[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Trans-Europ-Express

  • 1966
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Trans-Europ-Express (1966)
ComedyDramaMysteryThriller

A director, producer and assistant take the Trans-Europ-Express from Paris to Antwerp, where they brainstorm ideas for a film about a greenhorn drug smuggler and a kinky prostitute.A director, producer and assistant take the Trans-Europ-Express from Paris to Antwerp, where they brainstorm ideas for a film about a greenhorn drug smuggler and a kinky prostitute.A director, producer and assistant take the Trans-Europ-Express from Paris to Antwerp, where they brainstorm ideas for a film about a greenhorn drug smuggler and a kinky prostitute.

  • Director
    • Alain Robbe-Grillet
  • Writer
    • Alain Robbe-Grillet
  • Stars
    • Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Marie-France Pisier
    • Christian Barbier
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alain Robbe-Grillet
    • Writer
      • Alain Robbe-Grillet
    • Stars
      • Jean-Louis Trintignant
      • Marie-France Pisier
      • Christian Barbier
    • 15User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos26

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 20
    View Poster

    Top cast20

    Edit
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Elias…
    Marie-France Pisier
    Marie-France Pisier
    • Eva…
    Christian Barbier
    • Lorentz - the policeman
    Raoul Guylad
    Raoul Guylad
    • An intermediary
    Henri Lambert
    • Inspector
    Paul Louyet
    • Marc
    Charles Millot
    Charles Millot
    • Franck
    Rezy Norbert
    • The concierge
    Gérard Palaprat
    • Le Petit Mathieu
    • (as Gerard Palaprat)
    Catherine Robbe-Grillet
    Catherine Robbe-Grillet
    • Lucette - the script supervisor
    Salkin
    • An intermediary
    Ariane Sapriel
    • A traveller
    Prima Symphony
    • The stripper
    Clotilde Vanesco
    • Cabaret Singer
    • (as Clo Vanesco)
    Nadine Verdier
    • Hotel Maid
    Virginie Vignon
    • Suitcase Salesgirl
    Daniel Emilfork
    • Le faux policier…
    Jérôme Lindon
    • Train traveller
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alain Robbe-Grillet
    • Writer
      • Alain Robbe-Grillet
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews15

    7.02.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    6Red-125

    Jean-Louis & Marie-France directed by Alain. How bad can it be?

    Trans-Europ-Express (1966) was written and directed by Alain Robbe-Grillet.

    The plot of the movie is that a producer, director, and assistant are traveling from Paris to Antwerp. On the train, they amuse themselves by inventing a movie that would start off on a train from Paris to Antwerp, and continue from that point.

    The movie we see is the movie they are inventing as they travel. Jean-Louis Trintignant stars in this invented movie. As always, he has one expression--blank.

    The incomparable Marie-France Pisier stars in the movie as well. Apparently, no one had to work very hard to convince Marie-France to appear topless or participate in B&D. (Of course, we are expected to accept this, because this wasn't a real movie. It was just a movie that was being invented on a train.)

    The concept was interesting, but too much of it was actually about drug drops, keys to lockers in train stations, etc. Granted, it was interspersed with visually more interesting scenes, but it really wasn't a great movie.

    Trans-Europ-Express has a decent IMDb rating of 7.1. I didn't think it was that good, and rated it 6.
    ametaphysicalshark

    Masterpiece

    I had not heard of "Trans-Europ-Express" until a couple of months ago, and as soon as the film was available to me I eagerly got a hold of it, but put off watching it until today because I was under the impression that it was a 'difficult' movie and wanted to be in the mood for such a film. Much to my surprise, Alain Robbe-Grillet's "Trans-Europ-Express" is one of the most entertaining and involving films I've ever seen, managing to be cerebral and clever as can be while never giving into being impenetrable for the sake of being impenetrable.

    Robert McKee classifies "Trans-Europ-Express" as a 'nonplot' film, and even though the film has two separate 'plots', I suppose it would be accurate enough to say that it doesn't really focus on telling a story set in stone. Classifying the film by genre is equally difficult, it is a somewhat comical film-within-a-film, a mystery, an erotic thriller, and even an espionage film for a bit. Let's just say the fourth wall has never been used so well in a film.

    "Trans-Europ-Express" is a playful, adventurous film which seems to want nothing more than to toy with as many genre conventions as it can, and Robbe-Grillet does that so very well here. What's most amazing about the film is that it works on all the levels it's supposed to work on. Furthermore, the acting is superb, the cinematography gorgeous, and Robbe-Grillet's direction captivating and always interesting. I found the use of music here excellent, but the sound mixing even more interesting. The attention to detail is wonderful.

