The Worst Film Ever

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Admirable film.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie is about a episode that happened in 1944. When France was still occupied by the Nazis, they decided to steal paintings from the Paris museums. This film is about a shipment that the French has to save before he ends to Germans, but they also don't want to be destroyed in the process.Burt Lancaster stars as a French train engineer that has to transport the shipment. At first is not a easy task, but he succeeds in the end. Meanwhile he becomes friend with a hotel owner played by French actress Jeanne Moreau (that passed away last year). And the other members of the cast are fine. Paul Scofield as a German general is great (and Scofield also starred in other great movies after this), and it was a treat seeing French comedian Michel Simon in a war movie (just like Bourvil in THE LONGEST DAY).This movie had great direction by John Frankenheimer, great performances by all the actors, and also great photography in Black and White. Although a bit dragged in some places, it was still great to watch! And as a fan of the history from 1850 until these days, I liked the movie for his accuracy and his action scenes.

I had seen this film when it was first released but until recently, didn't realize what it eluded to. This was a glimpse into "The Monument's Men" and the efforts to save the priceless art and artifacts from being stolen by the Nazi's.

I had not heard of this film nor read the synopsis so knew nothing other than it was a war film of 1964 starring Burt Lancaster.The film started almost immediately without the long wait watching titles, with the added surprise it was shot in black and white, this as so often happens added to the historical aspect of the film.The ex circus performer Burt Lancaster's performance showed in parts his athletic prowess and I wondered when in the engine repair shop he picked up a heavy connecting rod, was that a prop, or was it as heavy as it looked. A war film, with an original plot especially for the time it was produced, made watching the 2 hours 20 minutes go by without a moment of boredom and I thoroughly enjoyed it, hence my high score of 10/10.

Let me begin by saying that I thought this was a very good and interesting film. However, I thought all the train movements in the early part of the film were confusing and didn't add to one understanding the plot. Once the old train engineer is murdered, the plot becomes much more clear, but that's about 40 minutes into the film.I'm not a particular fan of Burt Lancaster...just sort of neutral toward him, but every once in a while one of his films comes along when I can see that he was an extremely talented actor. This is one of those films! None of the other actors stand out, though all do their jobs. It's just that Lancaster's role here is paramount. I should mention, however, Paul Scofield as the German Colonel who is determined to take the paintings to Germany. And Jeanne Moreau as the innkeeper who provides Lancaster with an alibi when they suspect him...although her role is important, but has little screen time. And, Michel Simon as an old train engineer is interesting...although I wondered why so much of his dialog was clearly dubbed.I found the detail in how trains work to be fascinating...and very realistic. It added a great deal to the film. And, usually by the 1960s i say, "Black and white? Why?" But that was quite effective here.Whenever I think of this film, I can't help but also think of Fran Sinatra's "Von Ryan's Express", which came out just one year later. I think it's the better of the two "train-Nazi Germany" pics, in part because Frank Sinatra is so restrained in it. But this film is great in its own right, and despite both films being about trains and Nazi Germany, the plots are completely different.Recommended!