The Train (1964)

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.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Franklin Coen (screen story), Frank Davis (screen story),

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

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)

Storyline

As the Allied forces approach Paris in August 1944, German Colonel Von Waldheim is desperate to take all of France's greatest paintings to Germany. He manages to secure a train to transport the valuable art works even as the chaos of retreat descends upon them. The French resistance however wants to stop them from stealing their national treasures but have received orders from London that they are not to be destroyed. The station master, Labiche, is tasked with scheduling the train and making it all happen smoothly but he is also part of a dwindling group of resistance fighters tasked with preventing the theft. He and others stage an elaborate ruse to keep the train from ever leaving French territory.

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Plot Keywords:

train | french | german | art | painting | 

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Taglines:

It carried their hopes, their nation's honour!

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Genres:

Thriller | War | Action

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

France Italy USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

7 March 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Frankenheimer's The Train

Filming Locations:

Acquigny, Calvados, France

Box Office

Budget:

$6,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Ariane, Les Productions Artistes Associés, Dear Film Produzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ranked No. 1 in Trains Magazine's special issue, "The 100 Greatest Train Movies."

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Goofs

When Paul Scofield has loaded the art train and is called to the hut for a telephone call, the boom Mic is briefly visible at the top of the frame right when he says the words "Von Waldeim Speaking".

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Quotes

Miss Villard: I knew of books being burned, other things... I was terrified that these would be lost.
Colonel von Waldheim: A book is worth a few francs; we Germans can afford to destroy those. We all may not appreciate artistic merit, but cash value is another matter.
Miss Villard: You won't convince me that you're cynical. I know what these paintings mean to you.
Colonel von Waldheim: You are a perceptive woman.
[Schmidt enters, with several other soldiers.]
Colonel von Waldheim: We're removing the paintings. Pack them carefully.
Miss Villard: Where are you taking them?!
Colonel von Waldheim: To a safe place.
Miss Villard: But no ...

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Connections

Referenced in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

User Reviews

A Different Kind Of WWII Movie, And One Of The Best

This is one of my all-time favorite war movies, always rated in the top three since I first saw it years ago. I rate it so high because of four main things:

1 - Wonderful black-and-white photography; 2 - an interesting cast led by two great actors, Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield; 3 - An intelligent, different kind of war story revolving around stolen works of great art; 4 - Just the right amount of action.

Not only the blacks-and-whites look good but the grays, too. The nighttime train shots with the white steam coming out is just spectacular. You can feel the grease and grime on these railroad men as the work on the train. The person best exemplifying that is the Frenchman Michel Simon who plays "Papa Boule," the engineer who begins the train trip and then is shot after being discovered sabotaging it. What a great face this man had! He, Lancaster and other grimy railroad men with soot all over their faces give this a real authentic feel. Most of the cast is either French or German but if you have a hard time understanding a few lines, you can put on the English subtitles if you are playing the DVD.

This is a pretty long film but it doesn't have many lulls, especially the train starts to roll. I have viewed this a number of times and have never been disappointed with it. Director John Frankenheimer gives some interesting commentary on this, too, so you might to check that out on the disc.