The Blue Express

The Blue Express or China Express (Russian: Голубой экспресс, romanized: Goluboy ekspress) is a 1929 Soviet silent drama film directed by Ilya Trauberg.

The Blue Express
Directed by	Ilya Trauberg
Written by	Leonid Iyerikhonov Ilya Trauberg Sergei Tretyakov
Cinematography	Boris Khrennikov Georges C. Stilly
Music by	Edmund Meisel
Production company	Sovkino
Release date	20 December 1929 (1929-12-20)
Running time	62 minutes
Country	Soviet Union
Languages	Silent Russian intertitles

Plot

The events of the film take place in China in the late 1920s. At the Nanjing train station, a train called the "Blue Express" is about to depart for Suzhou, with passengers from various social classes onboard. The departure is delayed due to the tardiness of a British diplomat, whom a Chinese general is waiting for. After the train finally departs, soldiers begin attacking other passengers, a situation which is supported by the British diplomat. Passengers from the third class, consisting of workers and peasants, rise up and seize the train. The express races along the tracks, symbolizing the Chinese Revolution.

Cast

• Sergei Minin as The European
• Igor Chernyak
• I. Arbenin
• Yakov Gudkin as An Overseer
• I. Savelyev as An Overseer
• San Bo Yan as The Girl
• Lian Din Do as The Merchant
• Chu Chai Wan as The Peasant
• Chzan Kai as The Fireman
• A. Vardul as The Coolie
• Spasayevsky
• Yanina Zhejmo
• Zana Zanoni
• Boris Brodyansky
• Chai Wan San as The General

Bibliography

• Christie, Ian & Taylor, Richard. The Film Factory: Russian and Soviet Cinema in Documents 1896-1939. Routledge, 2012.

External links

• The Blue Express at IMDb