The Red Signal (French: Le signal rouge) is a 1949 French drama film directed by Ernst Neubach and starring Erich von Stroheim, Denise Vernac and Frank Villard. It is based on a novel of the same title by Adolf Schütz and Paul Baudisch. It was shot at the Victorine Studios in Nice. The film's sets were designed by the art director Louis Le Barbenchon.
Synopsis In a small Austrian town, physician Mathias Berthold is haunted by the memory of his wife who died in a train accident. Under psychological strain he hears his wife's voice commanding him to "stop the train". In a trance-like state he attempts to sabotage the railway tracks, and is shot and wounded by the police. Realising his torment, he goes for treatment in a specialist clinic in Vienna. Doctor Irène Dreiser, who is sympathetic to Berthold, takes over his patients during his absence.
Cast Erich von Stroheim, as Le docteur Mathias Berthold Denise Vernac, as Dr. Irène Dreiser Frank Villard, as Ing. Nicolas Riedel Yves Deniaud, as Le clochard Emil Pierre Sergeol, as Le commissaire Claude Chenard, as Poldi Paladi, chanteuse Roland Clair, as Peter Marcel Maupi, as Le contremaître Jules Dorpe, as Le chef de gare Jean Gabert, as Le gendarme Claire Gérard, as Marie Jean-François Martial, as Le contrôleur
References
Bibliography Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. Histoire du cinéma français: encyclopédie des films, 1940–1950. Pygmalion, 1986 Rège, Philippe. Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
External links