
Dan Foster (Monte Blue), the engineer of the Black Diamond Express express train falls in love with Jeanne Harmon (Edna Murphy), whose snobbish, high society mother, Mrs. Harmon (Myrtle Stedman), does not approve of the blue-collar, rough-at-the-edges Dan Foster as a suitable husband for Jeanne.


Is The Black Diamond Express a hidden gem of the silent era or just another rusty relic of the 1920s? Short answer: It is a functional, high-energy melodrama that succeeds as a character study of industrial masculinity, even if its social commentary is as subtle as a train wreck. This film is for those who appreciate t...

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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.

Howard Bretherton

Robert N. Bradbury
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"Is The Black Diamond Express a hidden gem of the silent era or just another rusty relic of the 1920s? Short answer: It is a functional, high-energy melodrama that succeeds as a character study of industrial masculinity, even if its social commentary is as subtle as a train wreck. This film is for those who appreciate the kinetic energy of early cinema and the physical acting of Monte Blue; it is not for viewers who require nuanced female characterization or a plot that avoids the 'rich vs. poor'..."
William Demarest
Darryl F. Zanuck, Harvey Gates
United States


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