The Train Reviews

• The Train

  
  By AK61LQI92GTCH on 2004-06-19
  Is a work of art worth a human life?
  We are near the end of World War II. It's August 2, 1944, the "1511th day of German occupation" of Paris. German Colonel von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) enters a dark museum and turns a spotlight on a painting. He stares at it with the eyes of a lover beholding his best beloved. He turns another spotlight on another painting. The Hun is humanized, and we sympathize with his quiet passion.
  It comes as a bit of a shock when he announces that he is taking the paintings, hundreds of Miros and Picassos and Matisses and others, with him when the Germans evacuate Paris. A resistance group, led by railroad worker Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster), is enlisted to stop them. Labiche initially refuses. It's one thing to blow up a train, dangerous enough - it's another to stop a train without damaging what's inside it. National heritage or not, men will die. There are more important targets than a train filled with art. Things change, though, and eventually Labiche and the remnants of his resistance group find themselves trying the impossible.
  I've always been a little leery of Burt Lancaster. Maybe I was traumatized by viewing THE RAINMAKER or ELMER GANTRY at a young and impressionable age. He sometimes seems all horse teeth and braying charm and dis-tinct e-nunc-ee-a-shun. Not so here. In THE TRAIN he's restrained and natural and completely convincing. Scofield is equally strong as his brutal nemesis.
  Sometimes the extras on a dvd aren't worth the bother, but I loved the director's commentary by the late John Frankenheimer. It was like taking a course in the art of film making.
  Frankenheimer tells us he was trying to give the movie a realistic feel, which I understood before listening to the commentary track but didn't really understand how he went about it. One trick he used was to open the f-stop on the camera and keep everything in focus, something that would have been impossible if THE TRAIN wasn't shot in black and white. Everything is kept in focus and he keeps the background action busy and interesting.
  Frankenheimer is an unabashed fan of Burt Lancaster, with whom he made five movies. Not only does Lancaster do all his own stunts in this one, including a dangerous backwards fall off of a moving train, he even fills in as a stunt double for another actor. The original stuntman made a fall off a roof look like an "olympic jump," and `realism' was the keyword in this one. Lancaster did take a nice tumble off the tiles, but you've got to wonder about the wisdom of it all. Lancaster was injured during the filming of THE TRAIN; on his first day off in weeks he played a round of golf and twisted his knee when he stepped into a hole. His right knee swelled up `like a basketball.' Frankenheimer shot Labiche in the leg halfway through the movie to explain the limp.
  The only phony movie aspect to this movie is the dubbed voices of some of the French actors. You can't hide dubbing very well, and Frankenheimer doesn't have much to say about it. I wouldn't knock a star or even a half-star off because of it. This is a tremendously entertaining film.
  
  

• Frankenheimer's Overlooked Classic: The Best Action Film

  
  By A3O6WB7VWPCTZ2 on 2002-07-07
  When Burt Lancaster called on director John Frankeheimer yet again to rescue another picture from another director who had left the project, the call took Frankenheimer to Paris to bring his brilliant black and white extreme depth of focus shots to bear on thought provoking subject matter.

  La Bisch, the unwilling resistance man late in WWII (Lancaster) is pitted despite his objections against a cultured German general who is attempting to take every painted masterpiece out of Paris that can be found.

  Knowing that delays to shipment in the face of the german retreat and allied advance, La Bisch uses both ingenuity and enormous physical effort to attempt to block the movement of a train laden with stolen art, eastbound from Paris.

  The plot twists are the stuff of legend, and each twist provokes controversial positions regarding the importance of art and the brevity of human life.

  The long shot action scenes in this film are brilliant, and Lancaster, who was injured during filming, performs much of the extraordinary scenes in the movie with a real (not feigned) limp.

  Fine ensemble cast, including many of the best French character actors of the time, a serious script saved by brevity from the melodramatic and arguably the best camerawork and editing of any action film in history (you read right) make this film superior to Frankenheimer's other B&W films from the period (e.g., The Manchurian Candidate and even The Birdman of Alcatraz).

  The Train belongs in any serious English language cine collection. This is one of the top 100 films of all time.
  
  

• Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Matisse, , ...

