John Frankenheimer’s 1964 war thriller The Train (1964) is a film that stands apart from conventional World War II cinema. While many films from the era focused on grand battles, heroics, or patriotic narratives, The Train instead presents a gritty, realistic depiction of the French Resistance and their struggle to protect their nation’s cultural heritage.
Starring Burt Lancaster as railway inspector and Resistance fighter Paul Labiche, the film tells the story of a desperate mission to prevent a train loaded with stolen French artwork from reaching Nazi Germany. Through its portrayal of resistance fighters, its emphasis on moral dilemmas rather than glorified combat, and its commitment to realism, The Train is an atypical war film that offers a unique perspective on the conflict.
The French Resistance on Screen: A Grounded Perspective
The French Resistance has been depicted in numerous films over the decades, often romanticized as a network of fearless patriots conducting daring raids against the Nazis. While there is truth to this image, The Train presents a grittier, more restrained vision of the Resistance. Instead of focusing on charismatic leaders or high-profile missions, it centers on everyday people who become reluctant heroes due to necessity rather than ideology.
Paul Labiche, played by Burt Lancaster, is not introduced as an idealistic freedom fighter. He is a railway inspector, primarily concerned with his work rather than engaging in active resistance. However, as the film progresses, he is reluctantly drawn into the fight, not because of ideological fervor but because of the brutal realities of the Nazi occupation. This depiction aligns with historical accounts that suggest the Resistance was often composed of ordinary citizens who saw no other option but to fight back.
The film’s supporting cast reinforces this notion. Resistance members are not elite soldiers but railway workers, engineers, and civilians who understand that sabotage is their most effective weapon. Unlike the dramatized depictions in films such as Casablanca (1942) or Is Paris Burning? (1966), The Train does not present the Resistance as a well-coordinated force of operatives with access to extensive resources. Instead, they must work with limited means, using ingenuity, deception, and careful planning to disrupt German plans.
A War of Strategy, Not Combat
One of the most striking elements of The Train is its emphasis on strategy and deception rather than direct combat. While many World War II films focus on large-scale battles or violent confrontations, The Train is a suspense-driven narrative where the Resistance relies on misdirection, sabotage, and tactical cunning to achieve their goals. Not to say it doesn’t have its fair share of incredible action sequences. In one particular scene, the filmmakers derail a huge steam train which creates an incredible spectacle that modern filmmakers would be hard-pressed to recreate.
The central plot revolves around preventing Colonel Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield), an obsessive Nazi officer, from transporting a train full of stolen French artwork to Germany. Unlike traditional war films, where victory is often measured by territorial gains or enemy casualties, here it is measured by the successful prevention of cultural plunder. This focus on cultural preservation rather than battlefield heroics is a rare theme in World War II cinema.
Labiche and his fellow Resistance members engage in acts of sabotage—rerouting the train, delaying its journey, and even painting new station names to confuse the Germans. These methods, while less overtly dramatic than firefights, are just as tense and suspenseful. The film’s extended sequences of train movements, mechanical repairs, and meticulous planning contribute to a unique sense of urgency, proving that warfare is not just about brute force but also about intelligence, cunning and perhaps more imortantly, patience.
The Train as an Atypical War Film
Unlike many World War II films, The Train does not dwell on nationalist rhetoric or glorify war as a noble endeavor. Instead, it presents war as an exhausting, morally complex struggle. Labiche is a reluctant participant, constantly questioning whether saving art is worth the sacrifices being made. Unlike traditional war heroes, he does not seek personal glory or a clear ideological victory. His actions are driven by circumstance, necessity, and a sense of duty to his country’s heritage rather than a grand political statement.
The film also avoids idealising violence. When Resistance members are caught or killed, their deaths are swift, brutal, and often meaningless in the broader scope of the war. This unsentimental approach contrasts with other war films of the era that often presented death in combat as heroic or meaningful. The Train instead portrays war as a series of difficult decisions, where losses are inevitable, and victory is often ambiguous.
