is trying to promote. Believing myself to be the modern man, I'd rather travel high-speed direct from London to Paris, than chug along the by-lines of Sussex and catch a ferry to France, no matter how luxurious my immediate surroundings.

Having said all this, the DVD is of some interest for the general viewer as well as for the rail anoraks. There are long vistas of the train ploughing through the European countryside; there are interesting features on the train and the organisation behind it; and of course there is a short vignette of the sites of Venice at the end of the long journey. It is professionally produced, well filmed, and well narrated. At 55 minutes long, though, you'll have to work out yourself whether the price per minute is worth the price of your ticket!

This DVD is a must for train travel enthusiasts and will transport them back to a bygone world of quiet luxury and opulence.

Beginning in London on the British Pullman, passengers are treated to a sumptuous dinner before being swept away by ferry to France where they board The Venice Simplon Orient Express and continue down through Europe to Venice.

The original Orient Express was decommissioned in 1977, but James B. Sherwood found 35 of the cars in various museums and private collections and refurbished them at a cost of $11 million. The sparkling navy and gold coaches are absolutely remarkable from one end to the other, from the gleaming rich wood finishes to the exquisite furniture, crisp linens, minute attention to detail, and luxurious meals. The segment on Venice was very interesting and a fitting end to the journey.

My main complaint is the music that occasionally drowns out the sound of the train, not something that I wanted to hear at all. I also wish that there had been a little less focus on the dining cars and more on the cabins that were given only a passing glance.

For people who would love to take this trip but will never be able to afford it, this DVD will give them a glimpse at what they're missing.