  
  By A3DHAGXOUKXG5U on 2000-07-31
  John Frankenheimer's "The Train" is an outstanding Black and White WWII ("action") film from the unforgettable 60's, when much emphasis was placed on good acting and characterization.

  Close to the end of the war, while withdrawing, the Nazis attempted to lute famous French museums, and transport to Germany art treasures, hundreds of paintings of world fame - part of France's national identity. Among many popular French performers, such as Michel Simon ("Le diable et les dix commandements") and Jeanne Moreau ("Jules et Jim") - remember ? we've seen her in Beson's "La Femme Nikita") shine America's unforgettable Burt Lancaster as Labiche, the French "cheminot" who opposes England's Paul Scofield, perfectly cast as von Waldheim, the German colonel obsessed with "his mission" to "save" the painting by having them transported by train from Paris to Berlin.

  Real life adventure with a believable plot, attention to details, image, dialogues, and ever growing tension until the final "denouement". It's the same director who gave us the more recent "Ronin" (filmed in France), and classics, such as "Seven Days in May" (also with Burt Lancaster) and "The Manchurian Candidate", and, if want to see more of Paul Scofield, consider watching one more time, Fred Zinneman's "A Man of All Seasons".

  Very good DVD rendition of a truly great film from John Frankenheimer !
  
  

• Outstanding Action Film Focuses on the Price of War

  
  By A7Y6AVS576M03 on 2003-04-13
  Director John Frankenheimer's THE TRAIN was released in 1965. Set in the final days of Nazi occupied Paris during the WWII it tells a tale of how the French Resistance attempted to stop a train carrying a cargo of paintings from entering into Germany. The paintings had been held in a museum in Paris throughout the German occupation. These were not works by the old masters but instead were works painted by the impressionist and post impressionist artists whose paintings had been labeled degenerate by Nazi Germany. Though labeled degenerate or depraved by the Nazis these paintings had not been destroyed. At the beginning of the film we are introduced to German Colonel von Waldheim played by Paul Scofield. At first he appears to be a sympathetic character who allowed the museum curator Miss Villard to remain in charge of these paintings. She thanks him for not removing her and expresses that she detects his appreciation for the paintings after he admits to her that as a German officer he should not have been moved by degenerate art. When German soldiers come into the museum and crate all the paintings for railway shipment to Germany it is evident that the paintings have a monetary value to the Nazis if not an aesthetic one. Colonel von Waldheim uses this point to procure a military train. Miss Villard seeks out the help of the French Resistance namely Labiche, a railway yardmaster, played by Burt Lancaster to stop the train. Labiche is at first disinterested because the efforts of the Resistance should be aimed at military targets. However, Villard pleads that the paintings are part of the French culture and part of France itself and should never leave the country. Labiche gives in and the story focuses on the determination of Labiche and German Colonel von Waldheim to thwart each other's attempts from accomplishing their tasks. This is one of Burt Lancaster's greatest performances demonstrating his athletic abilities and his intuitive sense of histrionics to create a visual screen presence of pure determination to stop an equally determined foe who represents a [badness] gone beyond the limits of an already [horrible] Nazi regime. Paul Scofield's performance is the complete opposite but equally determined played with a strange and enigmatic detachment. As the movie progresses we see that von Waldheim's [character] degenerates even though he remains oblivious to his own shortcomings as a human being. The more obstacles that Labiche puts in the way of the train we see von Waldheim respond with firing squads for all those that assist Labiche. Colonel von Waldheim has stolen and transports the paintings under the pretense that they a resource to the Reich. In fact von Waldheim has convinced himself that he alone or only a man like him is capable of appreciating such paintings. Air raids, derailments, staged locomotive crashes, diversions, detours and so on hamper the train ever mile on its way to Germany. Near the end of the movie von Waldheim puts French hostages along the walkways of the locomotive to stop Labiche from blowing up the tracks and engine. ... Composer Maurice Jarre's score ends the film on a melancholy note of reflection using the dynamic melody he created for the French Resistance now played on a muted harmonica in a bittersweet comment on the futility of war. ... Director John Frankenheimer created this epic with such precision that you just can not appreciate the labors of all the technicians and actors went into making this film. John Frankenheimer is one of my favorite directors. He's way up there on the list. This film is a cinematic achievement of storytelling, action and great ... soul searching.
  
