Train The DVD

THE TRAIN [1964 / 2015] [Blu-ray] One Man’s Impossible Mission – To Save His Country’s Priceless Treasures! It Will Carry You To The Peak of Adventure!Directed by John Frankenheimer at the peak of his powers, ‘THE TRAIN’ was made during a tremendous run of top-class pictures that also included ‘Birdman of Alcatraz,’ ‘Seven Days in May’ and ‘The Manchurian Candidate,’ with ‘Seconds’ soon to follow.France, 1944. Art lover and fanatical Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim have plundered a Paris museum for its masterpieces, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Cezanne. His intention is to have them transported by rail to Berlin, but one man stands in his way. Aware that the Allied forces are fast approaching the French capital, Resistance fighter Labiche need only stall the train for a few more days, but he’ll have to use all of his wits and skills to do so.Featuring two Oscar-winners in its lead roles – Burt Lancaster as Labiche and Paul Scofield as Von Waldheim – and Jeanne Moreau and Michel Simon in support, ‘THE TRAIN’ combines star power with spectacular action sequences to produce a classic war movie.Cast: Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, Suzanne Flon, Michel Simon, Wolfgang Preiss, Albert Rémy, Charles Millot, Richard Münch, Jacques Marin, Paul Bonifas, Jean Bouchaud, Donald O'Brien, Jean-Pierre Zola, Arthur Brauss, Jean-Claude Bercq, Howard Vernon, Louis Falavigna, Richard Bailey, Christian Fuin, Helmo Kindermann, Roger Lumont, Gérard Buhr, Christian Rémy, Victor Beaumont (uncredited), Jacques Blot (uncredited), Michel Charrel (uncredited), Nick Dimitri (uncredited), Max Fromm (uncredited), Bernard La Jarrige (uncredited), Jean-Jacques Leconte (uncredited), Daniel Lecourtois (uncredited) and Wolfgang Sauer (uncredited)Director: John Frankenheimer and Arthur Penn (uncredited)Producers: Bernard Farrel and Jules BrickenScreenplay: Frank Davis (story), Franklin Coen (story), Albert Husson (French version) (uncredited), Howard Dimsdale (uncredited), Nedrick Young (uncredited) Walter Bernstein (uncredited) and Rose Valland (book "Le front de l'art")Composer: Maurice JarreCinematography: Jean Tournier and Walter WottitzVideo Resolution: 1080p [Black-and-White]Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio and Music: 1.0 Dolby Digital MonoSubtitles: English SDHRunning Time: 133 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 1Studio: United Artists / Arrow AcademyAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: This brilliant high definition Blu-ray disc presentation from Arrow Academy of director John Frankenheimer’s epic US/French co-production of the 1964 film release of the brilliant ‘THE TRAIN.’ It is hard to believe that this masterpiece is just over 50 years old and it certainly doesn’t look it. Shot almost entirely on location in France, the production faced unexpected difficulties, especially in regards to the inclement weather in Normandy. "The Allies couldn't invade Normandy until June," John Frankenheimer later recalled, "and we were trying to shoot this thing in September and October when the fog comes rolling in from the Channel." Eventually, the production was shut down until the following spring, allowing the crew to shoot interior scenes in Paris and to begin assembling a cut of the film. Once the weather improved, they knew exactly what they needed to finish the picture. Aside from the weather, there were many other challenges involved in making ‘THE TRAIN.’ To film the bombing of a railway yard, special effects supervisor Lee Zavitz spent six weeks planting dynamite charges beneath the tracks of an actual rail yard, which the French government was already planning to tear apart and renovate, for a scene that lasts only 50 seconds. According to Newsweek, this brief sequence incorporated 140 separate explosions, 3,000 pounds of TNT and 2,000 gallons of gasoline. No miniatures were used in ‘THE TRAIN,’ a fact that is readily apparent when one views such sequences of carefully-orchestrated destruction that punctuate the film's tightly-wound narrative and was spectacularly effective with the scene when the train was being strafed by a British Spitfire plane when racing towards the safety of a mountain tunnel, proved almost fatal to John Frankenheimer and some of the crew. Filming from a helicopter just ahead of the train, the helicopter accidentally pulled into the path of the Spitfire plane as it sped toward the mountainside. "The Spitfire was roaring toward us at 300 miles an hour," John Frankenheimer remembers, "I could see the pilot's face and he looked as terrified as I felt. He missed us by ten feet... My wife was watching on the ground, and she fainted."But as to the actual story, which is in reality a very simple and clever scenario. Art lover and fanatical Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim [Paul