The Train 4K 1964 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

France, summer 1944. Colonel von Waldheim, a great connoisseur of degenerate art, dreams of taking a collection of paintings by famous artists from Paris to Nazi Germany. And it must be done quickly, before the Allied troops liberate the city. He seeks special status for the train laden with priceless paintings to leave as soon as possible, and the members of the French Resistance will do everything possible and impossible to prevent this from happening.

Review 4K Movie

Paris, August 1944. The Allies are about to enter the city of all lovers, and the Germans are dragging eastward in an organized and not very organized manner. The aesthete Colonel von Waldheim stands out among the Allies, who decided to bring to the collapsing Third Reich paintings of world classics of painting. What classics? Representatives of "degenerating art", Renoirs, Monets and other Degas. The museum manager was outraged by such a prank of the Germans, and she complained about the outrage in the suddenly awakened French Resistance. And there, quickly realizing that all of France simply intends to "undress" the German colonel, for assistance turned to a group of railway workers headed by Paul Lyabish. The latter must do everything possible to ensure that the train with the paintings did not reach Germany. And although Lyabish is infinitely far from art, and in general not averse to blow up the train to hell, but the task is a task, and the Frenchman begins to zealously oppose the German colonel.

John Frankenheimer, a lover of sharp political screen adaptations, in 1964 screened a fresh novel by French art historian Rosa Vollan, who during the German occupation tracked what and where of the cultural heritage stolen by the Nazis. Although initially for the conventional adaptation (it is more about the film "based on") took Arthur Penn, but he was immediately kicked to hell by the main star of the project Burt Lancaster. Lancaster did not like that Penn intended to shoot pedagogical-moralizing snot about cultural values, in which - snot - would be the very slightest military drive. But what would have turned out at Penn, we will not know, but old Frankenheimer, indeed, changed all the accents and filmed a fascinating military action movie, and even with a vivid confrontation of characters.

The main advantages of the picture is two. The first is not bad visualization with very spectacular special effects, which cause only one regret - the film was not shot in color. Watching the destruction of life-size railroad stations, the collision of real, not drawn (or toy) trains, as well as how on these very trains people with different intentions stab each other is quite an aesthetic pleasure. Besides, "The Train" has a very catchy plot, which comes to life in the second half of the picture. The moment with the renaming of stations is one of the brightest in the production.

Well, and the second advantage of the tape - the confrontation of heroes Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield. The first does not need much introduction. Burt by the mid 60's has already become a legend of American, and world cinema, and here he played in the traditional for himself high level Frenchman-railroader, who constantly harmed the Germans. But the cynical aesthete-Nazi played very well British Paul Scofield, whom I personally meet for the first time. And I will say that it was his performance that became the main decoration in the movie. An inhuman aesthete who understands the value of each pompton, its immortality, but at the same time leaves behind mountains of corpses. The creators of the picture and specifically the image of Colonel von Waldheim somewhat overdone with hyperbole, creating a sterile bastard out of the hero Scofield, but the actor's performance was excellent. Of the other actors I note that 36-year-old Jeanne Moreau, which by the mid 60's has become in France already an icon of style. Moreau was far from the central role of the owner of the village hotel, and the actress stood out mainly for its pedigree appearance.

Cool military action movie, which has a fascinating plot and exciting acting confrontation between Lancaster and Scofield.