From John Frankenheimer, the acclaimed director of The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, Seconds, Grand Prix and Black Sunday, comes this action-packed WWII masterpiece starring screen legend Burt Lancaster (Run Silent Run Deep, Elmer Gantry, The Professionals). Paris, August 1944… with the Allied army closing in on German commander and art fanatic Colonel Franz Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons), he decides to steal a vast collection of rare French paintings and loads them onto a train bound for Berlin. But when a beloved French patriot is murdered while trying to sabotage Von Waldheim’s scheme, Labiche (Lancaster), a stalwart member of the Resistance, vows to stop the train at any cost. Calling upon his vast arsenal of skills, Labiche unleashes a torrent of devastation and destruction—loosened rails, shattered tracks and head-on collisions—in an impassioned, suspense-filled quest for justice, retribution and revenge. Featuring a top-notch score by Maurice Jarre (Doctor Zhivago) and a wonderful supporting performance by screen icon Jeanne Moreau (Viva Maria!), The Train was the fourth of five collaborations between filmmaker Frankenheimer and star Lancaster.

For thoughts on The Train (1964), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/NtnntbeGwqs?si=zhPW-BhpFk9V_3TM&t=3448]

Video Quality

The Train appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in 1.66:1 courtesy of a stellar 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative in 2160p/Dolby Vision that nearly sets a new standard for how classic films should look on the format. Kino Classics previously released this film on Blu-Ray in 2021, which itself was from an older MGM master that was used for a previous Twilight Time release. Not only do fans get a glorious new 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc, but this release also comes with a remastered Blu-Ray disc derived from the same 4K scan. This new presentation offers significant upticks across the board which allows this one to shine like it never has before. The 4K UHD releases from Kino Classics continue to knock it squarely out of the park.

The Dolby Vision allows the black levels to render supremely deep without any anomalies such as crush or banding. Highlights are likewise rock solid with no clipping on display. The black-and-white cinematography sparkles with steady gradients and subtle textures showcased in the environments. This can be attributed in part to how the transfer maintains the filmic quality of the picture with natural film grain resolving faithfully. The grain looks compact and natural with nothing veering into noise or compression artifacts. The costumes and production design exhibit a wonderful amount of textural detail. Nearly every shot reveals some tremendous depth to the image. The transfer does not exhibit anything in the way of specks or print damage. Kino Classics has delivered greatness with this release.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the soundscape famously. Dialogue comes through clearly with nary a moment of sibilance. This is balanced well with the background noises of the train so everything works together in harmony. The environmental effects are adept at allowing this world to feel bustling and alive. Age-related wear and tear such as damage or crackles do not show up throughout this presentation. The outstanding Maurice Jarre score does not exhibit any major instances of distortion or signs of age. Kino Classics has done a fine job with the audio portion of the disc. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary #1: Director John Frankenheimer provides a slow but ultimately informative commentary track in which he discusses how this film came together, shooting this film around the time he got married, the behind-the-scenes details about the production of various scenes, the structure of the film, changes that were made in the course of production, the shooting locations and more.

Audio Commentary #2: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin provides a very energetic and insightful track in which the two dissect the film from every angle including its legacy as a part of Frankenheimer’s career, the themes of the picture, the shot composition, the tonal balance and more that complements the other track very well.

Isolated Score: An option to listen to only the score from Maurice Jarre in Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

1964 Making-Of The Train: A seven-minute archival piece that acts as promotion for The Train as it discusses the plot, the production on location, the camaraderie of the performers and more.

Trailers From Hell with Brian Trenchard-Smith: A five-minute episode of the popular series in which the director breaks down The Train with background details of the production and the narrative.

TV Spot: A minute-long TV Spot is provided here.

Trailers: There is a Teaser Trailer (1:13) and Theatrical Trailer (4:26) provided for The Manchurian Candidate. There are also trailers provided for Run Silent, Run Deep; The Great Escape; and The Manchurian Candidate.

Final Thoughts

The Train is another standout release from the great John Frankenheimer. The man knew how to command tension and paranoia, and his work with Burt Lancaster brought out the best in each of the creatives. The film is ostensibly an action film, but it is not executed in a traditional manner. There is an emphasis put on theme and character which you tend to find in more highly regarded works, and that certainly works well in this instance. The film is not as widely regarded as a marquee title by casual film fans, but it deserves a reappraisal for the knockout effort that it is. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a 5-star A/V presentation and a nice assortment of archival special features. This is a must for any fan of classic cinema. Highly Recommended

The Train is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.