Emporer of the North Pole

lester1/2jr · September 07, 2007, 03:35:06 PM

I just didn't get it. This movie got rave reviews everywhere, but I don't understand why. A hobo wants to ride on the train that a particularly mean conductor operates. it starts off strongly, with the conductor hitting a hobo with a hammer killing him with no remorse.

i cuoldn't understand why the f**k these guyss wanted to ride on this train. Why not ride some other train? why not get some food?
who cares about ernest borgnine and his train?

Scott · September 07, 2007, 04:17:58 PM

One of my all time favorite film. Not sure what it is Lester1/2jr, but I always watch it when it comes on TV. Something about the overall atmosphere and the challenge of getting away with a free ride. There are about 3 elements I suppose. Great film.

1) The ride
2) Not getting caught
3) Hobo's life perhaps

lester1/2jr · September 07, 2007, 05:47:08 PM

but why not just wait for a train that isn't run by Shak? I guess i had trouble seeing the motivation.

Allhallowsday · September 08, 2007, 04:34:49 PM

Quote from: lester1/2jr on September 07, 2007, 05:47:08 PM
but why not just wait for a train that isn't run by Shak? I guess i had trouble seeing the motivation.

Think of it as a challenge.

trekgeezer · September 09, 2007, 12:01:40 PM

Here's a little about A No.1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Ray_Livingston

El Dogo · September 09, 2007, 06:18:50 PM

I've wanted to see this movie for years. Partially because it was so unavailable for so long (did it finally get released on DVD or something?) Partially because I've always had this weird fascination with anything set during the Great Depression. But mostly because, for whatever bizarre reason, I vividly remember seeing the trailer in the theater when I was a kid. It just stuck with me through the years. Given my age, they must have had it on before a Herbie the Love Bug movie or some other live-action Disney thing, which is pretty funny really.

Scott · September 09, 2007, 07:17:01 PM

Quote from: trekgeezer on September 09, 2007, 12:01:40 PM
Here's a little about A No.1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Ray_Livingston

Great info Trek Geezer. Karma point Thanks for you.

Also you had the Marvin character as the legend of train hopping and that young guy trying to out do him, so Allhallowsday is closest with the "challenge" element to the film.

Also we have all met the Shak type personalities before who tend to over do their jobs in the wrong way.

Neville · September 11, 2007, 07:53:33 AM

lester1/2jr, I can't understand your problems with the characters' motivation. Simply put, after their first encounter early in the film the whole thing becomes a personal business for both of them. Being as they are in a difficult situation (the conductor fears for his job in the middle of depression, the hobo is... well, a hobo) their fight becomes an outlet to their other tensions.

Loved the movie, BTW.

lester1/2jr · September 12, 2007, 12:34:03 PM

Isee. so the conductor will lose his job if there are hobos on the train?

but he won't get in troubleif he kills a hobo? such hard times

Neville · September 12, 2007, 12:59:16 PM

Yeah, the conductor can lose his job because of the hobos. They can steal or damage the cargo, and even cause accidents (remember the fire?). As for murder, the only way the conductor could ever be arrested is if his co-workers report him to the police, which they won't unless they want to lose their jobs too. Harsh times.

lester1/2jr · September 12, 2007, 05:15:52 PM

as a libertarian, i blame the federal reserve

Neville · September 13, 2007, 03:46:06 AM

As a non-libertarian, I'd say this is what happens when you leave Capitalism unattended.

lester1/2jr · September 13, 2007, 08:37:36 AM

it wasn't left unattended it was heavily regulated. that laissez faire capitalism dominated the 20's is a myth. The federal reserve was established in 1913. they print money like counterfitters, which devalues the dollar, and people act like they are geniuses.

you shold check out murray rothbards "america's great depression" sometime.

Neville · September 13, 2007, 08:50:48 AM

I wasn't aiming at a serious discussion, just wanted to make my non-libertarian beliefs clear. To be honest, I can't barely remember what I was taught decades ago about the period.

Yaddo 42 · September 20, 2007, 10:39:14 PM

I've always liked the film, it's not the typical action film, especially the setting.

I agreee with what people like Neville and Scott have said about the motivations. Besdies In the circumstances the hobos were in, you might find pride and satisfaction in some rather strange and in the long run meaningless places. But what else did they have besides the hardscrabble life of looking for your next meal, shelter for the night, and maybe the chance to earn or steal a little money.

Great, brutal final fight, not flashy like so many these days, but you feel the pain. Just like when Shak uses the rope and a steel pin to rough up A No. 1.

Besides I can't help but love a movie where Lee Marvin hits a punk with a live chicken.