Scholfield] have plundered a Paris museum for its masterpieces, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Cezanne. His intention is to have them transported by rail to Berlin, but one man stands in his way. Aware that the Allied forces are fast approaching the French capital and the French resistance fighter Paul Labiche [Burt Lancaster] need only stall the train for a few more days, but he’ll have to use all of his wits and skills to do so. Of course, the film is also posing the question, which still arises today, of the relative value of art and life in time of war. It is set in France in 1944. The film features two OSCAR® winners in its lead roles and they are Burt Lancaster as Paul Labiche and Paul Scofield as Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim and also the fabulous French actress Jeanne Moreau as Christine and the equally impressive French actor Michel Simon as Papa Boule in the supporting cast.‘THE TRAIN’ was actually based on a factual incident in 1944 where a shipment of 148 crates of modern paintings, which were destined for Germany, were packed on a train leaving Paris on the 1st August, 1944. The French Resistance were contacted and they managed to have the train stalled in a railway yard 20 kms outside Paris for several weeks until after the Liberation. Head of the operation was Colonel Franz von Waldheim [Paul Scofield], an obsessive art lover of the arts and of culture per se. Distraught museum curator Mademoiselle Villard [Suzanne Flon] asks the French Resistance for help and is certain that they will do so, especially since the liberation is ‘just around the corner’ and all it takes is to delay the departure of the Wehrmacht train for several days.John Frankenheimer made an extraordinary trilogy of the paranoia in the 1960s, but along comes the brilliant explosive film ‘THE TRAIN’ smack in the middle of the sixties. John Frankenheimer only came on to direct this 1964 film, because the original director Arthur Penn was fired early on in production. Paul Labiche [Burt Lancaster] has to somehow delay the train so that the Allies can intercept the train full of the Nazi looting of all the classic priceless pieces of all the French paintings ending up in Berlin in Germany. Paul Labiche works with the French Resistance in a series of dramatic action set pieces to make the train detour from its original route with lots of clever subversive action from the ever present French Resistance that the Germans do not realise they are not on their way to their final destination in Berlin.John Frankenheimer is a total visual master with his ever present close-up shots and his also on the edge of your seat atmospheric dramatic effects. A fine example of the film's life-sized special effects is a collision of two steam locomotives, which was not as simple as it appears. The tracks of the approaching train were dismantled and re-laid below ground level so the impact would be more dramatic, causing the locomotives to destroy one another and tear apart the earth around them rather than bouncing in different directions. John Frankenheimer expertly builds up the tension of the film’s 133 minutes running time to great effect, and John Frankenheimer is also a professional director who was totally effective in making dramatic films of one kind and another that has thrilled audiences with films of his calibre. But sometimes in the film ‘THE TRAIN’ there are some moments that are of a slower pace, but I think this was a deliberate effort on the part of the director to make you appreciate the final climax of this brilliant World World II film. But as you will hear with the audio commentary, you will hear John Frankenheimer say, “I think this was the last big action picture made in black-and-white, and personally, I am so grateful that it is in black-and-white, because I think the black-and-white image adds tremendously to the movie.” Which I agree 100% with this brilliant director.Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield are cleverly cast as two individuals at the opposite end of the pole spectrum, yet they are bound together through their almost fanatical obsessiveness in seeing their own goals through. Several of the Extras were in fact locals who could remember the actual real-life events in 1944, and it is thanks to the brilliant director John Frankenheimer’s sensible direction that each of the actors comes over as utterly realistic. One sequence that proved to be unexpectedly complicated was the derailing of a slow-moving locomotive. Instead of approaching at the planned speed of seven miles per hour, the driver accidentally tripled the speed. As a result, the train left the rails and proceeded to destroy every camera in its path....except one. No crew members were injured, six cameras were demolished, and the sole surviving camera provided a shot better than anything John Frankenheimer had anticipated, especially