The Battle of the Rails

The Battle of the Rails (French: La Bataille du rail) is a 1946 French war film directed by René Clément. It depicts the efforts by railway workers in the French Resistance to sabotage German military transport trains during the Second World War, particularly during the Invasion of Normandy by Allies. Many of the cast were genuine railway workers. While critics have often historically treated it as similar to Italian neorealism, it is closer to the traditional documentaries on which the director had worked.

The film was shown at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Prix international du jury and Clément won the Best Director Award. The film also won the inaugural Prix Méliès. In 1949 the film was distributed in America by Arthur Mayer and Joseph Burstyn.

Cast

 * Charles Boyer as Narrator
 * Jean Clarieux as Lampin
 * Jean Daurand as Cheminot
 * Jacques Desagneaux as Athos
 * François Joux as Cheminot
 * Pierre Latour as Cheminot
 * Tony Laurent as Camargue
 * Robert Le Ray as Chef de gare
 * Pierre Lozach as Cheminot
 * Pierre Mindaist as Cheminot
 * Léon Pauléon as Chef de gare St-André
 * Fernand Rauzéna as Cheminot
 * Redon as Mecanicien
 * Michel Salina as Allemand