The Train

Twilight Time

John Frankenheimer's cracking adventure thriller, The Train (1964), stars the one and only Burt Lancaster as a workaday World War II-era French trainman charged with ensuring that a cargo of irreplaceable French art—the pride and heritage of his nation—is not allowed to leave France, despite the machinations of a Nazi officer (the superb Paul Scofield), determined to steal these great works for Germany. Also starring Jeanne Moreau and Michel Simon, and featuring compelling black-and-white cinematography by Jean Tournier and Walter Wottitz and a thrilling score by Maurice Jarre, The Train is one of the icons of Sixties cinema.