The Train

Absolutely riveting thriller, an American-French co-production, with a great cast, well-written plot and script - and great stuntwork. As with all of John Frankenheimer's work, it's an instantly classic masterpiece.

Burt Lancaster is Labiche, a French station manager who becomes entangled in efforts to prevent German Colonel Von Waldheim (Scofield) from shipping hundreds of classic pieces of artwork out of Paris before the Allies re-take the city.

John Frankenheimer has done an excellent job putting every aspect of great storytelling together. The most essential part is the characters. Lancaster is absolutely great as Labiche. While the French want him to simply delay the train, Labiche is always more concerned about the human cost. Eventually, so many men are killed in the attempt to delay the train that he takes it upon himself to save the artwork so they did not die in vain. On the opposite side, Scofield makes a very believable, maniacal officer. He is purely obsessed by art. He's not your typical Hollywood "Nazi" officer; here, his one goal is not eradication of the Jews or whatnot - it's to steal millions of dollars worth of paintings for personal gain.

The French are played, for the most part, by young native French actors. Michel Simon plays a grizzled old engineer who tries to take matters into his own hands, at first, when Labiche won't aide the cause. Albert Remy (IS PARIS BURNING?) and Charles Millot (THE BATTLE OF NERETVA) are Labiche's resistance sidekicks, both passionate in their rather minor roles. Jeanne Moreau (THE VICTORS) makes a pretty big impression as a hotel owner who gets caught up the fight and elects to help Labiche, even though it will hurt her business and put her life in danger.

In support, the cast is made up of some very fine young actors who would become mainstream faces in later European war movies. Wolfgang Preiss (THE LONGEST DAY) makes an impression as the German Major commanding a rail yard, who is just simply trying to keep his facility running well and doesn't want to deal with Von Waldheim. The great Richard Munch (PATTON) has one strong scene as a German general, who knows the front line battle is more important than Von Waldheim's art. Howard Vernon (FROM HELL TO VICTORY) is the German captain with glasses in charge of the train; Donald O'Brien (DEADLY MISSION) is a very mean-looking Sergeant keeping Lancaster and Remy in check; and Arthur Brauss plays the German Captain interrogating the stationmaster.

The second essential portion of the story goes to the purely technical side of the production. First of all, there are some truly spectacular action sequences. Most of them were done with real locomotives, on life-size sets with authentic explosions. One huge, three-way head-on-collision is awe-striking and must have marvelous to see on the big screen. Lancaster performs all of his own stunts; jumping from control towers, running and catching moving trains - all, one would think, would be difficult for a man of 51 - but Lancaster doesn't show a bit of strain. A good deal of the action centers around simply moving trains and equipment through railyards, and it's all portrayed with acute attention to authenticity and detail.

At key moments, Frankenheimer uses his typical unorthodox filming technique to give the action a new perspective. The camera zooms in on every day objects, which actually have key importance at that one moment. He follows Labiche down a hallway with a handheld camera simply because it's the best way of showing how he gets to where he's going. All of this is trademark Frankenheimer direction, and it gives the film a sharp, cutting edge to its already awesome plot. Sincerely, standard direction with all of the same elements would really lessen the impact of the punch every other element packs.

A few side notes: the scenery is great; each town, village set piece, actual location or open countryside looks just like 1944 France. Maurice Jarre's rousing music score is great and is quickly becoming one of my favorite war movie themes, ranking with the works of Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein and John Williams.

I saw this movie on Turner Classic Movies, letterboxed about 1.66:1. This is apparently a transfer directly from the DVD. The print is excellent: the black and white image is sharp, the sound is clear and appropriately loud; and there is hardly a scratch or speckle to be seen. The DVD is probably worth buying for the commentary track it holds, but I have not yet viewed the disc.

THE TRAIN is an instant classic from the Golden Age of cinema, with every element working perfectly.

RATING: 10/10

A nonverbal action movie that stars Burt Lancaster as a train operator trying to thwart the plans of Nazi operatives to move precious artworks from France to Germany in the last losing days of WWII.

John Frankenheimer directs in stark black and white, and the film has his trademarks all over it -- kinetic compositions, rapid-fire editing, ragged documentary look and feel. Paul Scofield also stars as the obsessed Nazi and Jeanne Moreau has a role as a French woman who reluctantly aids and abets Lancaster. The sheer physical production is astounding; in the days before CGI would have done everything for them, Frankenheimer and company staged massive set pieces involving bombed railroad yards, crashing trains, you name it. I can only imagine how much pressure the special effects guys were under to get everything right the first time because re-staging it for a second try would have been a bear.

"The Train" brought Franklin Coen and Frank Davis an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Story and Screenplay at the 1965 Oscars.

Grade: A-

The premise truly fascinated me, a premise or at least subject that sounded like the film would be a powerful one. John Frankenheimer was responsible for some great work, 'The Manchurian Candidate' instantly coming to my mind as being one of his best. The cast would be reason enough on its own, so imagine having the subject and Frankenheimer as director also being big main reasons, to see it, having admired a good deal of work from both Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield.

Seeing 'The Train' two days ago, what instantly came to my mind after watching was "wow!" Like most people here, to me this was a pretty exceptional film that really packs a punch in a way that not many films of its year, decade or even genre at this point of film history did. Truly powerful work that took risks and pulls no punches in a way that still has the ability to shock, no trivialising or sugar-coating here. Quite the opposite. As far as WWII films go, it is one of the best and despite being highly praised deservedly more people should know about it, it is really quite something and unlike a lot of films personally seen.

Maybe 'The Train' runs a little too long by about 15 minutes or so, which occasionally (emphasis on that word) affects the pace.

