Movie at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center tells the story of building Canada’s first transcontinental railway

Few modes of transportation can be deemed romantic. Highway traffic is a pain, airplane travel is awful, and let’s not get into the Segways that plague the sidewalks of Balboa Park.

But the steam locomotive? It’s extraordinary.

A new film that just opened at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s Heikoff Dome Theatre called “Rocky Mountain Express” blends IMAX aerial cinematography, archival photographs and maps to tell the story of the building of Canada’s first transcontinental railway. It offers beautiful views of the Canadian Rockies as the camera follows the journey of the Empress, a steam train built in 1930 and now operated by the Canada Pacific Railway.

During a recent visit to the Fleet, producer Pietro Serapiglia explained that it wasn’t an easy effort. Compared with the flashier topics he and filmmaker Stephen Low have covered through IMAX (like their 1993 film “Titanica,” about the world’s most famous ship), the train-based journey through Canada was a more difficult story pitch to potential funders.

“It took five years to make the film because we had to use our own funds. We’d sell other films and make some money on distribution. We slowly made the film because we didn’t want to take the big risk immediately,” Serapiglia said. “But we got it made.”

And it has been a success.

“Rocky Mountain Express” won the 2012 Best Film award from the Giant Screen Cinema Association (a tie with “To the Arctic,” also showing at the Fleet), and the film has opened in many theaters across the U.S. and Canada. It’s the first time the IMAX film has been shown in California.

Serapiglia took some time from his schedule to answer some questions:

Q: A common aspect of IMAX films is that audiences are given the opportunity to see places they wouldn’t typically be able to see, going deep into the ocean or to remote rain forests. What unique experience does this film offer?

A: We put the camera on top of the locomotive so you have the point of view of seeing these huge mountains … and you have the ride experience. No one’s going to allow you to stand on top of a steam train. Nothing against the IMAX Hollywood films like Batman, but for me, the true IMAX experience involves nature. We were also permitted by the Canadian government to take the IMAX camera into places you’re not usually allowed to set foot in because they don’t want people trampling those areas of the countryside. That’s another benefit to the film.”

Q: You worked on “Ultimate Wave Tahiti,” another IMAX film that has been at the Fleet. I remember talking to one of the producers about the difficulties of shooting that film. What were some of the challenges involved with making “Rocky Mountain Express?”

A: There was some extreme weather, but it wasn’t as challenging as “Ultimate Wave” — that was riskier because we had sharks and those waves were pretty intense. In this case, I think the most dangerous part was the helicopter work. I was always worried when Stephen (the director) went out in the helicopter because I think they took a lot of crazy chances to get those shots. Every time I saw that helicopter leave, I’d worry about the mountains, the downdrafts, and whether or not a snowstorm would move in, but everything went well there.