  

• Perhaps Frankenheimer�s Best

  
  By A1TMGZ06IS9JYL on 2001-12-03
  Fankenheimer is a director's director - something of an icon in contemporary American Film. He has worked with the best, and has made some of the most innovative and intelligent movies of the last forty years. While always a director of "smart" films, he mastered the action-film early in his career and to a certain extent this has over-shadowed his deeper (and darker) side.

  On a superficial level "The Train" is the last of the "full-scale" action films. They blow up everything in sight for real, they crash real steam-locomotives, and many of the actors are doing their own stunts. In fact Burt Lancaster not only does all his own stunts, he stands in for other actors too!

  But unlike most action-flicks, "The Train" goes deeper. Lancaster plays the French resistance leader asked to stop Nazi Colonel Paul Schofeild from leaving Paris with a train load of paintings. "Let them have the paintings," Lancaster replies. He doesn't see the point in risking anyone's life for a work of art. "But they are the soul of France". And this is where the real interest (and the subtext) starts.

  Imagine your house is on fire. You run inside and you can save your favorite pet, or the Van Gogh hanging on the wall. What do you choose? Well that's the thesis behind "The Train" - why are these paintings worth dying for? Why are they worth killing for? (Incidentally Lancaster took a similar position a few years later in "Castle Keep"). Lancaster could care less about the paintings. And Schofeild will kill anyone and anything that tries to stop him leaving with them. Not only is it a clash of cultures, it's a clash about culture. A Nazi kills to save the artwork his own ideology has called degenerate; a partisan kills to save the art he has never wanted to see.

  The DVD has an excellent commentary by Frankenheimer. He describes the behind the scenes action, the difficulties and joys of this production, the demolishion of locomotives (and cameras), and the joys of working with Burt Lancaster. And he's very articulate about it. The DVD is also in the original wide-screen aspect, opening up the image considerably.

  If you're a fan of the war film or the action genre, The Train is a must have. And if oyu just like good film making, then it's still a must see.
  
  

• ONE OF THE BEST ACTION FILMS EVER! - DON'T MISS IT!
  By A1PL8JA0TEHBVN on 2003-03-18
  This is a bona fide classic! One of the most influential action movies ever. Watch it and you'll see the elments that were later used in action films like Die Hard, etc.

  Although it is a little bit overlooked today, it remains a one [heck] of a ride! Lancaster plays a french railroad employee who works for the resistence. He and his group of three men must do anything to stop a train loaded with art treasures (Picassos, Matisses, Renoirs, Monets - no less) which is heading to Germany, according to the plans of a german Colonel who happens to love art. Stopping a train is easy - as they all discover. The problem is the art treasures who cannot be simply blown up (and that is a problem the allied planes do no know of).

  So, it is up to a small group of men to keep the train out of both nazis and allies power - a difficult task in the last days of WW2.

  The story meets many exciting complications and climaxes but the real catch is the strong performances from the two leads (Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield) who fight each other in a battle of wills we'll rarely see again. Their antagonistic missions are the key element in a film full of great moments.

  The black and white cinematography by Jean Tournier is great and the DVD do it justice. Keep in mind that this is a film by John Frankenheimmer - the great director who brought us movies like "The Manchurian Candidate", "Birdman of Alcatraz", and "The French Connection".

  The DVD also has a great commentary by the director himself and an alternate "music-only" audio track for the Maurice Jarre's music soundtrack. This is a true great film. The only minus is the lack of a new dolby 5.1 sound mix - in a film like this, it would sure be a great thing! Anyway, the Dolby original Mono is solid enough.
  
  

• "All Aboard!"
  By AYG1U47VFZ165 on 2003-07-06
  Bookend this film alongside THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and SEVEN DAYS IN MAY and one comes to the easy realization that Director John Frankenheimer has captured three of the most riveting, enthrallings, and incredible explorations of human conflict on black-and-white celluloid.

  I won't trouble you with the typical rehash of the plot here except to add that the screenplay is based on factual events. That isn't to say that Frankenheimer delivers a documentary; instead, he takes a relatively documentary-style approach, throwing in several fictional embellishments as plot intricacies, and he delivers an exuberant twist on a wartime "race against the clock" with only a handful of curious slow moments.

