Once Upon a Tram - 1958
ABOUT THE FILM : Once Upon a Tram
Irish Film InstituteYear: 1958
Directed by John Sarsfield and James Maguire between 1958 and 1959, Once Upon a Tram immortalizes one of the last runs of the Howth Tram that linked the villages of Howth and Sutton that lie along the County Dublin coast, 9 miles from the city centre. Families escaping the hustle and bustle of city life would head there for an afternoon at the seaside.
Life passes gently by from one tram stop to the next, in the midst of the Irish countryside glorified by the inimitable Kodachrome film. Some passengers get off, others climb on, for a round of golf before teatime.
Narrated with old-fashioned elegance by the smooth voice of renowned Irish actor Cyril Cusack, Once Upon a Tram is a nostalgic film that moves along like an old lady taking her time.
Nationality: Irish
Length: 22' 10"
Genre: documentary
Sound: sound
Original elements: Kodachrome
Producers: G.N.R. & C.I.E. , Leinster Studios Production Ireland
Composer: Peter Hunt Studios, Ltd.
Original language: English
A BRIEF HISTORY : Once Upon a Tram
The Howth Tram linked Dublin to the coastal towns of Howth Head from 1901 to 1959 ; although only 2 miles apart, Sutton and Howth were joined by 5 miles of tramway. Its double-decker, electric-powered trolley cars left from Sutton, making stops at the Geenfield Road, Carrickbrack Road, and St Fintan’s Cemetery stations. The tram passed by Baily and the Stella Maris Convent before arriving at Howth Summit.
Due to restructuring of the Irish transport service, the line (the last in Ireland) was closed on the 31st May 1959 and replaced by buses that were not as functional on the steep, narrow streets.
Once Upon a Tram was filmed a few years later, just before the tracks disappeared. It takes us on a ghost ride like a final tribute. One of the Howth Tram cars is now on display at the Irish National Transport Museum in Howth Castel, near what was once the last stop of the tramway line.
The film was shot in 16mm Kodachrome, very used for its color accuracy and dark-storage longevity. The beginning scenes shot in 35mm black-and-white were added later, with the idea of a showing at the Cork Film Festival in 1960. For financial reasons, the producers were unable to make a 35mm sound copy.
In 1997, the Irish Film Archives came into possession of a 16mm internegative, printed from the original 16mm Kodachrome and the 35mm negative of the black-and-white footage, when a laboratory was liquidating its film stock. The producers’ initial aim to make a colour sound copy finally became a reality.
The soundtrack of the black-and-white element was slowed and remixed with the optical soundtrack of the 16mm copy of the colour footage. The two elements were then combined and reworked to create the final 16mm optical sound colour copy. The work was carried out by Film and Photo Ltd in London.
