Train de vie (1998)

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Writers:

Radu Mihaileanu (writer)
Moni Ovadia (italian version)

Release Date:

16 September 1998 (France)

Genre:

Romance | War | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Train | Palestine | Jewish | WWII

Awards:

9 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Lionel Abelanski	...	Shlomo
Rufus	...	Mordechai
Clément Harari	...	The Rabbi
Michel Muller	...	Yossi
Agathe de La Fontaine	...	Esther
Johan Leysen	...	Schmecht
Bruno Abraham-Kremer	...	Yankele
Marie-José Nat	...	Sura
Gad Elmaleh	...	Manzatou
Serge Kribus	...	Schtroul
Michel Israel	...	Sage 3
Rodica Sanda Tutuianu	...	Golda
Sanda Toma	...	Mere de Yossi
Zwi Kanar	...	Lilenfeld
Razvan Vasilescu	...	The Tzigan Colonel
Mihai Calin	...	Sami
Ovidiu Cuncea	...	Moitl
Marius Drogeanu	...	Mendel
Vladimir Jurascu	...	Von Glück
Robert Borremans	...	Hauptsturmführer S.S.
Bebe Bercovici	...	Joshua
Luminita Gheorghiu	...	Rivka
Georges Siatidis	...	Itzik
Michel Vanderlinden	...	Resistant 1
Daniel Decot	...	Resistant 2
Constantin Barbulescu	...	Resistant 3
Constantin Codrescu	...	Sage 1
Theodor Danetti	...	Sage 2 (as Teodor Danetti)
Savel Stiopul	...	Sage 4
Constantin Dinulescu	...	Sage 5
Marian Stan	...	Homme 1 Synagogue
Mugur Arvinescu	...	Homme 2 Synagogue
Cornel Vulpe	...	Le Maire
George Ulmeni	...	Grossman
Eugenia Serban	...	Titina
Florin Kevorkian	...	Miron (as Florin Chevorchian)
Ernest Maftei	...	Maleie
Serban Danescu	...	Isaak
Mihacia Bercu	...	Sheine
Rudi Rosenfeld	...	Le Chamess
Cristian Irimia	...	David
Mircea Cojan	...	Sacha
Alexandru Georgescu	...	Yehuda
Corneliu Revent	...	Zacharie
Cornel Ciupercescu	...	Le Facteur
Mircea Constantinescu	...	Le Chef
Constantin Draganescu	...	Le Paysan Comptoir (as Costica Draganescu)
Silvia Nastase	...	Femme 1 Eglise
Domalta Constantinlu	...	Femme 2 Eglise
Laura Neagle	...	Femme Dipart
Marioara Sterian	...	Femme Diportie 1
Rosana Gutman	...	Myriam
Corneliu Jipa	...	Le Juif Etable
Claudiu Istodor	...	Le Juif Locomotive
Petre Lupu	...	Ben
Aristita Diamandi	...	Cuisiniére
Cristina Barsan	...	L'enfant de Sura
Cornel Streche	...	L'enfant Shtetl
Olga Bucataru	...	Femme Wagon
Leonie Waldman Eliad	...	Femme Shtetl 2
Eugenia Bosânceanu	...	Femme Shtetl 3
Tudorel Filimon	...	Homme Shtetl 1
Constantin Ghenescu	...	Homme Shtetl 2

Directed by
Radu Mihaileanu

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Radu Mihaileanu		writer
Moni Ovadia		italian version

Produced by
Marc Baschet	....	producer
Ludi Boeken	....	producer
Frédérique Dumas-Zajdela	....	producer
Eric Dussart	....	producer
Michel Israel	....	associate producer
Cédomir Kolar	....	producer
Francis de Laveleye	....	associate producer
René Seegers	....	associate producer
Robert Swaab	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Goran Bregovic

Cinematography by
Giorgos Arvanitis
Laurent Dailland

Film Editing by
Monique Rysselinck

Production Design by
Christian Niculescu

Set Decoration by
Christian Niculescu		(chief set decorator)

