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The Paris Express

Original title: The Man Who Watched Trains Go By
  • 19521952
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
607
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
85,449
33,341
The Paris Express (1952)
CrimeDrama
A Dutch company's owner bankrupts his own company, burns the incriminating ledgers and plans to run to Paris with the company funds but he is caught in the act by his accountant who challeng... Read allA Dutch company's owner bankrupts his own company, burns the incriminating ledgers and plans to run to Paris with the company funds but he is caught in the act by his accountant who challenges his actions, leading to a reversal of roles.A Dutch company's owner bankrupts his own company, burns the incriminating ledgers and plans to run to Paris with the company funds but he is caught in the act by his accountant who challenges his actions, leading to a reversal of roles.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
607
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
85,449
33,341
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Harold French
    • Writers
      • Georges Simenon(novel)
      • Harold French(screenplay)
      • Paul Jarrico(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Claude Rains
      • Michael Nightingale
      • Felix Aylmer
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Harold French
    • Writers
      • Georges Simenon(novel)
      • Harold French(screenplay)
      • Paul Jarrico(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Claude Rains
      • Michael Nightingale
      • Felix Aylmer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 15User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos30

    Ferdy Mayne and Märta Torén in The Paris Express (1952)
    Claude Rains in The Paris Express (1952)
    Herbert Lom in The Paris Express (1952)
    Märta Torén in The Paris Express (1952)
    Claude Rains in The Paris Express (1952)
    Märta Torén in The Paris Express (1952)
    Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)
    Claude Rains and Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)
    Claude Rains and Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)
    Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)
    Claude Rains and Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)
    Marius Goring in The Paris Express (1952)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Kees Popinga
    Michael Nightingale
    • Clerk
    Felix Aylmer
    Felix Aylmer
    • Merkemans
    Herbert Lom
    Herbert Lom
    • Julius de Koster Jnr
    Gibb McLaughlin
    Gibb McLaughlin
    • Julius de Koster Snr
    Marius Goring
    Marius Goring
    • Lucas
    Lucie Mannheim
    Lucie Mannheim
    • Maria Popinga
    Joan St. Clair
    • Frida Popinga
    Robin Alalouf
    • Karl Popinga
    Märta Torén
    Märta Torén
    • Michèle Rozier
    • (as Marta Toren)
    Michael Alain
    • Train Conductor
    Jean Deveaux
    • Train Official
    Ferdy Mayne
    Ferdy Mayne
    • Louis
    Anouk Aimée
    Anouk Aimée
    • Jeanne
    • (as Anouk)
    Roy Purcell
    • Pierre
    Eric Pohlmann
    Eric Pohlmann
    • Goin
    MacDonald Parke
    • American Businessman
    Mary Mackenzie
    • Mrs. Lucas
    • Director
      • Harold French
    • Writers
      • Georges Simenon(novel)
      • Harold French(screenplay)
      • Paul Jarrico(screenplay) (originally uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The 100,000 guilders stolen from the company would equal about $26,320 at the time of this film, or $245,140 in 2017.
    • Quotes

      Lucas: The interesting thing about criminals, Mr. Popinga, is that they are just like anybody else.

    User reviews15

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Clerk gone mad
    The Paris Express gives Claude Rains a truly outstanding starring role where a meek little clerk who's devoted almost a couple of decades to the firm he was employed catches his employer Herbert Lom running off with the company assets. When Lom is accidentally killed, it's Rains on a mad impulse takes the money that Lom had in his possession and runs off to Paris.

    Detective Marius Goring had been for some time investigating the firm and when Lom turns up dead he catches on quickly that Rains has the stolen money. This man never had so much as parking ticket in his life and Goring tries very hard to get him to return the money and return to being a model citizen.

    But Rains has had a taste of adventure and there's a chance for him to live like a playboy. He doesn't have it in him though.

    He does however have a suspicious nature about people wanting to be a new friend. That paranoia degenerates Rains into madness. In this it's a lot like the performance he gave in Phantom Of The Opera without the acid burns. Also not unlike his scientist in the Invisible Man.

    Helping him along is Marta Toren, a French prostitute with whom Lom was entangled and she'd like to entangle herself with Rains long enough to part him and his loot. Toren is a truly evil woman of the streets. She died young and the screen lost a great talent.

    Rains was never a traditional leading man, but his was an ability to really get inside a character's skin. He truly blends into his role as the clerk gone mad with paranoia and middle age hormones pulling him in different directions. Check him out in his final scene with Marius Goring. His closeups tell all.

    The Paris Express is a must for fans of Claude Rains and his art.
    helpful•14
    1
    • bkoganbing
    • Sep 25, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 5, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Čovek koji je gledao kako vozovi prolaze
    • Filming locations
      • Paris, France
    • Production companies
      • Raymond Stross Productions
      • Josef Shaftel Productions Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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