Rome Express
Encyclopedia
Rome Express is a British
film directed by Walter Forde
and written by Sidney Gilliat
and Clifford Grey
.
and Rome
.
Before the journey starts, a valuable painting by Van Dyck
has been stolen from an art gallery in Paris.
Zurta, a mysterious and sinister character, boards the train with an accomplice, searching for the stolen painting which he believes to be in the possession of Poole. Poole attempts to avoid being found by hiding in his sleeping compartment.
As Zurta searches for the painting, he is soon involved with several other travellers, including an adulterous couple, an English golf-bore, a wealthy but tight-fisted businessman and his brow-beaten secretary/valet, a French police officer and an American film star with her manager/publicist.
The painting is discovered by accident and passes through the hands of several people on the train, but when Zurta kills Poole, he is eventually confronted by the police inspector. In an attempt to escape, he leaps from the train and presumably killed. The painting is presumed to be returned to the owners.
, details of the 'back story' of the film are few. Zurta are assumed to be a professional criminal who organised the art theft
. MacBain also covets the painting and has previously attempted to buy it.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film directed by Walter Forde
Walter Forde
Walter Forde was a British actor, Screenwriter and Director. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1896 he directed over fifty films between 1920 and 1949.-Silent era filmography:* The Wanderer * The Handyman ...
and written by Sidney Gilliat
Sidney Gilliat
Sidney Gilliat was an English film director, producer and writer.He was born in the district of Edgeley in Stockport, Cheshire. In the 1930s he worked as a scriptwriter, most notably with Frank Launder on The Lady Vanishes for Alfred Hitchcock, and its sequel Night Train to Munich , directed by...
and Clifford Grey
Clifford Grey
Clifford Grey was an English songwriter, actor, librettist and Olympic medalist. His birth name was Percival Davis, and he was also known as Clifford Gray, Tippi Gray, Tippi Grey, Tippy Gray and Tippy Grey.As a writer, Grey contributed prolifically to West End and Broadway shows, as librettist and...
.
Cast
- Esther RalstonEsther RalstonEsther Ralston was an American movie actress whose greatest popularity came during the silent era.-Early life and career:...
- Asta Marvelle - Conrad VeidtConrad VeidtConrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
- Zurta - Harold HuthHarold HuthHarold Huth was a British actor, film director and producer. Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1892. He made his screen debut as an actor in the 1928 film One of the Best and followed it up with the role of Captain Nolan in the film Balaclava about the Charge of the Light Brigade. He directed his...
- George Grant - Frank VosperFrank VosperFrank Vosper was a British actor and playwright.-Stage:Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for playing urbane villains....
- M. Jolif - Joan BarryJoan Barry (actress)Joan Barry , born Ina Florence Marshman Bell, was an English film actress, whose career straddled the development of talkies....
- Mrs Maxted - Gordon HarkerGordon HarkerGordon Harker was an English film actor. He appeared in 68 films between 1921 and 1959, including three films directed by Alfred Hitchcock and a cameo appearance in Elstree Calling , a revue film co-directed by Hitchcock...
- Tom Bishop - Finlay CurrieFinlay CurrieFinlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
- Sam - Cedric HardwickeCedric HardwickeSir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
- Alistair McBain - Donald CalthropDonald CalthropDonald Calthrop was an English stage and film actor. He starred as the title character in the hit musical The Boy in 1917. He then appeared in 63 films between 1916 and 1940, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Eton from a heart attack.He was the...
- Poole - Eliot MakehamEliot MakehamEliot Makeham , sometimes credited as Eliott Makeham or Elliot Makeham, was an English film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Harold Elliott Makeham in 1882, in London, England....
- Mills - Leslie Weston - Randall
Plot
The film's action takes place almost entirely on a train travelling between ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Before the journey starts, a valuable painting by Van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
has been stolen from an art gallery in Paris.
Zurta, a mysterious and sinister character, boards the train with an accomplice, searching for the stolen painting which he believes to be in the possession of Poole. Poole attempts to avoid being found by hiding in his sleeping compartment.
As Zurta searches for the painting, he is soon involved with several other travellers, including an adulterous couple, an English golf-bore, a wealthy but tight-fisted businessman and his brow-beaten secretary/valet, a French police officer and an American film star with her manager/publicist.
The painting is discovered by accident and passes through the hands of several people on the train, but when Zurta kills Poole, he is eventually confronted by the police inspector. In an attempt to escape, he leaps from the train and presumably killed. The painting is presumed to be returned to the owners.
Back story
Like the post-war remake of this film, Sleeping Car to TriesteSleeping Car to Trieste
Sleeping Car to Trieste is a 1948 is a British film directed by John Paddy Carstairs. The film is a remake of the 1932 film Rome Express, with essentially the same characters and many of the same actors.-Plot:...
, details of the 'back story' of the film are few. Zurta are assumed to be a professional criminal who organised the art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
. MacBain also covets the painting and has previously attempted to buy it.