SLEEPING CAR TO TRIESTE
UK, 1948, 95 minutes, Black and white.
Jean Kent, Albert Lieven, Derek De Marney, Paul Dupuis, Rona Anderson, David Tomlinson, Bonar Colleano, Finlay Currie, Gregoire Aslan, Alan Wheatley, Hugh Burden, Zena Marshall.
Directed by John Paddy Carstairs.
Trains always provide an interesting location for murders, espionage, mysteries. This film is a 1948 thriller in that vein, a remake of Rome Express.
The post-World War Two setting is important, especially as regards Eastern Europe, the Iron Curtain, the establishment of Yugoslavia and Tito’s regime as wanting to be somewhat independent of Russia. This provides a background to the spies, the stealing of secret diaries, the ambition to sell diaries to bidders and to disrupt the Eastern European country.
A good cast of standard British actors supply the characters on the train. Jean Kent and Albert Lieven are Eastern European spies who have stolen the diaries, but Alan Wheatley, assuming an alias, has stolen from them and wants to sell the diaries in Eastern Europe. There are a range of characters on the train, a harassed crook listening to an Englishman talk about the values of cuisine, an American who is rather overbearing and stereotyped in his loud actions, a couple who are carrying on an affair, their rather dopey English friend… Finlay Currie portrays a peace activist who is probably better on theory than practice.
The film shows the interactions on the train, the various manoeuvres to recover the diaries – with a resolution that resonates with the politics of 1948.
1. A British entertainment from the late 40s? The popularity of train films? This train, the Orient Express, the border between Italy and Yugoslavia, Trieste? A film of the 1940s?
2. The black and white photography, the atmosphere of the train? The musical score?
3. The structure of the film: the espionage, the secret diaries, the people on the train, the progress of the train, the climax concerning the diaries?
4. The diaries themselves, Zurta and Valya, their working together, the killing of the servant at the embassy? Their decision to go to Trieste? The double-crossing action of Karl? The pursuit of Karl, on the train? The deaths? The nature of the intrigue, political beliefs, the lies?
5. Karl, his taking the diaries, in the train, in the sleeping car? His interactions with the other characters, helping George? Hiding? The cards? The confrontation and his death?
6. The British couple, George and Joan, their characters, age, the affair, marriage? Their lies? Their friendship with Tom, his chatter? The cards? The different cars? The murder and the investigation?
7. Tom and his chatter, character, friend? Involved in the action?
8. Sergeant West, the loud American, New York? His coming on to the women? The French girls and their reaction? The birdman, his expertise, the customs?
9. The police, the investigation, the guards?
10. The role of Mac Bain and the secretary?
11. The atmosphere of intrigue, the mystery, violence? The resolution of the espionage problem? The film’s comment on East and Western Europe at the time? The Iron Curtain? Western fears of Russia? The role of Yugoslavia and Tito and the setting up of Yugoslavia and its relationship to the Soviet Union?
