Art and the Madness of War

The Train (1964) – In the closing weeks of World War II, the Nazis collect some of the greatest paintings in France to steal. A special train is arranged to get them to Germany. But a small group of resistance fighters will do everything they can to save the paintings. Based on a true story.

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Starring Burt Lancaster, Jeanne Moreau, Paul Scofield

Why I Liked It – A brilliant war thriller told more in action than words.

Frankenheimer knows how to build tension in a story, and he shows his mastery here. In the final half hour of the movie, Lancaster has virtually no lines at all. He’s deeply involved in multiple ways to stop the train until the Allies can take Paris, but it’s all action hidden among the weeds along the track. Brilliant stuff.

The script is based loosely on real life, inspired by the book “Le front de l’art” by Rose Valland, the art historian who created detailed inventories of what was taken. The Nazis had a habit of stealing anything of value, and at the end of the war, they rounded up a trainload of modern masters to take to Germany as negotiation pieces. In real life, the plan to delay the train’s departure was less complicated than what’s shown here (they literally had the train circling the city until the Allies arrived in Paris), but the cat-and-mouse game of the movie is fascinating.

Labiche (Lancaster) is cynical about wasting time and energy on paintings. Meanwhile, Von Waldheim (Scofield) is obsessed with them. The Frenchman must use everything he ever learned working on the railroads to defeat the Nazi order and discipline. The movie is brilliantly subtle, allowing the situation to blossom on the screen. It is the story of two men destroyed by the madness of war.

Add in a Maurice Jarre soundtrack (I love Jarre’s work) and I was a happy camper!

You can stream “The Train” on Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, YouTube TV, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, and Google Play Movie.

Rating – **** Recommended