The Railway Children (Lionel Jefferies) - The best U-rated film ever made, this is not just a film for children, but about childhood, and growing up, and so can be enjoyed by anyone whose heart is not completely made from stone. It's very faithful to E.Nesbit's classic story, even taking across the Socialist undertones (Nesbit was an associate of George Bernard Shaw), as revealed by both the Tsarist refugee, and the basic plot of a wrongfully imprisoned man.
The film's strength is partly a perfect evocation of a bygone era of unfailingly cheery and helpful railway staff, when children could wander freely without fear, and a good heart was enough to solve all problems. Jenny Agutter reprises her role from the BBC TV version, despite now being old enough to drink and smoke. Indeed, this may be a big help, as with both her and Sally Thomsett far more mature than their characters, they avoid the aggravating mannerisms of child actors and are completely sympathetic, particularly Agutter, teetering on the abyss of adulthood, and trying to cope with a situation unlike any she's known.
The supporting characters are great, the cinematography and setting are wonderful, and there's hardly a false moment from beginning to very, very soppy end -- you can see it coming a long way off, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful when it happens. Even sitting here writing this, I'm getting a bit sniffy. One to curl up in front of with a bag of crisps and a bottle of lemonade. A+