  THE TRAIN starts slow, much like the vehicle itself, but it reaches full steam quickly and comes to an equally brilliant and disturbing crash-filled climax (in more ways than one) with a statement about the ugliness of human conflict.
  
  

• One of the all-time best
  By A1C0PSVI2KYJB on 2000-03-15
  This DVD version of "The Train" includes all of the little perks that make watching a movie at home worthwile. Fans of both Frankenheimer and Lancaster will be very pleased with this edition as it shines in widescreen, every frame looking as though it was shot recently. This film offers the direction of Frankenheimer during his most productive and successful years. Fans of the director's "Ronin" will enjoy the realistic stuntwork and lack of special-FX. Any movie buff that has never experienced Frankenheimer's style will be surprised at how it differs from similar films of the era, and how modern it feels. The audio commentary by the director is also a huge plus for any film buffs. This film comes highly recommended to fans of the film and newcomers alike.
  
  
• Underrated war actioner--art for whose sake?
  By A2I1RJP9SCFKX7 on 2001-06-29
  _The Train_ has held up well since its release in 1965. Dismissed as an improbable shoot-em-up then, it tells a much richer story than the special-effects vehicles in the genre nowadays. Burt Lancaster isn't especially gallic as the Frenchman Labiche, but his acting talent and intensity soon steamroller any resistance the viewer may have. Paul Scofield is perfectly cast as a cultured monster, the Nazi colonel who is bent on spiriting the paintings away into Germany. One can easily picture him murdering hostages between sips of cognac.

  Shot in black and white, the film is dark and greasy-looking. The screen is filled with churning railroad machinery much of the time, which dwarfs the people around it. The wheezing, snorting engines are also stars in this movie. Even the sky looks dirty in the daylight scenes. Oh yes, there's a sensational train wreck, too. Definitely less mindless than your average Rambo flick, but no less exciting.
  
  

• Lancaster at his best
  By A2Q13PHEXGR48Q on 2006-08-12
  The Train is a great adventure/action story set during WWII as the Allies edge ever closer to Paris and a retreating German army. Seeing that the advancing Allies will capture a museum full of famous paintings, German Colonel von Waldheim packs them all up and puts them on a train headed for Germany before the priceless paintings are captured. At the same time, a resistance leader, Paul Labiche, is given the order to delay the train enough so that it can be overtaken. What follows is a cat and mouse game as von Waldheim will stop at nothing to get his train to safety while Labiche throws obstacle after obstacle in his path. Pure and simple, this is a great movie. The action scenes are amazing, especially considering there was no CGI back in 1964. The last 30 minutes are incredibly tense, similar to Bridge on the River Kwai, and will have you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss The Train, no pun intended.
  
  In a career that featured many great performances, Burt Lancaster's Paul Labiche stands out as one of his best. Resistance fighter Labiche at first doesn't want to tackle this mission, but he does anyway. He may not understand why he should; he does it because its HIS mission. Paul Scofield is equally as good as Colonel von Waldheim, the German colonel who won't let anything stop his train and becomes obsessed with topping Labiche. Jeanne Moreau turns in a fine performance as Christine, the hotel manager who hides Labiche against all her gut feelings. The movie also features Suzanne Flon, Michel Simon, a great role for WWII regular Wolfgang Preiss, Albert Remy, Charles Millot, and Jacques Marin. The DVD is well worth a purchase, featuring the movie in a great-looking widescreen presentation (the black and white fits perfectly with the story), a good commentary track from director John Frankenheimer, an 8-page booklet on the movie, a music only track, and a 4-minute theatrical trailer. All in all, with a great performance from Lancaster, who did his own stunts, and good direction from Frankenheimer, The Train is a can't miss movie!
  
  
• WWII Drama-Action at its best
  By AF3X7J0XC391L on 2006-11-13
  Mr. Lancaster plays a French train engine expert during the last days of Nazi occupation of France. He helps the resistance but as the war comes to the end is reluctant to take chances. Circumstances and comrades will not, however, allow him to grow complacent and he is forced to make his choice clear. He becomes directly involved in an effort to stop of train loaded with the "heritage of France" from escaping to Germany. Mr. Lancaster is perfect for the role of tough determination and tenacity in the face of impossible odds. The musical score is stirring. The action unabating yet still providing time for drama and character development. This is one you will want to watch again and again.
  
