Un soir, un train (1968)

Mathias is a Belgian linguist, living with French theatre producer Anne. After a quarrel about moral questions, they take a train to attend a congress. While Mathias sleeps, Anne disappears... See full summary »

Director:

André Delvaux

Writer:

Johan Daisne (novel)

Stars:

Yves Montand, Anouk Aimée, Adriana Bogdan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yves Montand	...	Mathias
Anouk Aimée	...	Anne
Adriana Bogdan	...	Moira
Hector Camerlynck	...	Hernhutter
François Beukelaers	...	Val
Michael Gough	...	Jeremiah
Senne Rouffaer	...	Elckerlyc
Domien De Gruyter	...	Werner
Jan Peré	...	Henrik
Nicole Debonne	...	La jeune fille
Wilfried Coppens	...	Le garçon du train
Greta Van Langhendonck	...	La fille du train
Patrick Conrad	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Jacqueline Royaards-Sandberg	...	La grand-mère
Denise Zimmerman	...	L'étudiante

Storyline

Mathias is a Belgian linguist, living with French theatre producer Anne. After a quarrel about moral questions, they take a train to attend a congress. While Mathias sleeps, Anne disappears. The train stops in the middle of the country and Mathias gets off the train with an older man, Hernhutter, and a young one, Val. The train moves off without them being able to catch it up. They will find a village, but cannot get any help because they do not understand a word of what the inhabitants say...

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Plot Keywords:

train | train wreck | afterlife | dead | dream | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

Dutch French

Release Date:

22 November 1968 (France)

Also Known As:

One Night... a Train

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parc Film, Les Productions Fox Europa, Les Films du Siècle

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"La fleur de l'été"
by André Delvaux and Frédéric Devreese
Performed by Nicole Croisille

User Reviews

Fabulous dreamlike movie.

The drama of in-communicability as never before,and never after.A couple ,Montand and Aimée, feels that their love is becoming a thing of the past.He is a linguistics professor,he reigns over words and culture;she does not understand the language they speak in this part of Belgium. One night,both take a train;suddenly it stops.Anne (Aimée) has disappeared ,and Matthias (Montand) gets out of the train.With two unknown guys,he sees the train silently and slowly moving ,like in a dream.The dream has begun.

Matthias and his two mates are left alone in the country.They arrive in a small village where,that crowns it,the university professor cannot understand a single world of the inhabitants' language.A very strange scene shows the three men coming into a tiny movie theater.On the screen,an odd,almost disturbing film is projected:a parachutist floating in the air,sometimes shot in close-up,with an almost unbearable soundtrack.The audience seems to live in another world.Not only Matthias does not understand the language,but he does not understand their entertainment either .Then they go to a restaurant ,the staff of which seems to wait for them.Maybe..

When he returns to reality,Matthias will find out how selfish he has been with Anne.But it's a movie you can interpret in accordance with your sensitivity.Never a director has gone so far in intertwining dream with reality.The in communicability of Matthias and the strange people of his dream is a metaphor of that of the two lovers.But ,because of the harrowing conclusion,which leaves the audience totally hopeless,perhaps this dream was an escape,or a way to delay what was ineluctable.André Delvaux gave us the best European movie of 1968.