With all the shocking activity metered out on this besieged region, this French/Italian production should have been so much more powerful - instead, the screenplay adaption and movie-makers seemed more interested in a somewhat strained 'love' story, unfolding in unconvincing situations. As beautiful as Romy Schneider is, it would be impossible to continually look like she just stepped out of a beauty parlour - with eyelid makeup, fresh hair, and clean dress, after spending many days running from an unrelenting enemy, then being holed up on a train, in a filthy cattle truck, with dozens of other fleeing souls.
Add to this, having sexual relations with a stranger in such a dirty public place, is just too much for any logical viewer to accept. OK, we get that in wartime, people can act irrationally, but none of this carry-on was made believable. Also not helping was the fact the man's pretty young pregnant wife, was in another carriage on the same train.
The B/W original war footage was the only element to hammer home the urgent horror of the enemy's blitzkrieg but the producers seemed only to be including it as an excuse to get up close and personal with Ms Schneider. Sadly, a worthy story tended to play second place to the frivolity. The final open-ended sequence between the two 'lovers' was also a stretch, would this fellow abandon his wife and child for a woman that was just one step away from the firing squad? Seems some nice touches and a stronger story may have been thrown away for the superficial.
Some good production details Inc; cinematography by Walter Wottitz (The Train '64) based on an original story by Georges Simenon (Maigret) and score by Philippi Sarde couldn't save it.
Add to this, having sexual relations with a stranger in such a dirty public place, is just too much for any logical viewer to accept. OK, we get that in wartime, people can act irrationally, but none of this carry-on was made believable. Also not helping was the fact the man's pretty young pregnant wife, was in another carriage on the same train.
The B/W original war footage was the only element to hammer home the urgent horror of the enemy's blitzkrieg but the producers seemed only to be including it as an excuse to get up close and personal with Ms Schneider. Sadly, a worthy story tended to play second place to the frivolity. The final open-ended sequence between the two 'lovers' was also a stretch, would this fellow abandon his wife and child for a woman that was just one step away from the firing squad? Seems some nice touches and a stronger story may have been thrown away for the superficial.
Some good production details Inc; cinematography by Walter Wottitz (The Train '64) based on an original story by Georges Simenon (Maigret) and score by Philippi Sarde couldn't save it.