UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - The Train -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[titch]

I watched The Train this evening, with a good friend of mine, who is both German and a train expert! The film was exceptionally good. Hard to believe they managed to film this on location, with a bare minimum of constructed sets. Unbelievable tracking shots, dolly shots and long sequences - all on a moving steam engine! Didn't notice any models or rear projection. Also, a very grounded story, without a typical Hollywood heroic arc, like most World War II movies. We were both amazed. The total authenticity with the trains, made this a more exciting cinematic experience than the train sequences in this year's Mission Impossible or Indiana Jones sequels. Watching those, one is well aware of how action sequences are faked with CGI, stunt doubles and rapid editing. Modern action films rely on editing and a pounding soundtrack to create tension and thrills. In contrast, Maurice Jarre's score was really subtle - all the more impressive, considering his score for Lawrence of Arabia, two years prior!

The only minus is the 5.1 soundtrack. There is an unnatural bass distortion, identical to the problems with Kino Lorber's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly 5.1 soundtrack. I quickly switched to the 2.0 soundtrack and there was no problem.

 

[Dick]

I watched The Train this evening, with a good friend of mine, who is both German and a train expert! The film was exceptionally good. Hard to believe they managed to film this on location, with a bare minimum of constructed sets. Unbelievable tracking shots, dolly shots and long sequences - all on a moving steam engine! Didn't notice any models or rear projection. Also, a very grounded story, without a typical Hollywood heroic arc, like most World War II movies. We were both amazed. The total authenticity with the trains, made this a more exciting cinematic experience than the train sequences in this year's Mission Impossible or Indiana Jones sequels. Watching those, one is well aware of how action sequences are faked with CGI, stunt doubles and rapid editing. Modern action films rely on editing and a pounding soundtrack to create tension and thrills. In contrast, Maurice Jarre's score was really subtle - all the more impressive, considering his score for Lawrence of Arabia, two years prior!

The only minus is the 5.1 soundtrack. There is an unnatural bass distortion, identical to the problems with Kino Lorber's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly 5.1 soundtrack. I quickly switched to the 2.0 soundtrack and there was no problem.

Wonderful film. I first saw it on Broadway as a teenager and wasn't especially moved by it, but with each subsequent viewing, I have found it more and more engaging and relevant. Scofield and Lancaster are solid adversaries, the cinematography is superb and the music score one of Jarre's best.

But, my hopes for a watchable transfer of the other cool train movie, VON RYAN'S EXPRESS, have been dashed. It's in Disney's hands now, and I'm 100% certain they won't do anything to restore it from that abysmal Fox release many years ago.

 

[sbjork]

I watched The Train this evening, with a good friend of mine, who is both German and a train expert! The film was exceptionally good. Hard to believe they managed to film this on location, with a bare minimum of constructed sets. Unbelievable tracking shots, dolly shots and long sequences - all on a moving steam engine! Didn't notice any models or rear projection. Also, a very grounded story, without a typical Hollywood heroic arc, like most World War II movies. We were both amazed. The total authenticity with the trains, made this a more exciting cinematic experience than the train sequences in this year's Mission Impossible or Indiana Jones sequels. Watching those, one is well aware of how action sequences are faked with CGI, stunt doubles and rapid editing. Modern action films rely on editing and a pounding soundtrack to create tension and thrills. In contrast, Maurice Jarre's score was really subtle - all the more impressive, considering his score for Lawrence of Arabia, two years prior!

The only minus is the 5.1 soundtrack. There is an unnatural bass distortion, identical to the problems with Kino Lorber's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly 5.1 soundtrack. I quickly switched to the 2.0 soundtrack and there was no problem.

There's at least one rear projection shot when the German officer opens the door to see the oncoming train. But that's about it, and it's inconsequential to the whole. They did nearly everything else very much for real. If you haven't listened to the archival commentary track yet, please do so. It's got more than its fair share of gaps, but Frankeneheimer spends some time talking about the reasons why he did things for real, like making Lancaster learn how to correctly wire explosives and cast metal parts. The whole track is also worth the price of admission for his explanation of the challenges is setting up and shooting the chase toward the tunnel while the German fighters are strafing them. If you think that scene was spectacular (and it is), just wait until you hear the astonishing logistics that went behind it.

 

[Douglas R]

I prefer it when a star doesn't do an accent, I find it off-putting, the old stars never bothered - Sean Connery kept his Scottish burr in every roll he played (Arab, Russian Submarine Captain ect.), & it always worked a treat. Does Leonardo DiCaprio really sound like that all the way through Killers Of The Flower Moon? It would put me off. The worse one I can think of right now is Jack Nicholon in Prizzi's Honor.

I disagree actually. I like it when stars use accents. For instance: Gregory Peck in THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL who is much more villainous with a German accent than if he'd used his own voice. Similarly, Robert Shaw in BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Then there's Michael Caine very effective with his accents in THE EAGLE HAS LANDED and THE LAST VALLEY. Not forgetting Marlon Brando who never missed an opportunity to show off his accents such as in VIVA ZAPATA and THE YOUNG LIONS.

 

[titch]

I disagree actually. I like it when stars use accents. For instance: Gregory Peck in THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL who is much more villainous with a German accent than if he'd used his own voice. Similarly, Robert Shaw in BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Then there's Michael Caine very effective with his accents in THE EAGLE HAS LANDED and THE LAST VALLEY. Not forgetting Marlon Brando who never missed an opportunity to show off his accents such as in VIVA ZAPATA and THE YOUNG LIONS.

Quite a few of the actors in the film were native French or German speakers, although some were dubbed by English actors speaking with accents. It wasn't distracting in the least. Not even Burt Lancaster! When a film is totally gripping, you don't even notice it after a while. The modern way, like in the latest Mission Impossible, is to start them off speaking a foreign language, and then switching over to English.

 

[sbjork]

Quite a few of the actors in the film were native French or German speakers, although some were dubbed by English actors speaking with accents. It wasn't distracting in the least. Not even Burt Lancaster! When a film is totally gripping, you don't even notice it after a while. The modern way, like in the latest Mission Impossible, is to start them off speaking a foreign language, and then switching over to English.

To get back to the previous point, accents and languages are one reason why it's so important that Lancaster committed to learning how to properly handle all of the hardware in the film. He may not bother with an accent, but he's so believable in the way that he acts and moves that it doesn't really matter. It's easy to suspend disbelief that he's a French rail man regardless of his lack of accent. In fact, if he did the accent but still looked like a punter around the hardware, it would be harder to suspend disbelief. While Frankenheimer didn't necessarily do that kind of thing all the time, in films like The Train and Grand Prix he foreshadowed the way that Michael Mann would make actors undergo rigorous training in order to absorb the nature of their characters better. I can't remember exactly how Frankeheimer phrased it in his commentary track for this one, but he said something like he felt it was important to show the ways that things are done in order to immerse the characters in their world.