Some stories from film history are simply too bizarre to be true. For example, the story behind the creation of the classic war film The Train with Burt Lancaster (Wages of Fear), which far too few people still know. Director legend John Frankenheimer delivered a masterpiece, but demanded a Ferrari before he lifted a finger. The film is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
On Amazon Prime: Burt Lancaster fights for Pablo Picasso in the war film masterpiece
The Train is set in Paris in 1944. Shortly before the Allied invasion, the Wehrmacht under Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) tries to deport priceless art masterpieces by Pablo Picasso and Paul Gauguin to Germany by train. The French resistance fighter Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) tries with his comrades to stop the theft.
MGM
Burt Lancaster in The Train
Frankenheimer, who was supposed to fill in for the fired Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) shortly after filming began, created a masterpiece. If Lancaster fooling the German Wehrmacht through clever feints and time after time only narrowly escapes death, all the spectators cling to their seats, bathed in sweat. Frankenheimer originally only wanted to take on the job in exchange for a sports car.
After firing Penn, star Lancaster desperately needed a director and offered the job to his friend Frankenheimer (via PBS). He apparently shamelessly took advantage of the production’s plight: before he even touched the director’s chair, he signed a contract a Ferrari, a free hand in the editing and his name in the title. The war film, which was then launched as John Frankenheimer’s The Train, has thrilled action fans for 59 years now.
Podcast: The 10 most exciting streaming films in December on Netflix, Amazon and Co.
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There are exciting new releases this month among the streaming services’ own productions. They range from Netflix’s sci-fi blockbuster of the year to fairy tales and Mark Wahlberg action to a new Harry Potter film.
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