The Train is two different movies - one (composed of the brilliant opening and closing scenes) debates the value of art, while the other (consisting of the action-packed middle portions) is concerned with the technical details of sabotaging Nazi efforts to steal France's art. I'd like to remember the film more for the excellent elements of its bookends than the only occasionally-exciting body, but it's ultimately an inconsistent work by a proficient director who has achieved greater things.
The film opens in Paris during the last days of the German occupation, where Nazi Col. Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) discusses the art curated by Mademoiselle Villard (Suzanne Flon) at the Jeu de Paume Museum. Villard commends him for recognizing the priceless nature of the art and being more sophisticated than the average Nazi. While he accepts the compliments, he tells her that the paintings have monetary value and will be shipped to Berlin to contribute to Germany's war chest. Shocked, she takes the information to the French Underground led by Labiche (Burt Lancaster) , who discuss whether France's artistic heritage is worth lives. After many dramatic acts of sabotage and courage, the discussion is resumed between Von Waldheim and Labiche.
Von Waldheim: Labiche! Here's your prize, Labiche. Some of the greatest paintings in the world.
Does it please you, Labiche? You feel a sense of excitement at just being near them? A painting means as much to you as a string of pearls to an ape. You won by sheer luck. You stopped me without knowing what you were doing or why. You are nothing, Labiche. A lump of flesh.
The paintings are mine. They always will be. Beauty belongs to the man who can appreciate it. They will always belong to me, or a man like me. Now, this minute, you couldn't tell me why you did what you did.
Labiche: [Turns to look at the bodies of Frenchmen, turns back and shoots Labiche, then leaves].
It's possible that the film is attempting to show Labiche obsessed with destroying the train and Von Waldheim much in the same way that Von Waldheim is obsessed with destroying Labiche. Labiche losing himself to the details, though, limits how much we can care about him as a person. We understand the importance of his mission from an intellectual perspective, but we never quite connect with Labiche as a human being. Without that investment in character (and with Labiche seemingly unconcerned by whether he lives or dies), there's only so much suspense Frankenheimer can muster about the stakes of the Underground's operation.
* From IMDB Trivia: "Penn envisioned a more intimate film that would muse on the role art played in the French character, and why they would risk their lives to save the country's great art from the Nazis. He did not intend to give much focus to the mechanics of the train operation itself. Frankenheimer said that in the original script Penn wanted to shoot, the train did not leave the station until page 90... Lancaster told screenwriter Walter Bernstein the day Penn was fired, 'Frankenheimer is a bit of a whore, but he'll do what I want.' What Lancaster wanted was more emphasis on action in order to ensure that the film was a hit--after the failure of his film The Leopard--by appealing to a broader audience." I might be being too harsh on Lancaster, as his choice of films was excellent (the characters played to his strengths while also entertaining and challenging the audience) - there are few actors with a better filmography than his (Sweet Smell of Success, From Here to Eternity, The Leopard, Seven Days in May, Brute Force, Judgment at Nuremberg, Elmer Gantry, the Professionals.....) - but the film doesn't make the Labiche character interesting enough to be at the center of a 2+ hour movie and I think that Arthur Penn might have solved that problem by providing him with more of a background or reason for his obsession. Also, I find it interesting that in a movie that argues against art being controlled by the strong, Lancaster asserted his star power to get the film that he wanted.
Also important in the discussion of whether to pursue the train is the fact that the Allies would soon be retaking Paris. Larger political/geopolitical context seems to be important in Frankenheimer's films, whether it's explicitly - The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, Path to War - or implicitly - The Train, Birdman of Alcatraz, Ronin.
Crew & Cast
Directed by John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, Birdman of Alcatraz, Seconds, Ronin)
Written by Franklin Coen & Frank Davis with uncredited work by Howard Dimsdale, Nedrick Young, and Walter Bernstein
Based on the book Le Front de l'art by Rose Valland
Cast
Burt Lancaster - Labiche
Paul Scofield - Col. Von Waldheim
Jeanne Moreau - Christine
Suzanne Flon - Mademoiselle Villard
Michel Simon - Pape Boule