Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Martin Scorsese’s film, Boxcar Bertha (1972), tells the story of a young southern girl, Bertha Thompson, who becomes orphaned after her father’s crop-dusting plane crashes. With the onset of the Great Depression, Bertha turns to freighthopping as a means of survival. It is during this time that she meets and falls in love with Big Bill Shelly, a union organizer. Along with Rake Brown and Von Morton, former employee of Bertha’s father, they unintentionally embark on a series of train and bank robberies. As their notoriety grows, they must face off against H. Buckram Sartoris, an influential railway boss in the American South. Eventually, the law catches up with them and they become fugitives from the railway company.
As the chase continues, Rake faces gunfire while Bill and Von are sentenced to a chain gang. Meanwhile, Bertha flees and eventually finds herself drawn into prostitution. By chance, she encounters Von at a nearby black tavern where she discovers Bill has escaped prison and is hiding out. With Von as her guide, Bertha is able to reunite with Bill in their secret refuge before Sartoris’s men arrive and subject Bill to a brutal fate. However, just as they think they are safe, Von appears and takes out the henchmen before freeing Bertha from her captivity.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Barbara HersheyBoxcar Bertha  David CarradineBig Bill Shelly  Barry PrimusRake Brown  John CarradineH. Buckram Sartoris |
Martin Scorsese’s film, Boxcar Bertha (1972), tells the story of a young southern girl, Bertha Thompson, who becomes orphaned after her father’s crop-dusting plane crashes. With the onset of the Great Depression, Bertha turns to freighthopping as a means of survival. It is during this time that she meets and falls in love with Big Bill Shelly, a union organizer. Along with Rake Brown and Von Morton, former employee of Bertha’s father, they unintentionally embark on a series of train and bank robberies. As their notoriety grows, they must face off against H. Buckram Sartoris, an influential railway boss in the American South. Eventually, the law catches up with them and they become fugitives from the railway company.
As the chase continues, Rake faces gunfire while Bill and Von are sentenced to a chain gang. Meanwhile, Bertha flees and eventually finds herself drawn into prostitution. By chance, she encounters Von at a nearby black tavern where she discovers Bill has escaped prison and is hiding out. With Von as her guide, Bertha is able to reunite with Bill in their secret refuge before Sartoris’s men arrive and subject Bill to a brutal fate. However, just as they think they are safe, Von appears and takes out the henchmen before freeing Bertha from her captivity.
