One Good Movie 7: The New Blood

Hola,

I once awkwardly shook director John Frankenheimer’s hand, thanking him for his wonderful films.

Unfortunately, it was after a test screening of the Ben Affleck 2000 vehicle Reindeer Games.

Lucky for you, this week’s film is a superior heist picture from Frankenheimer. Albeit, without a topless Charlize Theron.

John Frankenheimer’s The Train

Stolen art. Despicable Nazis. And yes, trains.

If you don’t already have a crush on Burt Lancaster, you will by the time the end credits roll.

In fact, Lancaster fired original director Arthur Penn after three days of filming. It was becoming too arty.

Lancaster wanted a commercial project. Penn wanted to focus on the paintings.

Old Burt wanted trains. And machine guns.

So he recruits Frankenheimer.

With the production shutdown, the script is rewritten for action and the budget is doubled.

Frankenheimer’s able to leverage the production’s woes to his advantage.

He won’t sign on until the studio agrees to:

1. Put his name in the title: The Train becomes John Frankenheimer’s The Train

2. Give him final cut

3. Buy him a new Ferrari!

He got all three.

Where’s your Ferrari John Carpenter?

The Train is a classic action thriller. Unlike a modern film, which must pummel you with violence and noise from the outset, The Train takes time to set up the stakes and players. Once the wheels start to roll, you're committed.

Watch this movie on the biggest screen you can.

There are no computer effects. You’ll see real train crashes, real planes, and real explosions. The logistics of resetting a train to its original mark required an hour and a half between each take.

Frankenheimer remarked on the DVD commentary, "Incidentally, I think this was the last big action picture ever made in black and white, and I am personally so grateful that it was filmed in black and white. I think the black and white adds tremendously to the movie.”

French Resistance fighters must divert a train to prevent Nazis from stealing treasured works of art.

Enjoy.

-Guy

My thanks to the Frankenheimer DVD commentary and the kind editors of Wikipedia for help with the research.

Epilogue

I saw Tár this week. It's good. Todd Field should make more films.

Popcorn Part 1

Do you like popcorn with your movie?

Like Floyd Gondoll, I'm not a complicated man. I like cinema. And I like popcorn.

In Spain, you always have the option of plain, dulce, or a mix of sweet and savory. For me, I take my popcorn without the sweetness.

A little bit of salt.

If I’m feeling indulgent I might add butter at home, or when I'm out, the sumptuous, artery-clogging ecstasy known as “movie theater butter.”

One summer I worked at Classic Cinemas Woodstock Theater. I was an usher, concession man, and projectionist.

Working concessions I was able to refine the perfect batch of popcorn.

The best tub of popcorn comes from the first kernels that spill out of the kettle. They have the right balance of oil and salt. Nothing comes close. You can spot them by their slightly yellow tinge, compared to the rest of the batch's whiter variant.

May your weekend be as flawless as those initial kernels.