Category: (DVD)
18 new, starting at $2.98
5 used, starting at $3.50
A Wonderful RideReviewed by R. Fink, 2010-03-01
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.
What price for your ticket to this DVD?Reviewed by Nicholas Casley, 2008-01-02
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!
Wonderful taste of Europe.Reviewed by Benjamin H. Sharpe, 2006-01-30
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.
Solid Train VideoReviewed by Mel C. Thompson, 2005-08-30
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.