  
• Lancaster's brilliant best
  By A22AIAFY9X5D00 on 2000-08-04
  I have reviewed up too 50 war films and given only 3 five stars(the other two being 'Sahara' and 'the Longest Day') This is simply a superb war film which does not boast the star stutted casts of those movies mentioned above. This adds to the films authenticity. This dramatic WW2 story tells of a fanatic German Colonel who is intent on steeling famous French Art (commonly referred too as the 'glory of France) for what seems like his own personal gain rather than for the purposes of his army.

  In the desperate attemps to save the train, Labiche (played by Burt Lancaster) and his comrades engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the enemy, which for the most part seems unjustified as lives are continually lost and others left in the balance. Set on location in several Paris railroads only days from the cities liberation, 'the train' relives the desperate struggle and waste of an occupied people but on the other hand clearly demonstrates the famous 'patriotic' and 'nationalist' values of the French people. If your wanting to see an action packed film then 'the train' is not for you. However it is a must for any serious war film enthusiast.
  
  

• Responsible technology
  By A1DCS4ZXYTBYX6 on 2000-10-04
  This is what the DVD technology is for: restoration of the whole image, with improvements over old VHS picture. This is one of the great films of its type and era. It's wonderful to be able to see all of it, and to see it in such clarity. The director's commentary option is fun and informative and aimed at giving a deeper appreciation not only of this film but of the art of film generally. Buying this DVD is a sound investment in a responsibly produced medium through which to enjoy a great work of art over and over again.
  
  
• Perfect film on less- than- great DVD
  By A2Z1K2I2EYSKFA on 2003-09-20
  The audio on the MGM DVD was lacking the full spectrum of audio, in my opinion. If you don't care so much about audio, it would be a 5 star DVD, but for those feeling that audio is an important factor, a star must be deducted. Bass and treble just weren't tweaked in DVD production which made the audio seem really flat, and I know that MGM could have produced a better job. It seems that a good number of the MGM DVDs lack the care and attention of producing consistently superior products.

  The DVD gives the viewer options to listen to music only and has an option for director's comments during the film. I was at first dismayed because at the beginning of the movie, director John Frankenheimer just wouldn't open up. But he started sharing some interesting things as the movie progressed. There is also an 8- page booklet that gives some interesting production notes and history.

  The video quality from, I think, an original film print is pristine. Frankenheimer's locations and times of filming were very effective in evoking a very dismal feeling as the European conflict was drawing to a conclusion. I love Frankenheimer's use of deep focus -- which is using wide angle lenses to have both near and far- away characters and scenes in focus -- to give a vision that many other filmmakers fail to incorporate effectively.

  I'm glad that there was explanation in the film about why people were more concerned with paintings than people in a story that was loosely based on an actual event. Many westerners like Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) would not care about the value of crates of artwork in a time of war, but schooling by caretaker Miss Villard (Suzanne Flon) expressed the passion and pride that the French feel for such paintings. This helped explain why some would scarifice their lives to save the crates. (Ms. Flon, born in 1918 is apparently still alive and acting, too.)

  It's quite a story of saving "priceless" paintings at the expense of one's life. It seems like a WWII action film (which has its share of blowing stuff up), but its story actually weighs the value of art against the value of life. Labiche from the very beginning of his introduction battles Col. von Waldheim (Paul Scolfield), who wants him to deliver the art to Germany AND The Resistance, who want the art protected from the Nazis. Labiche is actually alone in his own beliefs as an American, being tugged by both sides while ultimately struggling with making sense of the conflict over the art.

  The movie is well- developed from Lancaster asking Frankenheimer to direct "The Train" after original director Arthur Penn abandoned the project a week after production. I only say that because everything that was directed by Frankenheimer was terrific. The choice of the players, scenery, editing, camera placement and post production yielded a perfect war film that wasn't simply about war. It was about the value of life and what people value in their lives.

  Watch for the one scene of a runaway train's derailment -- one of a dozen cameras mounted to film the scene -- came within inches of being wiped out by the locomotive's wheels and the scene has become a classic in filmmaking history.
  