Another way The Train stands out is its visual style. Shot in stark black and white, it emphasizes the bleakness of war rather than the spectacle. Unlike colourful, patriotic war films such as The Great Escape (1963), the monochrome cinematography reinforces the film’s documentary-like realism, making it feel more grounded and immersive. The decision to shoot the film in real locations, using actual trains and practical effects rather than miniatures or soundstages, further enhances its authenticity.
The Role of Colonel Von Waldheim: A Complex Antagonist
A key aspect of The Train’s narrative is its antagonist, Colonel Franz von Waldheim, played by Paul Scofield. Unlike many cinematic Nazi villains who are depicted as purely evil caricatures, von Waldheim is given depth and complexity. His obsession with art is not driven by greed or financial gain but by a genuine, albeit twisted, appreciation for cultural treasures. He sees the stolen artwork as the pinnacle of European civilization and believes it belongs in Germany, not in a war-torn France soon to be overrun by Allied forces.
Von Waldheim’s character adds an interesting dimension to the film’s central conflict. He is not simply a ruthless officer following orders; he is a man who values culture in his own way, albeit through the lens of imperialist entitlement. His interactions with Labiche highlight the contrast between their motivations—one fights to preserve art for the sake of national identity, while the other fights to claim it as a trophy of conquest.
The Moral Question: Is Art Worth Lives?
A central theme in The Train is the moral dilemma surrounding the value of art versus human life. Throughout the film, Labiche and his fellow Resistance members risk their lives to save paintings and sculptures, raising the question: is art worth dying for? This is not a question with a simple answer, and the film does not attempt to provide one. Instead, it leaves the audience to wrestle with the implications.
Labiche’s reluctant transformation over the course of the film reflects this moral ambiguity. At the beginning, he is dismissive of the mission, viewing the paintings as insignificant in the grand scheme of the war. But as he witnesses the sacrifices made by his comrades, he begins to understand the deeper significance of preserving cultural identity in the face of evil oppression.
Conclusion: A Unique and Enduring War Film
The Train stands out as a singular World War II film for several reasons: its focus on the French Resistance as ordinary people rather than larger-than-life heroes, its emphasis on strategic warfare over direct combat, its stark realism, and its central moral dilemma regarding the value of cultural heritage. Unlike many war films that celebrate victory through military triumph, this movie presents war as a grueling, ethically complex struggle where small victories can have profound significance. Perhaps we can look to films like Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows (1969) as the only comprable example to explore these themes in terms of the Resistance.
By choosing to tell a story about cultural preservation rather than battlefield heroics, The Train offers a fresh perspective on World War II cinema. It reminds us that war is not just fought with weapons but also with ideas, identities, and the struggle to protect history itself. Over half a century later, it remains a compelling, thought-provoking film that challenges conventional notions of heroism and sacrifice in wartime.
Check out our discussion about this film after seeing it for the first time a few years ago…
That Concludes Our Article About The Train.
Did you enjoy the review of The Train? Let us know in the comments down below!
For more episodes of More Movies Weekly as well as our other shows and podcasts, be sure to check out the Podcasts page on our website.
Remember, you can have a choice of what films we review on our Weekly podcast by joining us on Patreon here.
Please join us on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky. We really appreciate all the likes, shares, retweets etc., and we would love to hear from you and continue the wonderful celebration of all things cinema on these platforms.
If you love to watch videos on YouTube, then please subscribe to our channel here. There’s lots of fun and informative videos uploaded that we hope you will enjoy!
We have a passion for movies and aim to produce entertaining and informative movie-related content. It certainly is a lot of hard work, but we love films so much that it’s worth all the effort. We have to keep the lights on and make sure we have plenty of caffeine to keep all of the articles, videos and social media posts coming, so if you like our work, then please consider supporting us at Buy Me A Coffee here. You can also become a More Movies patron on Patreon here.
To help support us here at More Movies, we do use advertising in a few places and we try our best to make sure they are not intrusive or aggressive, so we appreciate it if you do not use AdBlockers on our site. Who knows, you may actually see something you like!
We are also affiliated with Funky T-shirts so be sure to check out their range of cool t-shirts which include categories Film & TV, Slogans and Retro Comics!