with a close-up view of the catastrophe, concluding with one steel wheel spinning mere inches from the lens of the camera. The film’s dramatic score and the stark black-and-white cinematography further emphasise the danger and dramatic imagery of this brilliant World War II film.Of course Burt Lancaster as usual brings a dramatic visual physical presence to his role in the film, who by the way to people who is interested in facts about Burt Lancaster, that he originally trained as a circus acrobat, which I think helped Burt Lancaster in the film roles he appeared in all his dramatic films he appeared in his professional acting career. But even more impressive is the actor Paul Scofield who brings a real evil menace presence as the role as the Nazi Colonel Officer Franz von Waldheim. We also have the delightful French actress Jeanne Moreau who adds just that French feminine touch to her role that this lovely actress always brings to the screen. Which all helps to bring this brilliant idiosyncratic dramatic thriller of John Frankenheimer’s film to a brilliant final solution and of course makes ‘THE TRAIN’ one of the most important Second World War II to come to the silver screen in a very long time and now preserved for future generation who are seeking films of this ultimate professional calibre presentation.As a great honour and homage to this brilliant awesome film ‘THE TRAIN,’ I liked the following dedication that you see at the start of the film and reads as follows: “We, the makers of this film, wish to pay tribute to those French Railway men, living and dead, whose magnificent spirit and whose courage inspired the story. We wish also to express our thanks to the French National Railways and the French Military Forces, whose wholehearted cooperation made the production possible. Although the sequence is not closely tied to the rest of the plot, it is a masterful achievement of heightened and prolonged suspense that helped solidify the reputation of ‘THE TRAIN’ as one of the best action films of the 1960s.Blu-ray Video Quality – The brilliant Arrow Academy brings us ‘THE TRAIN’ that was shot in stunning 1080p Black-and-White encoded image and is presented in its brilliant original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The Blu-ray gives us an excellent clarity of contrast with a natural grain structure that maintains the film celluloid look of the Blu-ray. In keeping it with amazing image quality, and especially for a 50 year old film, it has a terrific grey scale variance that brings out lots of its beautiful details and textures, and the shadows look really good, and especially the background elements are always easy on the eye. Close-ups spotlight the actors facial features really well, from the actors furrowed brows, facial hair to careworn creases, sweat, and battle scars, and it is a total credit to the careful and painstaking production of the high definition master of the film and the additional picture restoration carried out under the control of the professional Arrow Academy’s supervision at the Deluxe Restoration, London. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.Blu-ray Audio Quality – Arrow Academy brings us again an absolutely stupendous beautifully Blu-ray disc in giving the film the awesome 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio sound, that at times feels like you are hearing it in Stereo and pumps out plenty of potent sound that enhances the action sequences and maximises the impact of every sonic element. What is also of great about the audio presence is the piercing shrill of the train whistles and air-raid sirens are marvellously rendered, while the amazing awesome crashes and explosions possess gives us a formidable hefty bass channel. What is also very impressive is the sound of the rapid machine gun fire that is crisp and spot on, as well as the sounds of the footsteps come across as very clean. We also get a very superior dynamic range of highs and lows, especially with the brilliant composer Maurice Jarre's music score is so easy for your listening pleasure, and all the dialogue is very easy to comprehend, which helps to make the audio experience such a brilliant presentation, which is a very solid effort, immersive, and a total pleasure.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:High Definition Blu-ray [1080p] presentation of the film.Uncompressed English 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio presentation of the film.Special Feature: Optional 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Isolated Score by Composer Maurice Jarre.Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.Audio Commentary: Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer: Here we finally get to hear the brilliant director John Frankenheimer doing an audio commentary on his film ‘THE TRAIN’ and informs us that it was filmed at the height of winter and the coldest he has ever experienced and also that evening he informs us he got married. John informs us that the room where all the paints are on view before being shipped out, was a specially built room on the film set. John also praises the composer Maurice Jarre, where he feels that musical score was very effective and also feels that the music score reflected the style of the film so well. The other studio shot was another specially built room where you see all the Germans are getting ready to pack up everything to ship off to berlin. But after that John informs us that 90% of the film is on location and informs he is so very grateful that the film was shot in Black-and-White, which greatly enhances the visual image and also goes into great deal of information on what lenses he wanted to use to enhance the look of the film. John also praises Burt Lancaster as his portrait of a French Resistant leader and John also praises the French actors, and one of them was the veteran Michel Simon, but was notorious in not being able to say his lines in an English accent which you can hear when he speaks in the film. But his greatest praise was for the French actress Jeanne Moreau, who says was a joy to work with. Also the French actors, who worked on the train, were qualified train drivers. John informs us that they used 500lbs of explosive to blow up the box cars, which was for real. Also we find out that Burt Lancaster trained as an Engineer, especially when you see him making the part for the damaged train. When you see the Spitfire strafing the yard where all the trains and box cars with gunfire, it took two weeks to film that part in the film, but was also a very expensive experience. When it came to the physical stunts, John informs us that Burt Lancaster did all his own and especially when you see that young boy up on the room and is shot by the German Officer, well that is actually Burt Lancaster dressed up and the boy falling off the roof. But as we near the end of the film, we are at the part of the film where Burt Lancaster lets the train go and crashes into the other damaged train, which was for real, well John informs us that the day before that shoot Burt Lancaster was playing golf and he damaged his knee very badly and it made him limp very badly, so John devised a set up where as Burt runs across the bridge, and the German fires the machine gun and strafes it with bullets and you see Burt gets hit by the bullets, well because of Burt’s injury and that Burt could not of carried on filming, they would have had to shut the film down, but being Burt Lancaster as a real pro could not let down the director John Frankenheimer. One nice bit of information we hear from John is that the making the film really turned his life around, because before filming ‘THE TRAIN’ he had never set foot outside America and taking a year to make the film made him really appreciate France and its culture and after he finished ‘THE TRAIN’ decided to live in France for 5 years, as he got to see life that again was so different to what he experienced while living in America and because of this new lease of life, he went onto to make the film ‘GRAND PRIX’ [1966]. Another fascinating fact we hear about is that John says the film ‘THE TRAIN’ was made for $6,000,00, but he reckons if the film was made today, the budget would be in excess of $75,000,000. But one comment I liked is when John Frankenheimer points out that not one of the actors in the film ‘THE TRAIN’ and especially in the dramatic part of the film, never utters a swear word or other expletives, which John feels these words is not necessary, where he also points out that is a totally different outlook with modern day action films. And as we come to the end of the film and the brilliant audio commentary, which we get that very haunting atmospheric composed music from Maurice Jarre, to give it its atmospheric ending, that John Frankenheimer comments on in giving the film its right ending, instead of normally over the top composed music ending with modern action films, as the film did not need a massive dramatic ending for this particular Second World War II film. By the way I was fascinated to read from the brilliant essay in the 28 page booklet, that the John Frankenheimer’s audio commentary had actually been recorded for the 1994 MGM/UA NTSC LaserDisc, but we are so lucky to have it added to this Blu-ray release for the first time in the UK on this stunning Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.Special Feature: Burt Lancaster in the Sixties: A newly-filmed interview with Burt Lancaster’s biographer Kate Buford, tracing the actor’s career throughout the decade during the 1960s [2015] [1080p] [1.78:1] [36:20] Kate Buford tells us that Burt Lancaster arrived in Hollywood in 1946 and his rise to fame was meteoric and he realised he had the power, especially after appearing