''The Sleeping Car Murders'' (also known as ''The Sleeping Car Murder'', French title: ''Compartiment tueurs'') is a 1965 French

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Costa-Gavras Costa-Gavras (short for Konstantinos Gavras; el, Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς; born 12 February 1933) is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for films with political and s ...

from the novel by Sébastien Japrisot. It stars

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

Michel Piccoli Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli (27 December 1925 – 12 May 2020) was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide vari ...

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

Catherine Allégret Catherine Allégret (born 16 April 1946) is a French actress. She is the daughter of Simone Signoret and Yves Allégret.Becker, Frawley (2004) ''And the Stars Spoke Back: A Dialogue Coach Remembers Hollywood Players of the Sixties in Paris'', Sca ...

Jacques Perrin Jacques Perrin (born Jacques André Simonet; 13 July 1941 – 21 April 2022) was a French actor and film producer. He was occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Early life Jacques André Simonet was born on the Boulevard Port-Royal in P ...

, Charles Denner and

Pascale Roberts Pascale is a common Francophone given name, the feminine of the name Pascal. The same spelling is also an Italian form of the masculine name ''Pascal'', and an Italian surname derived from the given name. Pascale derives from the Latin ''pas ...

. This film was the first movie for Costa-Gavras, to be followed later by other, more politically-oriented work.

Plot

The film begins with a young woman, Bambi (

), boarding a train from Avignon to Paris. Also on her compartment are her fellow passengers, René Cabourg (

), Georgette Thomas (

), Rivolani (

Paul Pavel Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

), and famed actress Éliane Darrès (Allégret’s real-life mother

). She also meets Daniel (

), a stowaway en route to Paris. After helping him avoid the ticket inspector, she allows him to sleep in an empty compartment above hers. Upon reaching Paris, realizing he had nowhere to go, she also allowed him to stay in her apartment and they start a relationship. Meanwhile, in the train, Georgette is found dead in her bunk. Police Inspector Grazziani (

) and his assistant Jean-Lou Gabert (

Claude Mann Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etch ...

) is assigned to handle the case. The other passengers are identified and are told to contact the police as possible eyewitnesses. The police also questioned Georgette’s lover, Bob Vaski ( Charles Denner). Cabourg, who was infatuated with Georgette and had been rebuffed by her on the train was the first to contact the police, but before he was able to testify, he was shot and killed by an unknown assailant. The police start questioning the passengers, starting with Darrès, arriving at her apartment at the same time as Bambi and Daniel were about to return her wallet, taken earlier by Daniel. As the police enter the apartment her lover Éric Grandin (

) is seen leaving. From Darrès, the police learn about the altercation between Georgette and Cabourg. She also told them about Daniel, but as the ticket had been registered by another person, they didn’t believe her. Meanwhile Daniel and Bambi discovered a love letter from Grandin to Darrès in her wallet, as they read the letter the narration turns into a flashback and Darrès reminiscing on her relationship. As she was about to leave her apartment, Darrès was killed by the unknown assailant, while at the same time another assailant murders Rivolani. Both murders also occur before the police were able to talk to them. Following Darrès’ murder, the police question Grandin as Daniel also arrives to returns the wallet and letter. They also learn that Darrès had asked her brother for a loan to be used to start a farm in South Africa with Grandin, alerting them that Grandin was in financial trouble and in need of money. Meanwhile the police interview Garaudy, the presumed sixth passenger on the compartment, but they discover that she did not board the train. The assailants came to look for Bambi while only Daniel was present, he narrowly avoided them before warning her about the assailants and telling her to leave her office immediately and hide in a hotel close to her office under his name. He also contacts the police, admitting that he was the sixth passenger and reporting about the assailants. The police discovered that a large sum of money have been withdrawn from Darrès’ account via a check. They found out that the man on the check is dead, arousing suspicion. Meanwhile, Grazziani found out about Daniel being the sixth passenger and him discovering the assailants, while also learning that Jean-Lou posed as him while contacting Daniel and immediately raced off to find him, causing Grazziani to realize that Jean-Lou is one of the assailants. Grazziani then contacts Daniel and discovers Daniel told Jean-Lou about being the sixth passenger, while also divulging his and Bambi’s plan to avoid the assailant. Grazziani then races to save both Daniel and Bambi, as he instructs Daniel by phone on what to do with regards to the assailants, while contacting the district police to protect him and find Bambi. He also proposes that Daniel be used as bait to catch the assailants. Grazziani reached Bambi's hotel and upon finding that the district police couldn't find her organized a check on every room, he eventually manages to find her in one of the rooms, while also finding Grandin hiding in the hotel. Grandin divulges the plan to the police, the train murder was only a red herring intended to mask the real target, Darrès, causing the police to focus on the railroad crime and assuming that her murder was to eliminate witnesses, as they steal her money and run away together. He also told them that he and Jean-Lou forged the name on the check using data from the police records. Meanwhile, Jean-Lou arrives at Daniel’s location, but Daniel manages to escape just as Grazziani arrives. Jean-Lou runs from the scene and a lengthy chase around Paris ensues, with a biker gang aiding the police in following Jean-Lou. The chase ends when Jean-Lou is cornered at a riverside road and he proceeded to shoot himself.