Costume Design by
Viorica Petrovici

Makeup Department
Daniela Busoiu	....	makeup artist
Catalin Ciutu	....	hair stylist
Tina Kopecka	....	hair stylist
Jeni Lita	....	hair stylist
Irène Ottavis	....	makeup artist
Mihai Stanescu	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Radu Badica	....	unit production manager
Thierry Bettas-Bégalin	....	production manager
Thierry Bettas-Bégalin	....	production supervisor
Mathieu Bompoint	....	assistant production supervisor: Belgium
Irina Chirita	....	unit production manager
Marianne Lambert	....	unit manager
Vlad Paunescu	....	production supervisor: Romania
Michèle Tronçon	....	production supervisor: Belgium

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel Barbulescu	....	first assistant director
Cristian Ciurea	....	assistant director: second unit (as Cristi Ciurea)
Olivier Jacquet	....	first assistant director
Larry Maronese	....	second assistant director
Laurentiu Maronese	....	third assistant director
Cristian Mungiu	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Cristian Baluta	....	props (as Cristi Baluta)
Ionel Bratu	....	props
Viorel Ghenea	....	props
Adrian Lazar	....	props
Vlad Paun	....	set dresser
Ionel Popa	....	property master
Ionel Popa	....	propmaker
Serban Porupca	....	assistant art director
Zoli Szabo	....	construction coordinator
Ica Varna	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Dan Alexei	....	sound assistant: second unit
Bertrand Boudaud	....	foley artist
Julien Cloquet	....	foley engineer
Mathieu Cox	....	assistant sound mixer
Dominique Dalmasso	....	sound mixer
Eric DeVos	....	sound editor
Pierre Excoffier	....	sound engineer
Marina Lerchs	....	assistant sound mixer
Catherine Leygonie	....	post-synchronization
Radu Nicolae	....	sound assistant: second unit
Francis Perrard	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Francis Perreard)
Olivier Varenne	....	assistant sound engineer
Marie-Jeanne Wijckmans	....	foley artist (as Marie Jeanne Wyckmans)

Special Effects by
Albert Bonnefous	....	special effects
Petre Constantin	....	special effects
Lucian Iordache	....	special effects
Stéphan Kosinski	....	special effects
Patrick Rouxel	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Martial Vallanchon	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Vasile Albinet	....	stunt performer
Adrian Pavlovschi	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicolae Alexandru	....	electrician
Marius Bercu	....	electrician
Jacques Borguet	....	key grip
Nicu Botarleanu	....	electrician
Jean-Jacques Bréhier	....	Steadicam operator
Calin Catalin	....	chief electrician
Calin Constantin	....	gaffer: second unit
Patrick Dehalu	....	first assistant camera
Gigi Dumitrescu	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Gigel Dumitrescu)
Ilie Georgica	....	second assistant camera
Yorgos Giannelis	....	assistant camera
Radu Ion	....	electrician
Cornel Lazia	....	still photographer
Vincent Lebrun	....	still photographer
Tamas Nyerges	....	Steadicam operator
Puiu Pascu	....	electrician: second unit
Jean-Pierre Plichon	....	camera operator
Gabi Postascu	....	grip (as Gabi Postasu)
Viorel Radu	....	electrician
Marian Stanciu	....	director of photography: second unit
George Stan	....	electrician: second unit
Sorin Udrea	....	key grip
Gheorghe Ursescu	....	grip (as George Ursescu)
Peter Velciov	....	Steadicam operator
Eric Waldman	....	chief electrician

