The Train (1964)

Based on the non-fiction 1961 book "Le front de l'art" by Rose Valland and inspired by the real-life events surrounding train No. 40,044, The Train is one of the great WW II war movies shot in black and white paying homage to the French Resistance.

In April 1944 shortly before Allied Forces liberate occupied Paris, German Colonel Franz von Waldheim, an art lover, confiscates priceless masterpieces of renowned artists from the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris and is determined to bring them to Germany by rail. While Waldheim is able to persuade his superiors to give him a train despite the chaos of the German retreat, the museum’s curator approaches Paul Labiche, a French railway official and member of the French Resistance, asking him to stop the train and save the unique pieces of art from reaching Germany and / or from being destroyed.

Being resistant at first as he doesn’t want to jeopardize the life of his people for art, Labiche has a change of heart after his old friend Boule is shot by the Germans for sabotaging the engine that was supposed to bring the train to Germany. Labiche elaborates a daring plan with many obstacles to overcome ensuring that the train with its precious cargo never leaves French territory.