On occasions too early on, for my tastes Maurice Jarre's music score jarred a bit and like it belonged more in a comedy.

Conversely, there are so many strengths (which is actually pretty much everything else) and everything else is executed flawlessly. 'The Train' is quite masterful visually, the photography is full of atmosphere and played a huge part in making the train itself like its own character. Have never seen a train so cleverly, intimately and powerfully used. The French locations are incredibly well utilised, some of the best use of French locations for any film seen in a long time from personal view. On a technical level, the action with the train is enough to make the jaw drop today. Frankenheimer's direction is hugely accomplished and not since 'The Big Parade' as far as recent film viewings go has there been direction for any film that was this visually flawless. Most of Jarre's score works very well, when it becomes more subtle and more harmonious with the atmosphere it is quite hauntingly unsettling.

Script is very intelligent and thought-provoking, taut enough while allowing breathing space yet not rambling. The story is hugely compelling, is very intense especially the exciting action with the train and is emotionally powerful. Found myself quite moved and shocked at how much the more uncompromising moments (and there are many) wrenched the gut, haven't seen an ending this poetic in a while either. The characters are well defined and interesting. There are great performances from all, with Lancaster superb in one of his best performances. He tells so much with his face and eyes and could tell he meant every word with his line delivery, he is especially good in the last twenty minutes where words are few but one intensely feels his hurt and anger. Scofield has seldom been nastier or at times even frightening. Jeanne Moreau's role isn't huge but she is sympathetic in it and an atypically cast Michel Simon is very telling in his.

In summary, exceptional and one of the best WWII films. 9/10

The big star of Frankenheimer's film is the train itself... And the plot is based on the characteristic of railroads—engines and cars all over the tracks, cabs and steam—all shown on enough detail to keep the viewer in great suspense… The aerial strike shots are also wonderfully taken…

The film begins in Paris, August 2, 1944…

It's 1511th day of German occupation… The liberation of Paris seems very close…

Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) decides suddenly to remove by train to Germany the best of Impressionist masterpieces… His objective is clear: "Money is a weapon. The contents are as negotiable as gold and more valuable."

Mademoiselle Villard (Suzanne Flon) informs the Resistance of the shipment…The Resistance reaction is to stop the train without damaging the national heritage… "They are part of France." But stopping the train is not a simple task… You can get killed especially if you are French and the train is German…

Labiche (Burt Lancaster), the Chief Inspector of the French Railway System, is not impressed… However, he never communicates his political, ideological, or nationalistic convictions, "For certain things, we take the risk," he said; "but I won't waste lives on paintings."

When an aged engineer, Papa Boule (Michel Simon), is accused of sabotage in spite of saving the train through the Allied's bombs at the risk of his own life, Labiche is forced into combat…

It begins with a long sequence where an armament train and the art train are both trying to leave the yard in the morning… As they are being moved back and forth across the tracks, the viewer knows that British planes will hit the yard in that moment at exactly 10:00 o'clock…

New complications are introduced, but the central conflict always returns to an obsessive art lover against a man with no appreciation for art… Labiche's only concerns is to slow down the Nazis keeping himself and his compatriots alive…

Now, two forces control the film… The first is Frankenheimer's cleverness to choreograph the real trains… Frankenheimer and his cinematographers capture the heat of the engines, the noise and sound of the cars in motion, the fault in the oil line, the crushing strength implicated when the machines come into collision and the derailment… The second force is Lancaster, the "headache" of the fanatical obsessed Colonel whose desire is to see the priceless paintings in Nazi Germany...

A standout WWII drama, loosely based on a true story. In 1944, as the Allies spread across France from the Normandy landings, the Nazis looted Paris art museums and loaded the works onto a train, with the intention of carrying them back to the Fatherland and selling or bartering them for scarce war materials. A fairly hare-brained scheme, to be sure, and in reality the train never made it further than a siding just east of the city, but that shouldn't hinder one's enjoyment of what turns out to be a classic action film.

The centerpiece of the movie is a clash of wills between Von Waldheim, a cultured but iron-backed Nazi colonel (well-played by Paul Scofield) charged with getting the stolen artworks to Germany, and a taciturn railway troubleshooter named Labiche (Burt Lancaster). Von Waldheim first enlists Labiche as 'insurance' against any monkey business during the train's journey. Labiche, though, happens to have Resistance connections and, with serious reservations, is drawn into a desperate, improvised plot to stop the train, preferably without damaging the precious artifacts inside.

Although easily enjoyed as a straight action flick, what gives the film weight is the supporting story, in which Labiche at first argues against wasting precious lives on a few crates of paintings he's never seen, then gradually comes round as he begins to understand that the Nazis are effectively carrying off a large piece of the heart of France. Beautiful deep-focus black and white photography, and solid supporting performances by a mostly French cast (of which Jeanne Moreau may be the best-known), convincingly evoke the bleak misery of the Occupation. John Frankenheimer's economical direction manages to present highly-charged action scenes without glossing over the human cost, as Von Waldheim exacts savage reprisals against escalating efforts to hinder the train's passage.

Lancaster, who performed his own stunts, is excellent, furiously athletic as he slides down ladders, leaps onto moving locomotives, and charges over ridges and fields in pursuit of the train. At the same time, he manages to effectively bring a subtle authenticity to his portrayal of the weary, fatalistic railwayman.

Finally, the action set-pieces are nothing short of stunning, and include the train's mad dash through an Allied carpet-bombing attack, a strafing raid on a speeding locomotive, and several wrecks and derailments, all staged full-scale with period equipment donated by the French national railway. Well worth obtaining on DVD, the film may be hard to find on broadcast television these days.