  

• TRAINS....PLANES....BOMBS AND BULLETS!
  By A3I4SUDOJSBNCP on 2006-07-09
  OUTSTANDING MOVIE MAKING AND ACTING.....THE OLD FASHIONED WAY...IN BLACK AND WHITE AND BELIEVABLE ACTION SCENES AND PREDICAMENTS!
  ONE OF THE BEST WWII MOVIES EVER MADE WITH ONE OF THE BEST ACTORS, BURT LANCASTER...what ever happened to that kind of non-sissified credible tough guy type?
  
  
• A strangely neglected masterpiece
  By A1N8LPISXJC9BF on 2001-07-10
  A strangely neglected masterpiece, which uses black-and-white photography to evoke the WW2 atmosphere (over thirty years before Spielberg used the same trick in `Schindler's List'), this is a truly compelling piece of film-making. If you're a fan of WW2 action movies, it is unmissable. If you're a fan of steam railways it is also unmissable. If you're a fan of both, put the answerphone on, order in a pizza and prepare yourself for a real treat. The harshness of the Nazi regime and the bravery of the French Resistance are both vividly portrayed in splendid performances by the various cast members. The action scenes are little short of breathtaking. This film deserves classic status.
  
  
• One of the Best
  By A29JE1BWZ4SPWP on 2001-10-27
  An engrossing WELL-WRITTEN story (Hollywood, PLEASE take note), excellent cast, superb acting on the part of all the actors (not just the leads), painstaking staging and Frankenheimer's direction blending all these essential elements into a thoroughly enjoyable movie. What can you say about a rousing action movie that also makes you think? You can say it's rarely found in today's films. The primary quandry here is just what is the value of art in terms of the human lives that must be expended to preserve it? Is it truly a country's heritage or just oils on canvas for which the people who will have to die for it have little or no real appreciation? Is it worth saving because of its beauty or its value? And when does the cost of saving it become too high? The movie works on all levels, but the characters (and the actors portraying them) are exceptional. The stand-outs: Burt Lancaster, the yardmaster/resistance leader who really doesn't want to do this one last (and seemingly unimportant) job so close to the end of the war; Paul Scofield, the intense German colonel who loves (obsesses over) the art and is taking Lancaster's attempts to thwart his plans for it very personally; Wolfgang Preiss, the "good German officer" who does not agree with his superior but does his duty until he can do it no more; Jean Moreau, the pragmatic French hotel proprietress who has had to comfort one too many fellow widows and Michel Simon, the old engineer who fondly remembers dating a girl who posed for Renoir and decides to make this fight his own. No one who loves a good movie should miss this film. It's not just for action/war movie fans.
  
  
• One of the best WW2 thrillers ever made
  By A220FJEQNGMSRN on 2006-09-02
  The Train is one of those films that is really more European than American. John Frankenheimer (taking over from Arthur Penn) was always the American director who was most influenced by French cinema, with the result that this, the last major action film shot in black and white, has more of a low-key more continental feel to it than a Hollywood one - aside from Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield (who for once comes perilously close to ham without ever quite crossing the line) and La Silence de la Mer's Howard Vernon, the cast is made up almost entirely of the great and good of French cinema, from Jeanne Moreau to Michel Simon. What's more, the realistic style - more pre-war French cinema than nouvelle vague - sells the action scenes which, in other hands, could become pure comic book stuff a la Von Ryan's Express. The fact that the key action scenes are done `for real,' with a condemned railway yard blown up during the air raid sequence and real locomotives crashing into each other, only shows up the weightless artificiality of much modern CGI or of the miniature work of the day. The crash in particular, which destroyed one camera, has a sense of weight and violence to it that you just don't see in films anymore. Still impressive stuff.
  
  John Frankenheimer's audio commentary (dropped for other DVD regions for some reason), carried over from the old laserdisc, is particularly good and enlightening. Very highly recommended.
  
  
  
• Best Action-Adventure Evermade!
  By on 2000-03-16
  When you have Burt Lancaster the finest actor to ever grace the Silver Screen at his indomitable peak, with John Frankenheimer one of the all-time great directors in a terrific story..Then it doesn't get any better than this!
  
  
• One of the best!
  By on 1999-02-25
  One of my all time favorites. Great plot and acting
  
  
• An excellant film.
  By A1G85DCTYIR67C on 1999-11-25
  Excellant cinematography and gripping suspense make this film a must see. The acting, writing, and Frankenheimers direction are all top notch. A stunning film.
  
