The Train

The Train, is one of my favorite movies of all time, regardless of genre. The positive reviews that others have written are my sentiments exactly, so I won't add much. Much praise for Burt Lancaster is deserved, but I have to say, not enough praise for Paul Schofield's contribution. Paul Schofield plays up the obsessed Nazi colonel to the hilt! Pairing up these two Academy Award winners was genius, along with Jeane Moreau, the French National Railway, and on, and on...

Good Burt Lancaster movie.

Best Burt Lancaster movie ever.

There really is no bad film that Burt Lancaster ever appeared in. This film contains very real drama accentuated with effects that will never be done in any film again like the deliberate wrecking of rare steam engines. For any student of the old films The Train should represent quite an example of cinematography sans computerized special effects. All effects are real. By today's standards a black and white film is passé, but should not be scoffed at. This film is pure art. The lighting in this film is especially good, night scenes glisten.There are numerous subplots in this film, but the overall theme is the "way of the madman" who intends to destroy the most ordinary of good people. It's hard for today's audience to understand the ongoing atrocities the Nazis committed very routinely. This film takes the viewer right into that maelstrom making it important material for any historian. Theft of rare art is a step on the continuum of total societal obliteration. The main thrust of the plot covers that point providing insights into the minds behind such deeds. Madmen appear to control the whole world and madmen have to be stopped, no matter the cost. That brilliant calling happens in the film.Lancaster's high energy is put to exceptionally good use in the film, particularly at the end of it as he attempts to outrun the train by sliding down hillsides and as he attacks the rails almost with his bare hands. The train and the madman on it are finally stopped. It's a great ending. However, going back into the action, there's no way the gun could have been fired the number of seconds it was since it was fired a very long time the night previous and no extra mags were carried. Small details like that don't break the show, but are simply noted here.The bombing of the rail yard was quite a work of time and effort. Somewhere there is a documentary about that too. That was not provided with the single disk version. This is not a quiet film and it will not be relaxing at all. Even after all the years since its original release, it kept this author on the edge of his couch nearly the whole time.There are some scenes that a serious student of film will want to spend time with. Namely, the interaction of the female innkeeper and the main character. During the war, people suddenly found themselves having to risk their lives for things they could not have expected. It's an important part of the film and worth rerunning. If this were a film course, this author would have to spend significant time on those scenes. It's practically a film course on one disc.

In desperate times some people just simply "step up" ~ knowing the risks and dangers. The French were war-weary, but the saving of irreplaceable art treasures called upon some Resistance members for one more mission. The moral question was raised by some: was it worth losing more lives to save some art works, valuable though they were? It goes without saying all human life is worthy!But by choice, even having been decimated in number as the end of WWII seems near, the "remnants" (all THREE out of an original 18) of this resistance cell agree to take this mission.Then they were joined by a chain of brave resistance fighters across the countryside who coordinated brilliantly to deceive the Nazis into believing The Train was slowly but surely moving from Paris to Germany (with the spoils of war, so to speak).I loved this part of the story....seeing ordinary villagers (no matter the ages or genders) along the route carrying out their part of this effort; no where did any one of them break the chain. Each played their role to perfection..... All for One; and One for All.In stepping up as they did some sacrificed their lives, bravely confronting the German soldiers.Just as the USA put aside the mundane after 9-11 ~ we saw people, even strangers, coming together in ways that wouldn't have happened even days before that infamous morning.Anyone with a love & appreciation of trains would have to like how much attention focused on trains; goodness in the age of coal-fired train travel, it was certainly a dirty job. But Lancaster was covered in soot, coal dust, oil, and whatever just about the entire movie.Well done portrayal of WWII history if you're a history buff!

Very entertaining movie. I've seen this movie years ago but watching it today(2022) just seems to hit home. It takes place in occupied France. Even though the Nazis new that the allies were on the Paris door step they were so relentless and brutal to the French civilians.

The Train is a classic, intriguing, WWII movie! It is one of my favourites because the cast, plot, pace and realism are excellent! The story is set in 1944 France. A German colonel is trying to ship a trainload of French art treasures (stolen by the Germans) to Germany and the French Resistance must stop it without damaging the cargo. Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau and Michel Simon are among the great cast. I remember watching this movie with my dear father (who fought in Europe in WWII), so it has a very special relevance to me.

A magnificent story about the very end of the German occupation of France. It was made by people who love trains, not today's TGVs and Bullet trains, but the brawny steam locomotives of an earlier era. Its' shot with wide-angle lenses, and you can see them, hear them, almost taste them. This film took forever to come out on DVD. Why isn't it on Blu-ray?

Excellent movie, Lancaster and Scofield at their best. The video quality on this disc is fantastic. They have done a fantastic job converting this movie from film to digital. Played through my Oppo BDP 103 the video is just the best black and white video quality I have ever seen to this date. Highly recomended.

loved the movie ,, Husbands favorite movie ,, thank you