Treno Popolare (1933)

"One of the beacon films of the European cinema of the Thirties."  Jacques Lourcelles, Dictionnaire du cinéma, Laffont, Paris, 1992

As always, I was intrigued this week by Dave Kehr's article on the films of Raffaello Matarazzo that are being released this week by Criterion under the banner title Raffaello Matarazzo's Runaway Melodramas.  The set includes four films, “Chains,” “Tormento” (1950), “Nobody’s Children” (1952) and “The White Angel” ( 1955).  


What intrigued me was Kehr mentioning an even more florid melodrama,  Ship of Condemned Women” (1953) Which Kehr says, "stands at the most extreme edge of Matarazzo’s art."  Looking for it online, I was unable to find a direct download, but did instead score Treno Popolare which also happens to have a role in it for the director (he plays the bandleader at Orvieto).


You can also watch the first 15 minutes of the film above.


Link in comments (no subtitles unfortunately)