IMDb > The Train (1964)
The Train
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The Train (1964) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 15 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
The Train -- A French railway inspector goes up against the Nazis in order to prevent a trainload of France's most treasured paintings from being stolen.
The Train -- A French railway inspector goes up against the Nazis in order to prevent a trainload of France's most treasured paintings from being stolen.

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   4,684 votes »
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Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Franklin Coen (screen story) and
Frank Davis (screen story) and
Franklin Coen (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Train on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 March 1965 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
It carried their hopes, their nation's honour!
Plot:
In 1944, a German colonel loads a train with French art treasures to send to Germany. The Resistance must stop it without damaging the cargo. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination See more »
User Reviews:
Peerless war movie See more (106 total) »

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Burt Lancaster ... Labiche

Paul Scofield ... Von Waldheim

Jeanne Moreau ... Christine
Suzanne Flon ... Mlle Villard
Michel Simon ... Papa Boule
Wolfgang Preiss ... Herren
Albert Rémy ... Didont (as Albert Remy)
Charles Millot ... Pesquet
Richard Münch ... Von Lubitz (as Richard Munch)
Jacques Marin ... Jacques
Paul Bonifas ... Spinet
Jean Bouchaud ... Schmidt
Donald O'Brien ... Schwartz (as Donal O'Brien)
Jean-Pierre Zola ... Octave
Arthur Brauss ... Pilzer (as Art Brauss)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"John Frankenheimer's The Train" - USA (complete title)
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Runtime:
133 min | UK:140 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The engines and tanks required for some scenes made so much noise that "action" and "cut" were signaled by codes on the engines' whistles.See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: The cab of a moving steam locomotive is noisy even when there aren't air raid sirens sounding. Papa Boule should never have been able to hear Labiche shouting at him from 50 feet away.See more »
Quotes:
[The tracks are being cleared after the deliberate wreck.]
Colonel von Waldheim:I asked for two cranes.
Major Herren:It took an order from staff headquarters to get this one. With von Runstedt falling back, the army has other uses for railway equipment.
Colonel von Waldheim:All von Runstedt can lose is men. This train is more valuable.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)See more »

FAQ

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49 out of 70 people found the following review useful.
Peerless war movie, 8 November 1999
Author: goldfish-9 from Washington DC

The movie is about the Nazis taking 'degenerate' modern paintings out of Paris as the allies are approaching. The officer in charge of the spoils, Colonel Von Waldheim, is secretly in love with the art he is supposed to hate; his official motivation is based on "cash value." The French train workers, led by Labiche, have no appreciation for the art and are unaware of its cultural importance, but nevertheless fight the Germans out of patriotism, against their better instincts.

Frantic, weary tension comes from the closeness of end of the war, a desperate time that drives the characters well past sane restraint. The Germans can no longer deny their impending doom. Grit comes from massive steam locomotives shot in black and white. The mortal struggle plays out on a personal level. The action is relentless.

The director, John Frankenheimer, relies on the intelligence and empathy of the audience to convey his story. Much of the movie is concerned with the mechanicals of how a railroad works. It shows the dignity and solidarity of the workers, and their huge effort.

The theme is the waste, the cost of war -- what is worth fighting for, what you actually do fight for even though it does not seem to be worth it, and the capricious outcome. The tally comes at the final scene.

"The Train" is a perfect action-adventure war drama.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Train (1964)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Excusable Destruction of France's Railway Heritage aeolus847
Remake steve_vanes
35mm print screening soon in Melbourne, Australia gfast
Tracking shot Mark_Alldridge
Just saw this for the first time somadude
Albert Remy dubbed? Clanallan
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