Lady of the Train

A dark, roiling melodrama of greed, deception, and toxic love, Youssef Chahine’s stylish, noir-tinged third feature casts legendary chanteuse Laila Mourad as a singer whose no-good, gambling addict husband (Yehia Chahine) ropes her into a shocking insurance scam involving faking her death in a train accident. As often in Chahine’s films, the story makes room for musical numbers—including an unexpected ode to industrial textile manufacturing.