  
• Every camera shot in this movie is masterful.
  By A1409OB9X5ZFJ2 on 1999-03-19
  This is a masterpiece of moviemaking,sound,cinematography,production design,human drama,great acting and art,action blowups and demolition,grinding wheels and steam,wheezing engines and engineers, and some of the best visual composition in any movie ever made. This movie creates a new film genre..."Action Noir"!!!!
  
  
• Lancaster and Frankenheimer in Top Form
  By A1J03J0HZ7KU5T on 2006-10-10
  Loosely based on a true story, "The Train" remains among the great action thrillers. Burt Lancaster and director John Frankenheimer team up once again for this beautifully filmed WWII adventure - filled with terrific setpieces and memorable characterizations. The original DVD offers engaging commentary by Frankenheimer and a music-only track of Maurice Jarre's fine score. Highly recommended.
  
  
• The Train--Great movie
  By A3A7OPUFH1QBBG on 2006-11-05
  This is a fantastic film. While the actual incidents portrayed are fictional, it gives a view of the activities of the French underground during World War II that few American audiences ever see or think about. The action scenes are spectacular, Burt Lancaster's acting and stuntwork are wonderful and the comments by director John Frankenheimer give an amazing insight into filmmaking. Oh yeah, and they wreck a lot of trains, too :)
  
  
• john frankenheimer's great work of film art, wonderful
  By on 1999-03-11
  listening to the director's commentary,helps me to appreciate the movie even more, this is a great movie indeed
  
  
• Ascend.
  By ATRPWERZPZA9S on 2001-04-18
  Truly,an outstanding film in every respect,especially for the flawless performances by Burt Lancaster as Labiche,and Paul Scofield,menacing,as Colonel Von Waldheim. Both Characters iron will,sheer determination to outwit the other is portrayed in a class of it's own,made more impressive by the stunning camera work,and razor sharp editing.This DVD presents the film matted (correctly)at approxiamately 1.66:1,and a very good transfer,does justice to a film,which surely demands a Special Edition,if any film ever did.
  
  
• excellent commentary
  By on 2002-07-28
  Read other reviews for the plot. This is an excellent DVD well worth the money for anyone interested in movies.A really great package, a model of what shouold be provided. Includes picture booklet, trailer and directors commentary. no chattering here to fill space. Goes into detail of why he chose a particular composition, of Lancaster and his doing his own stunts, problem scenes, details of staging the train footage, even comments n the photography, the f stop used for a scene and why, what he was aiming for in a scene. He does the same in 7 Days in May also with Lancaster, wish the same had been done with Birdman of Alcatraz. Even if you don't like the movie you might enjoy hearing the director talk about directing. 1 complaint...wish the poster had been reproduced bigger.
  
  
• "still no satsifaction"
  By A2AH6M58D4RIMT on 2005-09-28
  I am impressed with all of the commentary
  surrounding John Frankenheimer's additional
  contributions to the dvd edition.The only problem is that
  he and the other reviewers ignore the fact that the original screenplay(wriiten by my father with frank davis) was nominated for the academy award that year.The writer's guild in their standard arbitration process deemed
  it to be an original screenplay(i.e .not based on exsisting
  material),and reaffirmed the Coen /davis collaboration.
  The studio releasing this dvd was to have removed Frankenheimer's comments in regard to the shooting screenplay,in which he downplays ANY importance or involvement of the Coen /Davis script
  Simply put, there would have been no film without the
  original story as conceived by my father and frank davis.
  I do not notice that Frankenheimer was nominated for an oscar for his work in this film,and yet not a single reviewer mentions the nomination that the film DID receive
  
  
• Blah Blah Blah.......
  By A3SOJ6CAT2BZRV on 2005-10-07
  I'll make it short & sweet...This film is simply one of the best I've ever seen--and I've seen plenty. Don't hesitate for a minute.
  
  
• Simply Superb
  By A19E8K7MLWH0TS on 2005-12-20
  Do you love art? Action? History? World War 2? Times when men were men? The battle between good and evil? A simple, exciting and well told story that keeps you riveted to the very end? This is one of those movies. Guaranteed to please.
  
  

• Von Ryan's Express (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
• Emperor of the North
• The Bridge at Remagen
• The Desert Rats
• The Desert Fox