''Night Train'' (
Polish: ''Pociąg''), also known as ''The Train'',
or ''Baltic Express'',
is a 1959 Polish film directed by
Jerzy Kawalerowicz and starring
Zbigniew Cybulski,
Lucyna Winnicka and
Leon Niemczyk.
''Night Train'' received numerous awards including the
Georges Méliès
Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès ( , ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French magic (illusion), magician, toymaker, actor, and filmmaker. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of film, cinema, primarily in th ...
award
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An award may be d ...
, and the Best Foreign Actress at the 1959
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
awarded to Lucyna Winnicka for her role as Marta in ''Night Train''.
American filmmaker
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
recognized the film as one of the masterpieces of
Polish cinema and in 2013 he selected it for screening alongside films such as ''
Ashes and Diamonds'', ''
Innocent Sorcerers'', ''
Knife in the Water'' and ''
The Promised Land'' in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
as part of the ''
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema'' festival of Polish films.
Plot
Two strangers, Jerzy (
Leon Niemczyk) and Marta (
Lucyna Winnicka), accidentally end up holding tickets for the same sleeping chamber on an overnight train to the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
coast
A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...
; and reluctantly agree to share the 2-bed single-gender compartment. Also on board is Marta's spurned lover Staszek (
Zbigniew Cybulski), unwilling to accept her decision to break up after a short term affair, and leave her alone. When the police enter the train in search of a murderer on the lam, rumors fly and everything seems to point toward one of the main characters as the culprit.
Cast
*
Lucyna Winnicka - Marta
*
Leon Niemczyk - Jerzy
*
Zbigniew Cybulski - Staszek
*
Teresa Szmigielówna - Lawyer's Wife
*
Helena Dąbrowska - Train Controller
*
Ignacy Machowski - Passenger
*
Roland Głowacki - Murderer
*
Aleksander Sewruk - Lawyer
*
Zygmunt Zintel - Passenger Suffering from Insomnia
*
Tadeusz Gwiazdowski - Train Controller
*
Witold Skaruch - Priest
*
Michał Gazda - Passenger Flirting with Lawyer's Wife
*
Zygmunt Malawski - Policeman
See also
*
Cinema of Poland
*
List of Polish language films
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Night Train
1959 films
1950s mystery films
1959 crime films
Polish crime films
Polish mystery films
1950s Polish-language films
Films directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Rail transport films
Films set in Poland
KADR films