The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1952)

Directed by Harold French; produced by Raymond Stross

Mild-mannered Kees Popinga (Claude Rains) is the chief clerk of an old Dutch business company who learns that his boss (Herbert Lom) has been embezzling the firm’s funds to pay for a secret life in Paris. After a confrontation between the men, Popinga ends up with a huge sum of stolen money. On an impulse, he hops on a train to Paris, where he plans to meet with his boss’s mistress (Marta Toren). Beyond that, however, neither he nor the intelligent police detective (Marius Goring) on his trail know what will happen.

Adapted from the interesting novel by Georges Simenon, The Man Who Watched Trains Go By is itself an interesting movie, but hardly involving. The fact is that the viewer does not really care what happens to Popinga. Neither the book nor the movie present Popinga in a sympathetic light, but the film does not delve deeply enough into either his motives or his mind to draw the audience in.

Events which produce logical results in the novel are omitted or changed, or moved about in their order for the screenplay, and this does not serve the story well. Popinga’s growing mental disarrangement comes across as almost haphazard, and while his adventures in Paris are probably meant to be mentally disconnected and random, they should not come across that way dramatically, but do.

The characters are certainly well constructed. The psychological aspect of Popinga’s increasing unbalance are illustrated to a decent extent, but as there is no clear goal either for himself or the audience, there is no tension or excitement. These are realistic people in a criminal world, but realism alone isn’t compelling. The only person who is at all intriguing is Lucas, the policeman.

The acting, on the other hand, is very good. Rains gives what is probably his last full and satisfying performance on film, after which he moved into minor parts and tv roles. While the story itself is less than fulfilling, Rains’s acting is something to watch, as is that of Toren, Goring and Anouk Aimée. For these efforts, The Man Who Watched Trains Go By may be worthwhile.

The movie was obviously filmed on location, and benefits greatly from it. The direction takes advantage of the settings in turning Popinga loose in a Paris about which he knows nothing. It is clear that the average audience-member feels less lost in the French capital than does the Dutchman.

All in all, The Man Who Watched Trains Go By is creditable, rather than entertaining; watchable, rather than involving. Despite the source material, the acting and the direction, the movie is more memorable for being largely forgettable than anything else.