The Battle of the Rails (1946) User Reviews (12)

A tribute to resistance saboteurs that is neither too didactic or sentimental

[johnek-bloomfield · 7/10 · 14 November 2006]

Based on real life events that occurred between the Normandy Landings and the liberation, La Bataille du Rail was commissioned by the Associations of the Resistance soon after the end of the Second World War. That a war film would be put into production so soon after the end of the war and that it would prove so successful with a public that lived through it suggests a desire to show the extent of the resistance's achievements and the pride of the French.

However, Clément carefully avoids making the film too didactic or sentimental. We can see how the ruthlessness of the occupying forces in rooting out the saboteurs and their anti-Semitism is not overplayed as their portrayal seems appropriate to a modern audience not directly scarred by the events shown. Another way in which he achieves this is through the way the camera stays relatively detached from the action, showing the events almost like a documentary rather than forcing us to identify with any of the characters. It has been said that the cast was made up of unprofessional actors and in some cases real railwaymen. This adds to the realism and creates an effect where no one film star stands out as an obvious "hero", enforcing a message of "ordinary men doing what they had to".

Defiance

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 9 July 2012]

"The Battle of the Rails", Rene Clement's homage to the bravery of the railway workers of France is an interesting example of the work of the director, who had worked up to that time in documentaries. This 1946 film shown recently on a French international channel pays tribute to the men that defied the German invaders in the way they only knew how, by engaging in sabotage to the trains the German used to transport supplies and equipment from France to Germany.

Mr. Clement early style could be described as being neo-realist in the way he chose the material for his documentaries. In fact, this was his second time as a full length feature director. Here, working with co-writer, Colette Audry, he reenacts those terrible years of the conflict. To their credit, the railway workers were united in their effort to erode the power of their enemy by whatever means to make a dent in the horrible situation they were put, having to work for the enemy.

The film was photographed by Henri Alekan, a survivor of the camps, who was able to survive his horrific experience at the hands of the Germans. The music score by Baudrier blends well with the material. Charles Boyer, the actor acts as the narrator. The film is a tribute to the valor of the courageous men who dared to resist the ruthless invaders.

Trainers R Us

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 27 June 2016]

Unlike Hollywood and the UK who were turning out war-themed films throughout the six years of conflict and kept right on doing so after hostilities ceased French cinema got into the game in the last quarter. As an Occupied nation from 1940 to 1944 they were, of course, unable to produce and films reflecting the national climate and with the exception of La Bataille du Rail in 1946 and for perhaps obvious reasons, it took them more or less a quarter of a century to portray the Resistance on film with the best, Melville's L'Armee des Ombres, weighing in around 1970. That makes La Bataille du rail all the more interesting if not, indeed, valuable for being shot within weeks of the end of the war and using real railway employees, many of whom had been active in French Resistance, rather than professional actors. Debut director Rene Clement, who went on to become one of the most honoured filmmakers in terms of Prizes won, opts for a documentary feel rather than Hollywood-type heroics and his understated style is ideal for the tale he is telling. A decent print would be useful but it remains a keynote in French cinema.

pre-make of The Train

[ecadvocate · 7/10 · 28 December 2022]

This movie is not great. It's good, and it's only ok if you've already seen The Train 1964. This 1946 movie is artistic, stark, neo realist, blah blah, like many post war European made movies from the era. But it lacks character study and has only tactical measures and rebelliousness against not-so-evil Nazis as the reason for being, unlike The Train.

Army of Shadows 1969 is another example of a refined, not-so-purist remake of previous movies. It was just done better and had a longer lasting impact, like The Train.

But telling fans of La Bataille Du Rail that it's overrated just gets a lot of dislikes. Examine both movies yourself, but make sure you watch the 1946 movie FIRST so you won't be disappointed.

Neo-realist French style.

[DukeEman · 7/10 · 28 January 1999]

Rene Clement's first feature about the French rail workers who under the strangle hold of the dirty Nazis put up a fight by causing chaos with the running of the trains. A neo-realist style with unprofessional actors.

An exceptional tribute to some brave men...

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 16 March 2011]

René Clément directed this exceptional film which captures an important but often ignored part of the Allied war effort in WWII. It chronicles the efforts by the French railway workers to hinder the German war machine. What makes the film work wonderfully is the non-professional actors--like the Neo-realist actors in post-war Italian films (such as by DeSica and Rossellini). This gives the movie a great sense of realism--almost like a documentary that was somehow filmed as events really took place--though it was made just after the war.

The film begins sometime after the German occupation began--it's never exactly certain. During this time, random acts of sabotage occur but they are mostly annoying and are seemingly unorganized. However, partway through the film, the Resistance receives word that the Normandy invasion has occurred. Suddenly, the full extent of the French Resistance is obvious, as the entire effort to use the rails to reinforce the German army are frustrated in many, many ways--ranging from sabotaging the tracks and equipment to even attacks on the trains themselves by partisans.

"La Bataille du Rail" ("The Battle of the Rails") works very well--mostly because in addition to the non-actors working in the film, the director and writers (one of which was the director himself) used a lot of tense little vignettes in the film to draw in the viewer. Perhaps some today might find it all a bit boring (after all, they are more interested, perhaps, in seeing the newest Brandon Frazier film), but as a history teacher, I think it's a must-see! Wonderful.