in the film ‘The Killers’ [1946] and he is only 33 years of age and with stardom comes power, especially with his experience in the circus and World War II and only just married and a new child in the family, he knows he must make a go of it or give up. Of course he makes his career in acting and hits the ground running. With the guidance from Hal B. Wallis [Film producer] at Paramount Pictures that kicked started Burt Lancaster into making his own pictures, especially with his first film ‘Kiss the Blood Off My Hands’ [1948] which unfortunately ends up as a complete flop. But between the late 1940s and early 1950s Burt Lancaster builds up his own Production Company, which makes Burt Lancaster a very powerful person and eventually joins up with Warner Bros. But the Burt Lancaster leaves behind the “film noir” genre and heads towards more sunny 1950s films, like ‘The Crimson Pirate’ [1952]; ‘APACHE’ [1954] and ‘TRAPEZE’ [1956] and then moves on and joins up with United Artist and makes the Company even more successful from the original actors that started the film company. Burt Lancaster then moves onto work with Paramount Pictures with films like ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ [1957] and the ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ [1957], which sadly was not a box office hit, but has now become a cult film hit. But sadly Burt Lancaster’s run of success runs out of steam and owes a massive amount to United Artists and to pay off his debt to them he is asked to appear in several their films of their choice and the first film to pay off his debt was ‘The Unforgiven’ [1960] which was directed by John Huston. Burt then moves on to appear in the film ‘Elmer Gantry’ [1960] that Burt was really keen to make and of course it was a massive box office hit and also Burt gained and OSCAR® Award. Then Burt Lancaster’s next project was ‘The Young Savages’ [1961] directed by John Frankenheimer and ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ [1962] and another film directed by John Frankenheimer. John Frankenheimer, Sydney Pollack and Burt Lancaster all became really long term close friends after working on the film ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ which as you know is a true story of the prisoner Robert F. Stroud who served a 50 year service and actually died in prison and of course Burt Lancaster was fascinated by Robert F. Stroud and his great knowledge on the study of birds. The next project for Burt Lancaster was the film ‘Judgement At Nuremberg’ [1961] that was directed by Stanley Kramer. Then Burt Lancaster’s next project was ‘A Child Is Waiting’ [1963] that was directed by John Cassavetes, where you had Judy garland as a teacher and Burt Lancaster is the Head of the school and was a personal project of Burt’s because of his childhood experiences, because one of his own child suffered from schizophrenics. The next big project for Burt Lancaster was to appear in the film ‘The Leopard’ [1963] that was directed by Luchino Visconti, but unfortunately Burt Lancaster and Luchino Visconti clashed and did not get on at first, but after a quiet behind-the-scene chat in private they resolved their differences. When the film was released in America in a cut down version it was a total disaster, ecially the bad dubbing, over the years when a proper full length film was released it eventually became a cult classic hit. Because of getting slightly burned with his experience on the last film, he decided to move on and appear in the film ‘Seven Days in May’ [1964] who also appeared a long side his long term actor friend Kirk Douglas and is an American political thriller motion picture about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Then comes along Burt Lancaster’s long term obsessed project to make the film ‘THE TRAIN’ [1964] and is the true story of World War II. The first director for the film was Arthur Hiller Penn, but was a total disaster and got kicked off the project, so Burt Lancaster decided to call in his old friend John Frankenheimer to take charge of the film, even though they had a big falling out years earlier, and of course it was the last World War II film to be filmed in Black-and-White and the film became infamous, because it took a year to film and was going far too over budget, despite this it was also a massive box office hit. Next up for discussion by biographer Kate Buford is the films ‘The Hallelujah Trail’ [1965] and ‘The Professionals’ [1965] that was both directed by John Sturges, which were two totally contrasting films and unfortunately ‘The Hallelujah Trail’ was a completely disastrous flop, but ‘The Professionals’ was a massive box office hit. But these types of films people were turning away from this type of film genre, so Burt Lancaster decided to give acting a break, but over time he came back with a jolt with appearing in the film ‘The Swimmer’ [1968] that was directed jointly by Frank Perry and Sydney Pollack, which again sadly was not a box office hit because of its strange story line, but we are told Burt Lancaster loved making the film, despite from the outset he could not swim and had to be trained over a long period to give the impression he was an Olympic swimmer. Now we come to the film chapter on the life and times of Burt Lancaster’s film career with the following subject “Endings: The Scalpehunters, Castle Kepp and The Gypsy Moth,” which biographer Kate Buford explains that these were the last three films that Burt Lancaster appeared in at the end of the 1960s and we are informed that there was a lot of difficulties in shooting these three films and were sadly not box office hits and of course not a success. So ends a fascinating look at the life and time career of Burt Lancaster and we have to thank the brilliant major kudos of Arrow Academy for including this ultimate special feature by Burt Lancaster’s Biographer Kate Buford, who gives an extremely heart-warming, knowledgeable and most importantly, a very enjoyable account of Burt Lancaster’s life and film career in the 1960’s. I would have been more than happy to watch and listen to Kate Buford talk more about the life and times of the very talented and prolific Burt Lancaster and especially his very diverse professional career in films and especially Hollywood and other territories of his career.Special Feature: News Report: A French Television News report on the making of ‘THE TRAIN,’ containing interviews with the locals of Acquigny [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [7:54] Here we get to look around the town of Acquigny, which is a local commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in Northern France and the audio commentary is in French, but what you do get is the facility of the white English subtitles. Here the news reporter interviews the locals, especially some of their properties that were used in the film and how the locals interacted with all the stars from the film and some of the locals get interviewed who were also seen being shot by the Germans and also some of the locals who helped out with the props. You also get to see still images from the film and other rare behind-the-scenes images from the making of ‘THE TRAIN.’ Sadly there is no proper ending, it all ends very abruptly.Special Feature: Archive Interview with Michel Simon [1964] [1080i] [1.33:1] [3:16] Here we get to hear Michel Simon doing the audio commentary for this documentary for a French Television Company, and again we are supplied with white English subtitles so we get to understand what you are viewing. We get to see most of the French male actors that appeared in the film, who make a pilgrimage back to the various locations where they appeared in the film. We also get included various clips from the French version of the film, which sadly is a very poor quality. But as a bonus we get some intimate interviews with some of the French male actors informing us of their experience of appearing in the film ‘THE TRAIN.’Special Feature: Premiere Footage: Footage of The Train’s Gala screening in Marseilles [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [1:00] Once again we get another documentary by a French Television Company about the French Premiere of the film ‘THE TRAIN,’ but of course being shown in France they of course titled the film ‘LE TRAIN.’ You get to see all kinds of dignitaries attending the film, and to welcome all the guests to the ceremony they laid on a 90 piece Military Band. We also get to see some of the French male actors, and one of the actors you see on the stage introducing the film.Theatrical Trailer [1964] [480i] [1.78:1] [4:22] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for ‘THE TRAIN.’ But I felt this was typical over the top presentation for American audiences, what a shame they could not have found the Original Theatrical Trailer for British audiences.PLUS: Beautiful Printed Reversible Blu-ray cover sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vladimir Zimakov who is the US based artist, designer and illustrator who specialises in linocut, silk screen and letterpress printing.BONUS: This Beautiful Designed Collector’s 28 page booklet which accompanies the Blu-Ray disc features a new excellent writing on the film entitled “A FEAT OF ENGINEERING” by Sheldon Hall and is a mine of information about the production of the film ‘THE TRAIN.’ Also “CONTEMPARY REVIEWS;” “ABOUT THE TRANSFER;” “ABOUT THE TRANSFER;” “PRODUCTION CREDITS;” “SPECIAL THANKS.” Plus there are generous illustrated black-and-white and colour photos, with original stills and artwork.Finally, climb up onto the footplate. Feel the heat of the furnace and the steam from the boiler. You will have coal grit in your eyes, your face and your hair will be blackened by smoke and just experience the hard steel, the power, the oil and the dirt, as you take the frightening and dangerous journey with the film ‘THE TRAIN,’ was like seeing it for the first time and is totally superb and Arrow Academy should be very proud and honoured, because they have done a totally professional job and you will savour every ounce of this totally brilliant and fantastic film forever! Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

