By Matt Zoller Seitz
On Wednesday, February 28 at 8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies is showing one of the most influential yet least-appreciated great movies, John Frankenheimer's The Train (1964), starring Paul Scofield as a Nazi trying to steal a trainload of great paintings and Burt Lancaster as the French resistance fighter trying to stop him. It's the last great black-and-white adventure movie, and one of the most elegant, innovative and influential action pictures ever made. In an attempt to convince you to see this incredible film, here's my 30th anniversary appreciation from Dallas Observer." A huge, roiling, clanking, screeching, rumbling hulk of mayhem that seizes you from frame one and never lets go, the film takes such visible delight in the image of small, desperate men blowing huge things sky-high that it amounts to the very first Joel Silver picture. After sitting through it, it's difficult to watch heavy-hardware action movies like The Terminator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Under Siege, and Speed without remembering that Frankenheimer led American cinema into this particular pop culture free-fire zone first--and with considerably more intelligence and insight."
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Also recommended: Lawrence Russell's thoughtful 2000 Culture Court article, from which the above screengrab was re-grabbed. "The Train is violent, but violence is not its vocation," he writes. "Violence exists as a detail in the industrial landscape, where humans are cultured by their machines and the iron horse they ride."
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Brute Force: John Frankenheimer's The Train
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15 comments:
Addendum: This movie is particularly recommended to those who admired Children of Men, which, like The Train, offers spectacle with a documentary flavor.
I will digress slightly to sing a note of praise for Paul Scofield who seems to be just about the only notable British actor who has never sold out and made movies just for the cash as so many of his fellow Englishmen and Englishwomen have done with alarming regularity.
It's really, really good.
One of Frankenheimer's best, and too little seen. I agree, fans of 'Children of Men' should be sure to watch.
I loved The Train, but the equivalent of Scofield in the Cuaron picture would be Danny Huston. Would have been interesting if they went in that direction, they didn't. Ah well.
The film also somehow conjures up for me Melville's Army of Darkness. Not so much the plot, but in Melville's elegant, understated way with action sequences, and grim, determined faces.
Haven't seen this one yet but I'll always respect Scofield for his work in A Man for All Seasons and Quiz Show. Such a dignified character.
Noel: I can see that "Army of Darkness" comparison. You can also see bits and pieces of other, future movies in there, particularly "Schindler's List" -- which was hugely influenced by its editing and camerawork -- and "Die Hard" (lots of raked camera angles and acrobatic stuntwork, plus a central relationship between Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman that's very much like the Lancaster/Scofield duel).
haha, you guys mean "army of shadows"
Duh. Must have had Bruce Campbell on the brain.
Ach.
Matt: I've been looking for some good writing on this movie for a while, so I really appreciate your recommendation and the links too. The Train has been on sale in an MGM DVD display at my local supermarket for about two months, and after eyeing it for so long your post has inspired me to jump on this deal ($9.99!) and enjoy the ride.
Dennis: Definitely buy it. If you're a fan of action movies, black-and-white cinematography or moral drama, it's aces in all three departments.
All this love and not one memtion of Jeanne Moreau, who practically smolders with sultry sexiness. This movie made me fall in love with the movies when I saw it in a theater in 1964.
~ Jim
That's true -- the movie's so overwhelmingly, even punishingly male (like most Frankenheimer films) that Moreau rarely gets her due, even from the likes of me. She's only in one short sequence, but it's lovely. Their wordless exchanges, and the tenderness Lancaster shows to Moreau, and the vulnerable yet strangely dignified quality of their moments together -- talk about adult. And the punchline of that whole sequence -- a wonderful move-to-reveal shot looking down through an open window -- is just great. When I saw it on a big screen for the first time, during a Frankenheimer tribute at the USA Film Festival nearly 20 years ago, that particular shot drew cheers.
I watched it. Thank you.
It struck me that the story was told a bit like a moving train -- economical, single minded.
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