|
Featuring glimpses of Wales at the beginning of the 20th Century, this
intriguing 'phantom ride' transports the viewer along a bridge, through a
tunnel, and into a station, with views of the Welsh countryside along the way.
The title of the film naturally locates the action at the Menai Straits, the
stretch of water that runs between the island of Anglesey and mainland Wales. In
the film, however, the train enters a distinctive tunnel with a unique castle
design. Although there is a Robert Stephenson-designed bridge over the Menai
Straits, a strikingly similar tunnel sits at the end of another
Stephenson-designed construction, the Conwy railway bridge. If this were the
bridge featured in the film, it would relocate the action from the Menai Straits
to the River Conwy.
Regardless of this uncertainty, the film is an excellent example of the
unique perspective and constant progression through a landscape so
characteristic of the phantom ride.
Christian Hayes
|
Complete film (2:24)
