It's not called 'The Swingin' Maiden' that is a recent made up name, for some unknown reason to me, it was originally titled and has always been 'The Iron Maiden' (note the name of the engine in the film). I gave this review with that title. It's made by the Carry On team and includes some of their actors, it could have been called "Carry on Steaming", but maybe not, despite being made by them it's not really in the Carry On style, it's more like an Ealing Comedy, the Carry on actors included are Joan Sims and Jim Dale, with Cyril Chamberlain who also did Ealing comedies and Judith Furse who did a variety of stuff. It's more of a 50's Rom Com (although made in the 60's) style, and similar style and content to Genevive with Kenneth More, this time it's got Michael Craig, with Anne Helm as his American love interest. Anyway it's a pretty good film, nice countryside, with good photography, and its well made. The big stars are of course the steam traction engines and the guest star the Handley Page Victor, one of the beautiful V-Bombers from the 50's. If you want to fantasise what 1950's England was like, this is the film, although if it ever was like that it was only in small parts, it's not like that any more, and mostly it never was. But it is a lovely film, and while the lockdown is in full flow, something very nice to watch any afternoon. Update 2024, Having looked at it again, I noticed that IMDB have returned its true title to this film, and it is now back as "The Iron Maiden", and about time too.

source: The Swingin' Maiden

Presumably this is trying to do for traction engines what Genevieve did for vintage cars. Why the sad failure? The problem lies with the lead characters and particularly the male, Michael Craig, described in the script by pretty Ann Helm as 'insufferable' which is how we all feel about him, the more so as the movie progresses. Can we really believe that any rich American girl - however daft - would fall for this boorish, charmless character, especially after having been put over his knee and spanked? OK this sort of thing was more acceptable back then when a bratty girl got her comeuppance but here it just strikes one as bullying. Maybe if he had been far more of a charmer and she far more of a brat it would have appeared more appropriate. There are some good performances by British character actors but the whole thing is spoiled by a dire script and wooden leads. Pity as the traction engines are really good. With a decent script and more charm (and brattiness) this could have been a classic. As an interesting footnote, when it was released in America the title was changed to 'The Swingin' Maiden' and the poster featured a large picture of the fair Ann Helm being spanked over Craig's knee, even though the scene only occupies about one minute of the film. Obviously the distributors reckoned that a spanked maiden might be of more interest to American audiences than an iron one!

A must watch, a cracking classic comedy with steam engine vintage vehicles. I think better than the well known Genevieve, which is also good!, Inc, shots of military A Handley Page Victor bomber.

This film always strikes me as a 'Carry On' that never quite hit the bar. Even the music (by Eric Rogers) is very similar to the Carry On incidental music and sounds suspiciously like Carry On Cabby. The story is very thin and there are plenty of gaping plot-holes. It's one of those films that you can watch whilst reading the newspaper and not miss much. Nice to see Alan Hale Jr joining in the fun though.

THE IRON MAIDEN is a film that feels for all the world like the producers were able to hire a traction engine for a month or so and decided to write a script around it. What follows is a typically genteel British comedy full of the usual hijinks and appearances from familiar faces; it's hardly classic material, but it remains a fun if slight feature from beginning to end. The film was made by the director/producer team of Gerald Thomas and Peter Rogers, best known for their long-running CARRY ON series, and indeed they throw in a couple of cameos for Jim Dale and Joan Sims early on in a bid to hammer home the similarities. Unfortunately the script is saddled with a couple of stiffs for the lead roles, but the supporting cast is much more enjoyable and includes parts for the familiar likes of George Woodbridge and Sam Kydd. Best of all is the alluring Anne Helm, impossibly glamorous as the female lead.

Technically weak, but then I'm an anorak. Delightful story, and invaluable film of the early steam preservation movement in the UK. It is good to see so many traction engines and steam rollers Did I mention the "Safety Valve"? To those in the know I don't need to, the throbbing, sweaty looking brass thing in front of the driver is supposed to be a safety valve, it is in fact a lubricator and clouting it with a hammer would make no difference whatsoever. (Also it is in totally the wrong place!) At the time of filming The Iron Maiden (or Kitchener to give her her proper name) was owned by a gentleman called John Crawley who actually doubled for Anne Helm for some of the driving shots. The Iron Maiden (yes, the name stuck) is still around today and can regularly be seen at various steam rallies around the countryside. All technical inaccuracies aside, just enjoy, they don't make 'em like that any more.

Genevieve (1952) about the annual London to Brighton veteran car rally, and The Titfield Thunderbolt (1954) about plucky villagers running their own countryside railway, were two classic and much loved British film comedies where the charm of colourful memorable characters vied with that of quaint machinery. Iron Maiden exactly follows that formula but comprehensively fails. Why? Most obviously Michael Craig who completely lacks the wonderful redeeming charm of similar obsessives Kenneth More and John Gregson. It may just be that the appeal of veteran cars as well as old railways was more the countryside they travelled through and that they carried people and all their goods. Steam traction engines in contrast were essentially industrial and agricultural machines - the fancy decoration only applied to fairground showmans' machines. Cars and trains intimately involve human stories - traction engines - seen here just doing circles in front of enthusiasts - don't. The late much-missed TV star steam enthusiast Fred Dibnah suffered the departure of his wife over his unshared obsession with a steam traction engine. Again, for the public, he, his charm and his very human story was the interest, not the ironmongery. That traction engine obsessive Craig is also a cutting edge aircraft designer is not explained or persuasive. Apart from rare quality footage of the Victor nuclear bomber standing in for a new airliner, the aviation plot is limp. The film trundles along the runway without ever gathering enough speed take off.

I remember seeing this film at my local cinema.It made no impression on me then and even less on me now.The only appeal that this can have is to those whose hobby is steam engines.The script is worthless.Even such actors as Cecil Parker Roland Culver and Joan Simms can do little to inject any humour.One of the problems is that the leads are rather poor.Alan Hale is not a patch on his great father.Michael Craig seems to play his role on a previous attitude throughout and is thoroughly dislikeable.Anna Helm is only distinguished by her continuous change of dress in nearly every scene.If you were not interested in steam engines before you will be even less interested after.

The team of Peter Rogers & Gerald Thomas were getting into their stride when they tried to do a 'Genevieve' and to that end they splashed out on colour, rural locations, a mainstream leading man and cleaner jokes (although there's the inevitable one about "her big end". Carry On' regulars are thin on the ground, apart from Joan Sims as Mrs Sam Kydd with Cyril Chamberlain representing the old and Jim Dale the new. Michael Craig remains the film's biggest liability as he's far too abrasive for such a whimsical subject and never for one moment seems like the sort who'd have a penchant for traction engines.