Casting Department
Rodica Alkalai	....	casting: Israel
Pierre-Jacques Bénichou	....	casting: France
Doru Bobesiu	....	extras casting assistant
Gerda Diddens	....	casting: Belgium
Catalin Dordea	....	casting: Romania
Tudor Giurgiu	....	casting: Romania
Valeriu Pavel	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eli Calin	....	costume assistant
Mihaela David	....	costumer
Rodica Garstea	....	costumer
Ana Ioneci	....	costumer
Doina Raducut	....	costumer
Cristina Voicu	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Olivier Fontenay	....	color timer
Gert Janssen	....	assistant editor
Valerie Keyser	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Vali Georgescu	....	unit driver
Marian Pascale	....	driver
Marius Vlad	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Raduta Adi	....	groupman
Gabi Antal	....	production administrator
Emmanuelle Balestrieri	....	production administrator
Mathieu Bompoint	....	production coordinator
Jacques Borguet	....	chief machinist
Cristian Bostanescu	....	production assistant: Romania
Vlad Caprarescu	....	production assistant: Romania
Danielle Edelweys	....	production assistant: Belgium
Laurent Flaesch	....	animal trainer
Florina Florea	....	production secretary: Romania
Marcel Grecu	....	animal trainer
Cristian Grigore	....	production assistant: Romania
Corinne Iannacone	....	production assistant: France
Andreea Ivan	....	production secretary: Romania
Cristiana Lakatos	....	production accountant
Anne Lieske	....	production assistant: France
Gabi Mihalache	....	production assistant: second unit
Corina Pana	....	script supervisor: second unit
Pierrot Planckaert	....	title designer (as Pierre Planckaert)
Alina Purice	....	production secretary: Romania
Dominique Segall	....	press attache
Carmen Solomon	....	production secretary
Cornelia Stefan	....	production assistant: second unit
Philippe Valentin	....	head production accountant
Élodie Van Beuren	....	script supervisor
Béatrice Vuylsteke	....	production accountant

Thanks
Daniela Romano	....	thanks
Stephane Sperry	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Belfilms
• Canal+
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique
• Eurimages
• Hungry Eye Lowland Pictures B.V.
• Noé Productions
• PolyGram Audiovisuel
• RTL-TVi
• Raphaël Films
• Sofinergie 4

Distributors

• Sherlock Media S.L. (2000) (Spain) (theatrical)
• AB International Distribution
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Arthaus
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic)
• Budapest Film (Hungary)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Downtown Pictures
• Manga Films (2000) (Spain) (all media)
• Paramount Classics (1999) (USA) (subtitled)
• Paramount Pictures
• Primer Plano Film Group (Argentina)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (Germany) (DVD)
• Tantra DMPC Ltd.
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Zima Entertainment (Mexico)

Other Companies

• Copra Films  sound equipment
• Key Grip Systems  grip equipment
• Lou Ease  edited at
• Nuit de Chine  design
• R.V.Z.  electrical equipment
• TEST  titles

Also Known As:

Train of Life (Europe: English title) (USA)
Trenul vietii (Romania)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

France | Belgium | Netherlands | Israel | Romania

Language:

French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Belfilms

Movie Connections:

References To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Soundtrack:

Cine iubeste si lasa

So its unrealistic. So what?

It's amazing how many people seem to be complaining about the unrealism of this film. Given that anyone with two brain cells to rub together can see that the film is not trying to be realistic from scene 1 onwards, the question is not whether the film tried to be realistic and failed, but whether a film about the Holocaust must try to be realistic to be any good.

The trouble is that unless as part of the performance the entire audience is deported in cattle-trucks, slowly starved, and then gassed, it is rather difficult to see how any film can be realistic about the Holocaust. So, if there are to be movies about the Holocaust at all, or if they are to do much beyond telling us that the Holocaust was ghastly (we knew that, didn't we?)

they have to give up on trying to be realistic, and try to look at the Holocaust in an indirect way. This is where I think "Train de Vie" succeeds, for example by the deliberate parallels between the society inside the train, and the society that helped caused the Holocaust. I could list them at length, but if you've seen the movie and didn't notice them, you won't be convinced by anything I say, and if you haven't seen the movie, I'd rather leave you the pleasure of discovering them for yourself.

I never actually thought of the film's relation to "Life is Beautiful" until reading the IMDB comments, after I'd seen both films. Well it's very hard to compare the two films, but I don't think "Train de Vie" needs to be ashamed of the comparison. True, Roberto Benigni does not star in it, and that is a heavy handicap for any film. On the other hand I think I like the exuberant un-reality of "Train de Vie" better. After all the portrayal of the Holocaust in "Life is Beautiful" is just as unrealistic as that of "Train de Vie"; the only difference is that "Train de Vie" revels from the first scene

to the last in its unreality. If we must be unreal, let us at least enjoy it.