The Paris Express

"The Man Who Watched Trains Go By" has a good man-with-dull-routine-life-breaks-away start, later slips into familiar man-on-the-run patterns, but does have a surprise at the end (to me, at least). A strong cast makes the most of it, with the sultry Marta Toren a splendid femme fatale. **1/2 out of 4.

It was a surprise to see this title on the shelves at the local video store: although Claude Rains is one of my favourite actors, and this film features other fine actors such as Herbert Lom, Marius Goring and Felix Aylmer, the story line didn't seem to be the usual fare rewarded with a video release. And indeed it is the story that both fascinated me and left me flat at the end. Rains' meek company clerk is nicely judged; cunning but not worldly-wise, and seduced by the lights of Paris, in contrast to his small home town. The contrast, though, is poorly made - Rains' clerk suit looks perfect throughout, even at Maxims - and we don't see a return to family or their reaction to his plight. Even so, the story's unfolding was interesting enough to keep me watching, (as well as for the technicolor exterior shots of Paris in the early 50's).