The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

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Film poster for The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box, also known by its working title 'Mariah Mundi: The Curse of the Midas Box', is an Entertainment Motion Pictures (E-Motion) fantasy adventure film based on the 2007 novel 'Mariah Mundi - The Midas Box' by G. P. Taylor. It includes scenes filmed on the Severn Valley Railway. The film was released on the internet in the US in December 2013 and premiered on DVD in the UK in 2014[1]. Stars include Aneurin Barnard as Mariah Mundi, Michael Sheen as Captain Will Charity, and Sam Neill as Otto Luger.[2]

After seventeen-year-old Mariah Mundi's parents vanish and his younger brother is kidnapped, he is recruited by the enigmatic Captain Will Charity from the 'Bureau of Antiquities'. Their adventure takes them to the mysterious and majestic Prince Regent, a huge steam-powered hotel on a small island at the furthest reach of the Empire. Mariah, must unravel the secrets of the island to find the truth behind the disappearance of his family, and prevent Otto Luger from getting his hands on the mystical and powerful Midas Box.

The novel on which the film is based was the first of a trilogy, being followed by Mariah Mundi and the Ghost Diamonds (2008) and Mariah Mundi and the Ship of Fools (2009).[3] The film was intended to be the first of a franchise[4] although no sequel has been forthcoming since.

Filming on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Filming on the SVRSevern Valley Railway in 2012 mostly took place at Kidderminster station. The action takes place early in the film shortly after Will Charity and Charles Mundi have met for the first time. They enter through the booking office and hold a conversation on the station concourse, during which Charity introduces himself and 'sets the scene' for their adventure to come. Their conversation is interspersed with crowd scenes showing 7812 Erlestoke Manor and Stanier Mogul 42968 in platforms 1 and 2.

After they have boarded and the train has set off, Charity and Mundi continue the conversation in one of the GWRGreat Western Railway carriages. A brief exterior shot shows the train being hauled by 7812. At one point Charity hands a railway ticket to Mundi which is inscribed ‘Great London Rail, Second Class, Kings Cross to Aberdeen’.

The SVRSevern Valley Railway scenes last around 2 minutes in total.

The obvious anachronism in filming is that the plot is set in 1885 with characters and set dressed accordingly; however both locomotives date from the 1930s while 42968 carries a BRBritish Rail or British Railways-era smokebox number. This may perhaps be explained by the film being described as a fantasy.

See also

References

  1. IMDB release dates
  2. Wikipedia
  3. G.P. Taylor on Wikipedia
  4. Deadline

Links