Cast

Inspector Grazziani "Grazzi" *

as Daniel *

as Benjamine Bombat aka "Bambi" * Pierre Mondy as Superintendent Tarquin *

as Jean-Lou Gabert *

as Éric Grandin *

as Éliane Darrès * Charles Denner as Bob Vaski *

as René Cabourg *

as Georgette Thomas *

Jacques Dynam Jacques Dynam (30 December 1923 – 12 November 2004) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1942 and 2004, among which the ''Fantomas'' saga. Selected filmography * ''La symphonie fantastique'' (1942) - (uncre ...

as Inspector Malec * André Valmy as Inspector *

Philippe Rouleau Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

as Inspector Antoine *

Maurice Chevit Maurice Chevit (31 October 1923 – 2 July 2012) was a French actor. Maurice Chevit made his theatrical début just after the Second World War, and made his first screen appearance in 1946 in René Clément's film ''Le Père tranquille''. In ...

as Inspector Moutard *

Nadine Alari Nadine Alari (born Bernadette Nicole Frédérique Bovarie; 23 February 1927 – 24 November 2016) was a French film and television actress. Selected filmography * ''Jericho'' (1946) * ''Tuesday's Guest'' (1950) * '' Great Man'' (1951) * ''T ...

as Mme Grazziani *

Monique Chaumette Monique Chaumette (born 4 April 1927) is a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films since 1958. She was married to Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career No ...

as Mme Rivolani *

as Rivolani *

Bernadette Lafont Bernadette Lafont (28 October 1938 – 25 July 2013) was a French actress who appeared in more than 120 feature films. She has been considered "the face of French New Wave". In 1999 she told ''The New York Times'' her work was "the motor of my e ...

as Georgette's sister *

Christian Marin Christian Marin (8 February 1929 – 5 September 2012) was a French film actor. Born in Lyon, he is best known for his role in ''Le gendarme series'' (as "Merlot"), although he did not appear in the last two sequels. In 1967 he appeared in the tel ...

as Georgette's brother-in-law *

Serge Rousseau Serge Rousseau (13 March 1930 – 3 November 2007) was a French film and television actor and agent. He was a close friend of François Truffaut. He played the murdered husband of Jeanne Moreau in ''The Bride Wore Black'' and the unknown man ...

as train controller *

Jenny Orléans Jenny Orléans (January 19, 1932 – April 12, 2008) was a French actress. Filmography *1953: '' Les Enfants de l'amour'' (by Léonide Moguy) *1957: '' Lovers of Paris'' (by Julien Duvivier) - Rose Compardon (uncredited) *1958: ''Me and the C ...

as Cabourg's sister. * Claude Dauphin as Eliane's brother *

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

as the veterinarian *

Tanya Lopert Tanya Lopert (born 19 June 1942 in New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,8 ...

as Mme Garaudy *

Charles Millot Charles Millot (born Veljko Milojević; 23 December 1921 – 6 October 2003) was a Yugoslav-born French actor who made many film appearances over a 35-year period. His notable film appearances include: '' The Train'' (1964), ''The Night of t ...

as medical examiner *

Albert Michel Albert Michel (1909–1981) was a French stage, film and television actor.Paietta p.40 Selected filmography * ''Je chante'' (1938) - Un laitier (uncredited) * ''Ne bougez plus'' (1941) - Clanpinet * ''Chèque au porteur'' (1941) * ''Fièvres'' ( ...

as bartender * José Artur as journalist *

William Sabatier William is a male given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norm ...

as Superintendent Tuffi * Josée Steiner as employee at the hotel Arizona * André Weber as drunkard at the police headquarters *

Edmond Ardisson Edmond Ardisson (23 October 1904, in Marseille – 30 November 1983, in Jouarre Jouarre () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Jouarre Abbey It is the site of the Jouarre Abbey, a ...

as the telephone voice from Marseille *

Jacqueline Staup Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...

as Bambi's boss *

Dominique Zardi Dominique Zardi (born Emile Jean Cohen-Zardi; 2 March 1930 – 13 December 2009) was a French actor from Paris. He acted in more than 200 feature films, including ''Fantômas'' with Louis De Funès and Jean Marais. He died of cancer at the age of ...

as Inspector in the café *

Maurice Auzel Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

as Inspector in the café *

Marcel Bozzuffi Marcel Bozzuffi (28 October 19291 February 1988) was a French film actor. He appeared as a hitman in the Oscar-winning American film '' The French Connection''. In 1963, he married French actress Françoise Fabian. Selected filmography *1955: ...

as policeman * Georges Geret as policeman * Dominique Bernard as train employee * Lionel Vitrant as inspector *

Nicole Desailly Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Eurovi ...

: janitor in Eliane's building *

Jean Droze Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

as a man in the Police headquarters *

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), w ...

as a train employee * Françoise Arnoul as nurse in the veterinarian school *

Serge Marquand Serge Marquand was a French actor and film producer (12 March 1930 – 4 September 2004). He died of advanced leukemia. He was the brother of Nadine Trintignant and Christian Marquand. Filmography *1959: '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'' ...

as Georgette's lover * Denise Péron as drunk lady * Jean-Pierre Périer *

Bernard Paul Bernard Paul may refer to: * Bernard Paul (director), French film director and screenwriter * Bernard Paul (boxer) Bernard "Punching Postman" Paul (born October 22, 1965) is a Mauritian/British professional light welter/ welter/light middlewei ...

* Lucien Desagneaux

Reception

''The New York Times'' said Costa-Gavras "whips it up with a lot of camera trickery and an abundance of cinematic style" but added that "the plot gets so thick and calculated that it becomes temporarily congealed." ''TV Guide'' called it "an intriguing, highly entertaining thriller" and praised "Costa-Gavras' taut direction" that "propels this somewhat impenetrable mystery along at breakneck speed." ''Time Out'' said that "the ending is one of those ingenious absurdities that haunt the genre, but the lively pace and attention to detail make up for the implausibility."

References

External links

* 1965 films 1960s mystery films 1960s psychological thriller films CinemaScope films French thriller films Police detective films French neo-noir films Films directed by Costa Gavras Films based on French novels Films set in France Films set in Paris Rail transport films 1960s police procedural films Films based on works by Sébastien Japrisot 1960s French films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub