Train de vie (1998)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Writers:

Radu Mihaileanu (writer)
Moni Ovadia (italian version)

Release Date:

16 September 1998 (France)

Genre:

Romance | War | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Train | Palestine | Jewish | WWII

Awards:

9 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Lionel Abelanski	...	Shlomo
Rufus	...	Mordechai
Clément Harari	...	The Rabbi
Michel Muller	...	Yossi
Agathe de La Fontaine	...	Esther
Johan Leysen	...	Schmecht
Bruno Abraham-Kremer	...	Yankele
Marie-José Nat	...	Sura
Gad Elmaleh	...	Manzatou
Serge Kribus	...	Schtroul
Michel Israel	...	Sage 3
Rodica Sanda Tutuianu	...	Golda
Sanda Toma	...	Mere de Yossi
Zwi Kanar	...	Lilenfeld
Razvan Vasilescu	...	The Tzigan Colonel

Also Known As:

Train of Life (Europe: English title) (USA)
Trenul vietii (Romania)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

France | Belgium | Netherlands | Israel | Romania

Language:

French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Belfilms

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Titanic (1997)

Soundtrack:

Cine iubeste si lasa

Unexpected plot but plenty of laughter

There's quite a bit going on in "Train of Life" but it's worth following. The premise is that a shtetl (Jewish community) fears it will be deported to a World War II concentration camp. The village fool, Shlomo, comes up with the idea to purchase a locomotive, train some of the villagers to talk/act/dress like Nazis and head for Palestine in hopes they can fool the real Nazis.

Okay, the premise is far fetched. That's a given. But for this film, it works. The close-knit village buys into the plan and sets to work creating the ruse. Shlomo rises about his "village idiot" persona and finds new worth. The fake Nazi commander, Mordechai, begins to take his role a little too literally. There's a subplot about some of the young men converting to Communism. And a small band of resistance workers who try to blow up the train.

But the star of this film is not one person, it is the village. They've banded together to survive, which isn't lost amid the humor. There's true fear and hope. Some may feel the villagers are made fun of and lampooned, but there's a healthy respect for the Jewish customs and family closeness in this film. Watch the scene where the villagers prepare for the Sabbath during their journey and you'll see what I mean.

Too many films to count have focused on the reality of the Holocaust. There's no deny that it was a horrific event that should never be forgotten. This film does not desecrate or abandon that truth. It simply adds a new dimension worth exploring.