    As many 'intimidating' films as I've seen, and as many of them that I have loved, I have to be in the right mood to see them. Perhaps the element of surprise with "Trans-Europ-Express" gave it an advantage, but this really is one of the greatest, most purely enjoyable films I've ever seen. Cerebral, clever, smart, and stylish, all without being too ambitious for its own good, "Trans-Europ-Express" is a movie for everyone and for all moods, a must-see inversion (and perversion) of genre conventions. All film buffs should enjoy this, but it might be of particular interest to one who likes the genres being toyed with here, and I love them.

    10/10
    9Bribaba

    All aboard

    On board the TEE is 'Elias' (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a paranoid drug dealer on his way from Paris to Antwerp. And in another compartment are his creators; film-makers having a script meeting from which Elias emerges. It's a typical Robbe-Grillet construct, honed from nouveau roman experiments. The purpose of which, as he puts it, is to "assist change by throwing out any techniques which try to impose order or a particular interpretation on events". The result in this case is a parallel universe, on one hand Elias trying to act like a drug dealer and on the other, proceeding according to the whims of his creators. In effect, it becomes a real-time replay of the writing and editing process,

    There are those who might regard this as typical French pretension, full of intellectual conceit (it was banned in England for many years), but it's playful, witty and very accessible thanks to a droll script and the great Jean-Louis. And then there's the beautiful Marie-France Pisier with her large inquisitive eyes. She makes an unlikely hooker, but is she? The scriptwriter on the train is played by Robbe-Grillet himself and so establishing that he really is making it up as he goes along. It's beautifully shot in crisp b&w, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist. It would be another twelve years before Kraftwerk created their musical homage to the great train, but it says something about both forms that it would have made the perfect soundtrack.
    8christopher-underwood

    Marvellous

    The films of Alain Robbe-Grillet may be clever, intellectually stimulating and effective but they can also be over serious and difficult to watch. This one is almost a complete joy. Beautifully photographed in wonderfully crisp b/w it looks great throughout. The director and his wife appear as passengers on the famous train, travelling to Antwerp and decide to conjure up a spy story. The superb, Jean-Louis Trintignant is the main man here and would appear to be the puppet for their story. Certainly we see him carrying out the actions they dictate into their tape recording machine as he goes hither and thither around the great city, of which we see much. Indeed, Antwerp being a favourite city of mine is another reason for this being so pleasurable for me to watch. The biggest surprise for me here, was not the much heralded, though undeniably effective S&M sequences but the extent to which humour plays a part here. There is a Bond poster on the wall at one point, as well as a shot from a Goddard film and it would seem Mr Grillet is also having a bit of a go at the very genre itself. Marvellous.
    5ninecurses

    Not meta enough

    Alain Robbe-Grillet (the writer-director of this movie) casts himself as a film-maker who, along with the script girl at his side, plot out a "thriller" involving a drug courier. I will emphasize putting 'thriller' in quotation marks, because I found nothing thrilling about "Trans-Europ-Express". They did hook me though, briefly, during the hilarious first 15 minutes. The plot of the movie-within-a-movie was taking shape while the filmmakers commented on it. Sample dialogue: "Is this really how a drug courier works?" "Well, yes, because this is how the character is doing it." A great setup with all sorts of opportunities. Unfortunately, I have to regard this movie as opportunities wasted.

    The actual "movie" - about the drug courier - is flaccid, amateurish, and un-involving. But since the film is more about commenting on this type of movie than about the movie itself, its shortcomings could be forgiven. However, the running commentary isn't utilized enough to make that aspect interesting, and the actual "movie" was, for me, just not engaging.

    This might have been a wonderful mystery/thriller/crime-drama but it didn't know how to be that. It might also have been a fantastic comedy, but the movie doesn't do enough with the premise after its wonderful and hilarious opening minutes.

    I don't know what the first meta-film was - Had any movie before it attempted what this one was after? - so I will credit this for its originality. I can't recommend it otherwise. You should probably watch Truffaut's "Shoot the Piano Player" instead.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film was banned for a time by the British Censor because of its depiction of sexual bondage (which is now regarded as very tame). However, the ban was lifted at around the end of the 1960s.
    • Quotes

      Eva: And you? What do you do for a living?

      Elias: I'm an assassin.

      Eva: Professional?

      Elias: No, amateur... semi-professional, actually.

    • Connections
      References Bons Baisers de Russie (1963)
    • Soundtracks
      La Traviata

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ12

    • How long is Trans-Europ-Express?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 25, 1967 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Belgium
    • Languages
      • French
      • Dutch
    • Also known as
      • Транс'європейський експрес
    • Filming locations
      • Central Station, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium(railway station)
    • Production companies
      • Como Films
      • Ministry of Education
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 45m(105 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.