By the way, you can't blame the film makers for this, but the print I saw was pretty shabby. It had a lot of scratches and the white captions were poor--blending into the scenes at times and also, occasionally, mistranslated or using jargon that is too technical (full of railroad terms and jargon). I would LOVE to see this film restored and re-captioned!

René Clement has shot one of the best films about trains and wars.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 2 June 2013]

For cinema enthusiasts, it is important to learn that the value of trains in the field of cinema has always been justly understood by filmmakers as truthful portrayals of trains have been extremely useful in making films which have become extremely popular with critics as well as with viewers. It would be appropriate to state that most of the films about war have an air of authenticity due to the realistic depiction of trains in them. It would not be an exaggeration to state that war films are popular due to the portrayal of trains in them. La Bataille Du Rail/The Battle of the Rails is the best example of a war film with trains and their impact on war as its major plot. The success of this film is due to the efforts of ordinary railway workers in war time France who were quick to realize that the damage to railway system in occupied France would be a key weapon in their fight against Nazi Germany. Those who favor technology in cinema would be shocked to learn how professionally the massive annihilation of trains was carried out in "The Battle of the Rails" despite the evident lack of technology. In 1946, this film by René Clément won a jury prize at Cannes Film Festival. In recent times, La Bataille Du Rail/The Battle of the Rails has been hailed as one of the classics of world cinema as it was shown in "Cannes Classics" section during 63rd Cannes International Film Festival held in 2010. Hardcore cinema enthusiasts would be thrilled to learn that it has been fully restored by INA in France where it can also be watched on DVD as well as Blu Ray formats.

Honneur aux cheminots.

[brogmiller · 9/10 · 27 October 2023]

Although there have been more nuanced, psychologically penetrating filmic depictions of French resistance under Nazi occupation, none has matched the sheer immediacy of René Clément's feature film debut. It represents a natural progression from his pre-war documentaries and indeed the early part is filmed in a documentary style with no clear delineation of character but changes tack dramatically when news comes through of the Allied landings and the Maquis plan greater acts of sabotage to prevent the Germans from moving armoured trains to Normandy.

Based upon real events and featuring many of the courageous participants in the Battle of the Rails of 1944, Clément uses cinéma vérité techniques and Russian-style montage to build momentum and suspense, culminating in the unforgettable derailment of the train convey which is shot from three different angles. Suffice to say the film's most powerful scene is the execution by firing squad of six randomly chosen railway workers. This is a superlative combination of image and sound as their deaths are accompanied by trains whistling in defiance. The post-sync dubbing of the mainly non-professional cast is pretty good and this viewer at any rate is intrigued as to who supplied the German voices. Clément has also been sure to use the strongest, most characterful faces for the close-ups.

It seems that the French suffered from collective amnesia following the liberation and Clément made a brave call for his film might have come too soon and been too close to home but its triumphalism ensured its great critical and commercial success whilst arguably paving the way for Alexander Esway's hugely popular 'Le Bataillon du Ciel' the following year. One cannot help but wonder whether John Frankenheimer was aware of this film when making 'The Train' twenty years on.

As well as being a moving testament to the kind of bravery of which very few are capable it marks, on a purely filmic level, the emergence of a special directorial talent that was to go from strength to strength.

The Train

[richardchatten · 9/10 · 13 October 2023]

Trains have been a perennial feature of film iconography since Melies filmed a train entering La Ciotat station in 1895, while the cattle trucks of 'Nuit et Broullard' has long been a defining image of the Holocaust.

The depiction of the mechanics of railways will delight most trainspotters although they will probably be more distressed by those that (SLIGHT SPOILER COMING:) get wrecked rather than the people who get killed.

We know what type of people we are dealing with from the opening image of a poster targeting Juden proceeding through the familiar sight of Germans marching hapless passengers on to the platform while a German begins a speech "Kameraden" in tones that are far from comradely.

A thrilling documentary-style production

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 18 October 2023]

THE BATTLE OF THE RAILS is a rare little title that I managed to catch on Talking Pictures TV here in the UK in the first showing since 1960. It's a black and white drama about the efforts of the French Resistance to sabotage Nazi-controlled trains during WW2. The film is made with a documentary realism in which the action is narrated throughout. The photography is excellent and the pacing is fast. The film abandons typical conceits of characterisation and dialogue in favour of a focus on physical action, such as the sabotaging of tracks and trains and the subsequent derailments that follow. It's surprisingly tense, even thrilling at times.

Excellent

[samthegreencat · 9/10 · 1 December 2021]

A hidden gem l just discovered !! Tells it like it was !! Dirty , hard , people died . Very good de-railment scene towards the end !! A real derailment excellently shot !

Very gritty.

[plan99 · 8/10 · 3 November 2023]

I usually stop watching films when I discover that it has subtitles but I'm glad that I didn't with this one. Stopping German supplies and reinforcements reaching Normandy contributed greatly to the advancement of the Allies, many trains, and rail tracks, were destroyed by the RAF in the run up to the invasion but the events in this film also helped greatly.

After the war the French were very keen to show that they didn't just capitulate ASAP but had an active resistance movement but in the many WWII history books I've read their overall contribution to the victory In Europe is considered to be minimal.

Regardless of that this film is very well worth watching.