Story of movie Boxcar Bertha : Boxcar Bertha is a low budget 1972 American romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, a pseudo-autobiographical account of the fictional character Bertha Thompson, written by Ben L. Reitman. It was Scorsese's second feature film.
| Boxcar Bertha | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Martin Scorsese |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Screenplay by | Joyce H. Corrington John William Corrington |
| Based on | Sister of the Road by Ben L. Reitman |
| Starring | Barbara Hershey David Carradine Barry Primus Bernie Casey John Carradine |
| Music by | Gib Guilbeau Thad Maxwell |
| Cinematography | John Stephens |
| Edited by | Buzz Feitshans |
Production company | American International Pictures |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $600,000 |
Screenplay
The film tells the story of Boxcar Bertha Thompson and "Big" Bill Shelly, two train robbers and lovers who are caught up in the plight of railroad workers in the American South. When Bertha is implicated in the murder of a wealthy gambler, the pair become fugitives.
- Barbara Hershey as Boxcar Bertha
- David Carradine as Big Bill Shelly
- Barry Primus as Rake Brown
- Bernie Casey as Von Morton
- John Carradine as H. Buckram Sartoris
- Harry Northup as Harvey Hall
- Victor Argo as First McIver
After the success of Bloody Mama, Roger Corman wanted to make another female gangster film. Julie Corman researched female gangsters and came across the story of Boxcar Bertha. Martin Scorsese was hired to direct on the strength of his first feature. He was given the lead actors, including Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, and Barry Primus, and a shooting schedule of 24 days in Arkansas. The Reader Railroad was used for the train scenes.
The locomotive in those scenes was 1920 Baldwin 2-6-2 #108, who later saw service on the Conway Scenic Railroad in the late 1970s. The engine is currently at the Blacklands Railroad yard in Sulphur Springs Texas, awaiting restoration. Locomotive #1702, a USATC S160 2-8-0 built by Baldwin in 1942, was also seen in the film as well. The locomotive is now operational at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
Scorsese makes a cameo in the film as one of Bertha's clients during the brothel montage.
Hershey later called the film "a lot of fun even though it's terribly crippled by Roger Corman and the violence and sex. But between the actors and Marty Scorsese the director, we had a lot of fun. We really had characters down but one tends to not see all that, because you end up seeing all the blood and sex."
Boxcar Bertha received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews.
- List of American films of 1972
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