As a viewer, for me, the most important thing about a film is to know what it is I'm about to see.
Up front, one has to know ahead of time that "Night Train" is a psychological drama, not a Hitchcock suspense story, not a murder mystery. Setting it up by using the name Hitchcock is going to cause people to hate it.
Night Train is filmed in a dark, moody. claustrophobic way, and looks similar to Diabolique. It concerns the passengers of an overcrowded train en route to the seaside. One of the people on this train is a murderer. The train is filled with interesting characters: a beautiful blonde, Marta (Lucyna Winnicka) in the wrong compartment, who refuses to leave; the man in sunglasses, Jerszy (Leon Niemczyk) who is in the same compartment; an insomniac who can't sleep in a bunk bed because it reminds him of his time in a concentration camp; an attorney practicing a closing to a jury; his good-looking, flirtatious wife; a young man rejected by Marta, who continues to pursue her, even at one point hanging off her window on the train.
When police board the train unexpectedly, they are looking for the murderer and an assumption is made. And here the story becomes about crowd psychology, and there's a neat twist.
Night Train moves slowly and concentrates on the characters and their interrelationships. The "story" part actually comes in the last half hour. The final scene in the film is very striking.
Some excellent acting throughout, and as a bit of trivia, the lead actress, Lucyna Winnicka, married the director, Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
Recommended for its atmosphere, jazz score, and style.
Up front, one has to know ahead of time that "Night Train" is a psychological drama, not a Hitchcock suspense story, not a murder mystery. Setting it up by using the name Hitchcock is going to cause people to hate it.
Night Train is filmed in a dark, moody. claustrophobic way, and looks similar to Diabolique. It concerns the passengers of an overcrowded train en route to the seaside. One of the people on this train is a murderer. The train is filled with interesting characters: a beautiful blonde, Marta (Lucyna Winnicka) in the wrong compartment, who refuses to leave; the man in sunglasses, Jerszy (Leon Niemczyk) who is in the same compartment; an insomniac who can't sleep in a bunk bed because it reminds him of his time in a concentration camp; an attorney practicing a closing to a jury; his good-looking, flirtatious wife; a young man rejected by Marta, who continues to pursue her, even at one point hanging off her window on the train.
When police board the train unexpectedly, they are looking for the murderer and an assumption is made. And here the story becomes about crowd psychology, and there's a neat twist.
Night Train moves slowly and concentrates on the characters and their interrelationships. The "story" part actually comes in the last half hour. The final scene in the film is very striking.
Some excellent acting throughout, and as a bit of trivia, the lead actress, Lucyna Winnicka, married the director, Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
Recommended for its atmosphere, jazz score, and style.