The Train

[polybear]

Wednesday 20th Dec at 4pm on Film 4.

 

WW2 Film, with Burt Lancaster.

 

The Train is a 1964 war film directed by John Frankenheimer from a story and screenplay by Franklin Coen and Frank Davis, inspired by the non-fiction book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland, who documented the works of art placed in storage that had been looted by the Germans from museums and private art collections. It stars Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield and Jeanne Moreau.

Set in August 1944, the film, an American-French-Italian co-production which was shot in black-and-white, sets French Resistance-member Paul Labiche (Lancaster) against German Colonel Franz von Waldheim (Scofield), who is attempting to move stolen art masterpieces by train to Germany. Inspiration for the scenes of the train's interception came from the real-life events surrounding train No. 40,044 as it was seized and examined by Lt. Alexandre Rosenberg of the Free French forces outside Paris.

 

It was on yesterday; I had the sound turned down cos' I was doing something that couldn't wait and needed concentration.  However, as time went on I realised I wished I had taped it.  Luckily it's on again this Wednesday.  Jam packed with train footage - many may find it interesting.

HTH

Brian

[Trofimow]

Thanks for the heads up - I've been waiting for this to be on again to get a decent recording to replace my knackered VHS copy.

 

The documentary on how they made it is worth watching as well - various copies available on youtube amongst other places.

[Metr0Land]

Stranger than fiction:

 

The 'Phantom Train' in Belgium 1-3 Sept 1944 gets little coverage although I recall there was documentary some time back.

 

https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/prisoners-of-the-phantom-train-le-train-fantome-of-1-3-sept-1944/

 

Basically resistance fighters and political prisoners being held in Brussels were due to be shipped to Germany as the Allied forces were advancing. Some very brave people used every trick in the book to delay/divert the train until the Allied front had advanced sufficiently for them to be saved.