Yesterday night I watched a small independant film called The_Station_Agent. I was deeply troubled by the prominence of tresspassing in the film. The main character, a railfan named Fin, typically gets around by walking down the middle of an active line, presumably the NYS&W. Later on he takes two other characters out "walking the right of way." When he begins to lead them out on a bridge, (addmitedly a two track bridge with one track removed, but it's the principle of the thing) Olivia, one of the two friends, asks if this is safe, to which he replies approximately, "The trains stop over there," pointing off into the distance. Finaly when he walks home drunk he passes out in the middle of the track. There is a scene that follows whose exact nature is unclear. It appears as though Fin is awakened by the sound of an approaching train. He is unable to extricate himself from the track and falls back down. The next shot shows Fin waking up the next morning still in the middle of the line. The only sign of anything amiss is his crushed pocket watch. My girlfriend asked if it was supposed to be a dream sequence, to which I had to reply I didn't know, but it was clearly fantasy to believe that he would have survived such an encounter.

So here's my question. In this day and age when the public appears to be alarmingly ignorant about the wiley ways of railroading, a fact not missed on the producers of the film, is it responsible to depict acts whose danger many people don't comprehend, and whose criminality most people seem to disregard on those rare ocassions when they are aware of it. I didn't see any reference in the film, whose central theme was railfannning, to operation lifesaver or any other rail safety entity. While the danger of trespassing may have been implied in the drunk scene, it was never explicitly stated, and he walked away clean with no further mention of the incident weakening that already questionable safety message.

What actions would you deem appropriate in regards to this? I was so steamed last night that I asked the emplyees if I could deliver a brief improptu safty message about it, which they agreed to, but as I wasn't prepared it was neither well considered nor particularly effective. (I'm not an opperation lifesaver presenter, though perhaps I ought to learn how to become one.) I'm considering writing the theatre owner to ask him about the possibility of engaging a trained presenter at each show, but as therer are only a half dozen more screenings or so and there are no class one railroads in town I'm not sure a trained presenter could be found in time to do any good. Does anyone have a recomendation? If nothing else I though I might make everyone aware of it.

Sincerely,
David Ackerman

david_ackerman@yahoo.com

I saw the film and had a very different reaction--I loved it, and I was not troubled by the trackwalking scenes.

In my opinion, nearly all films are about accentuating real life to heighten drama, pathos, comedy, or whatever. People will always be portrayed in films and novels doing things that are illegal, unsafe, or just unwise. Usually it's not our ox being gored, but someone else's--stupid car tricks, plane tricks, bicycle or motorcycle riding tricks, whatever.

However, if think if you start to try to impose a responsibility on filmmakers to protray safe and legal conduct in any and all circumstances, you gut the possiblility for art. Nonfiction books, PSAs, OSHA trianing, and a million other things are the correct forums for saftey education. That said, you also have to let art be art, including letting it portray human folly.

In my opinion, the Station Agent nicely conveyed the idea that even seemingly lightly used old branch lines do indeed have trains, and that trains can by big, scarey and even dangerous.

No desire to start a flame war, just putting forward a different opinion.

eledbetter@rypn.org

IMDB viewers give it 8/10 stars.

IMDB entry for "The Station Agent"
brianf425@yahoo.com