An update of Abel Gance's silent masterpiece (1920) , the original screenplay underwent some changes:the girl is adopted at the beginning of WW2, and the whole story was sweetened: the train driver does not become blind after the explosion, and it's happy end for everybody.
This modern remake went unnoticed when it was released ; it is not devoid of qualities though ; melodrama is kept to the minimum ,and the movie focussed on the evolution of the railroad from 1940
to the late fifties ,from the steam-powered trains to electricity ,which caused problems to the railroad men who had to learn new techniques. The rapport the principals ,Jean Servais and Pierre Mondy ,have ,is thoroughly convincing .Servais 's fall as his skills and his declining health lead him to go down from a train driver (his passion ,he lives for his engine he calls "la petite" , when he can't drive anymore ,his psyche is shot)to a mechanic to a night watchman avoids pathos .He has neglected his children (a son and an adopted daughter) and when they grow up, he's jealous of her suitor ,a handsome air force officer ,and does not care about his son who climbs the career ladder quickly.
Beginning a la René Clément's "bataille du rail" ,the film essentially continues as a tribute to the railroad men.