I was recently watching a tribute programme on sky arts about the director John Frankenheimer and just for about 20 seconds, they showed a clip from this film 'THE TRAIN' (1964) where Paul Schofield as the German nazi officer confronts Burt Lancaster at the end about bringing his train of stolen art to a destructive halt while surrounded by dead bodies. The way Schofield looked, Spoke and what he said in those few seconds was enough to make me want to see this film and so I bought the dvd immediately. What an excellent instinctive risk that has proven to be because this film is absolutely captivating from the beginning. Shot in black and white which actually adds to its bleakness, the end result is Stark, Stylish and simply Stunning!! Sometimes the use of the black/white method is actually preferable to colour because on screen it is extremely effective when telling a story of suffering and pain such as this and really underlines and improves the overall mood and atmosphere of the film. It's exactly the same with photography in that the pictures with the most punch that are remembered best are usually those taken in this format and amplify the truths more so in there simplicity and lack of colour. A kind of brutal reality is apparent I find in both mediums and techniques and choices all benefit from the importance of this way of working. The director John Frankenheimer steers the film brilliantly through its paces and obviously understands his subject matter and actors abilities as he makes everything look great and comes in on some effective closeups just when needed to unsettle the viewer. He is undoubtedly an impressive director. Burt Lancaster is superb by actually underplaying his role here and puts in for me one of his best performances by doing so. No 'getting in the way of the film' itself like some big name actors do (Pitt & Depp especially) but wily enough to know that less is more just like the equally interesting Robert Duvall who is the master of 'the blend'. Paul Schofield is then able to play his part perfectly with his coldness and calculated determination to ship the stolen art work from France over to Germany by train, whatever it takes he is willing to do at any cost. And it takes a lot of deaths, resentment, pain, suffering, lieing, sacrifice etc to attempt to do so with the at first reluctant Lancaster finally being the man to thwart his greedy ambition. Only moved to do so after witnessing the shooting of an old train driver/engineer at a station when he was discovered to have sabotaged the train from leaving himself. That was enough to set Burt off on his dangerous but exciting mission. Support cast are all up to the job and help create a realistic few hours which in my opinion certainly does justice to what is said at the beginning of the film to be based on a true story. How brave these men and women were in their continuous resistance to the Nazi occupiers at the time. Risking their lives to sabotage and slow in any way possible the machinations in their many forms of the third reich and it's quest for world domination. That must NEVER be forgotten. This is a stunning tribute to such acts of defiance and bravery and runs along at a fair ol' pace in telling it's tale with some intelligent twists and turns along the way. My scene finally arrived at the end, the one that had inspired me to buy it, and to see it in the context of the film itself and gone through so much to get there...it was delicious in its execution and led to the eventual conclusion of the film nicely. The actual end I found poignant and moving and we was allowed time and space to contemplate everything that we as viewers had witnessed before the titles appeared. I am so glad I went with my gut instinct and bought this literally on a 20 second whim and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fine cinema at its war-torn best.

the film held your attention not over acted

But Lancaster films are always interesting and watchable. Although my favourite Is "Airport", the "Train" is one of those films that captures your imagination. All those priceless paintings From Piccaso to Cezzane, loaded into boxes from Paris ready to ship by train and closed wagons to Germany for either financing the wart effort or to gain HITLERS favour. Its greasy grimy and dirty, but its a clever film, punctuated with low key executions of those intent that the Train never reaches Germany. Still a fantastic movie that has lasted well.