The Man Who Watched Trains Go By DVD, 1952

Celebrated character actor Claude Rains has a rare starring role in this unusual Noirish melodrama, set in Holland. He plays Kees Popinga, an unhappy, deferential clerk who finally snaps after his unscrupulous boss (Herbert Lom) plunders the company’s funds – and Popinga’s life-savings – to spoil his mistress (Marta Toren). Popinga has often watched trains passing by, heading for exotic places. So, leaving Lom floating in a canal, he hops on a train bound for Paris, with a suitcase of cash and a plan to track down Toren. On his trail is a Parisian inspector, played by Marius Goring with an engaging blend of warmth and panache.

From then on, nothing is quite what it seems, as Rains wanders unsuspectingly into a hellish, vividly-photographed netherworld of accented hoods, bombed-out cars and duplicitous females, the constant rat-a-tat of passing trains echoing in his ears.

This is a fine addition to the ‘50s crime canon: a parable about repression, greed and compromised dreams, with a devastatingly bitter streak. And Rains’ central performance recalls his explosive supporting turn in an earlier Noir classic – Where Danger Lives.

Rick Burin on 6th May 2008
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