Trans-Europ-Express (film)
Encyclopedia
Trans-Europ-Express is a 1966 film written and directed by Alain Robbe-Grillet
and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant
and Marie-France Pisier
. The title refers to the Trans Europ Express
, a former international rail network in Europe.
The film has been variously described as an erotic thriller, a mystery, and a film-within-a-film. Also in the cast were Nadine Verdier, Christian Barbier, Charles Millot, Catherine Robbe-Grillet, and the director. The protagonist is Elias (Trintignant) who is on a dope running errand from Paris to Antwerp by the train which gives the film its title. The director appears as himself in some sequences which are intercut with the action in which Elias is involved. The relationship between Elias and Eva (Marie-France Pisier) involves elements of erotic fantasy.
Screenwriter Robert McKee
classifies Trans-Europ-Express as a "nonplot" film, that is, a film that does not tell a story.
The film was released on DVD in 2008 in Italy by RHV.
Alain Robbe-Grillet
Alain Robbe-Grillet , was a French writer and filmmaker. He was, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon, one of the figures most associated with the Nouveau Roman trend. Alain Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Académie française on March 25, 2004, succeeding Maurice...
and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
and Marie-France Pisier
Marie-France Pisier
Marie-France Pisier was a French actress. She appeared in numerous films of the French New Wave and twice earned the national César Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Life and career:...
. The title refers to the Trans Europ Express
Trans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express, is a former international railway service in Europe. At its maximum extent, in 1974, the network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities.-Origin:...
, a former international rail network in Europe.
The film has been variously described as an erotic thriller, a mystery, and a film-within-a-film. Also in the cast were Nadine Verdier, Christian Barbier, Charles Millot, Catherine Robbe-Grillet, and the director. The protagonist is Elias (Trintignant) who is on a dope running errand from Paris to Antwerp by the train which gives the film its title. The director appears as himself in some sequences which are intercut with the action in which Elias is involved. The relationship between Elias and Eva (Marie-France Pisier) involves elements of erotic fantasy.
Screenwriter Robert McKee
Robert McKee
Robert McKee, born 1941, is a creative writing instructor who is widely known for his popular "Story Seminar", which he developed when he was a professor at the University of Southern California. McKee is the author of a "screenwriters' bible" called Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the...
classifies Trans-Europ-Express as a "nonplot" film, that is, a film that does not tell a story.
The film was released on DVD in 2008 in Italy by RHV.
Further reading
- Gardies, André, comp. (1972) Alain Robbe-Grillet. Paris: Seghers (includes: "documents" & "points de vue", pp. 126-32, 162)