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Berlin Express

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Berlin Express
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJacques Tourneur
Screenplay byHarold Medford
Story byCurt Siodmak
Produced byBert Granet
StarringMerle Oberon
Robert Ryan
Charles Korvin
CinematographyLucien Ballard
Edited bySherman Todd
Music byFrederick Hollander
Distributed byRKO Pictures
Release date
  • May 7, 1948 (1948-05-07) (United States)[1]
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Berlin Express is a 1948 American drama film starring Robert Ryan, Merle Oberon and Paul Lukas and directed by Jacques Tourneur.

Thrown together by chance, a group of people search a city for a kidnapped peace activist. Set in Allied-occupied Germany, it was shot on location in post-World War II Frankfurt-am-Main (with exterior and interior shots of the IG Farben Building and its paternoster elevators) and Berlin.[2] During the opening credits, a full-screen notice reads, "Actual scenes in Frankfurt and Berlin were photographed by authorization of the United States Army of Occupation, the British Army of Occupation, and the Soviet Army of Occupation."

Plot

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In post-war Paris, various passengers board a U.S. Army train to Frankfurt. They include American, Russian, British, French, and German diplomats, scientists, and military personnel.

A German who identifies himself as Dr. Heinrich Bernhardt, a prominent diplomat working to restore a peaceful Germany, tries to become better acquainted with the other passengers, but they all rebuff his overtures because of his nationality. When Sterling[clarification needed] realizes who he is, this immediately changes the atmosphere. After retiring to his compartment, the man is killed by a bomb. While the others are questioned at the next stop they learn that the dead man was actually one of the doctor's bodyguards. The real Bernhardt had been posing as anonymous passenger, traveling with his secretary, Lucienne, an attractive, younger French woman.

At the busy Frankfurt railway station Bernhardt greets Walther, an old, trusted friend. Before anybody realizes what has happened, he is kidnapped. The U.S. Army quickly institutes a search of the city, but when Lucienne begs her fellow travelers to help look for him they initially decline. One by one, however, they reconsider.

Lucienne suggests they find Walther, unaware that he has betrayed Bernhardt in order to secure his detained wife's return. When they get to his home they discover Walther has hanged himself after discovering his wife had been dead all along.

The group splits up to cover the city. Lindley accompanies Lucienne to various German-only nightclubs. At one, Lindley notices a woman smoking an unusually long cigarette, just like the ones Bernhardt has made specially for him. He picks up a discarded butt and shows Lucienne that it has Bernhardt’s monogram on it. When the woman turns out to be an entertainer, a “mind-reader”, Lindley asks her where Bernhardt is. She flees, and her assistant prevents Lindley from following her. When Lindley and Lucienne question the American soldier who had been with the woman beforehand, Sergeant Barnes, he reluctantly agrees to lead them to her home.

When they arrive at an abandoned brewery, Barnes turns out to be working with the kidnappers. Bernhardt is being held prisoner, and Lindley and Lucienne are taken captive. An undercover agent assigned to protecting Bernhard had trailed the others to the hideout. He is shot when he is discovered, but manages to get away and inform authorities of the location of the hideout. American soldiers break in just as Bernhardt and Lucienne are about to be shot and free the three unharmed. Kessler, the ringleader, is chased by Perrot and shot dead.

The passengers board the connecting train for Berlin. Perrot suggests that each of them take turns guarding Bernhardt in his compartment. He volunteers to be first. Uneasy, Lindley pieces together various clues suspecting Perrot, but they are dismissed by the others. At a stop Lindley sees Perrot strangling Bernhardt in the reflection of an adjacent train and saves his life. Perrot is gunned down as he tries to escape.

The rest of the group are driven to the Brandenburg Gate for transit to their respective destinations in Berlin. Seeing them depart Bernhardt wonders if there can be cooperation between nations, and after despairing observes the camaraderie between the once fractious British, American, and Russian men as they say their goodbyes. His hope is restored.

Cast

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Production

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According to Eddie Muller, a Turner Classic Movies host, Merle Oberon insisted on Lucien Ballard, her husband, being the cinematographer because he had developed techniques to hide the scars she had as a result of a car accident.

Muller also noted that this was the first Hollywood production filmed on location in post-war Berlin, beating out A Foreign Affair.

Reception

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The staff at Variety magazine gave the film a positive review, and wrote, "[The m]ost striking feature of this production is its extraordinary background of war-ravaged Germany. With a documentary eye, this film etches a powerfully grim picture of life amidst the shambles. It makes awesome and exciting cinema...Ryan establishes himself as a first-rate actor in this film, demonstrating conclusively that his brilliant performance in Crossfire was no one-shot affair." Variety, however, did criticize the screenplay for "its failure to break away from the formula of anti-Nazi films."[3]

In The New York Times, A. H. Weiler had a similar response, stating the film's photography of the post-war landscape creates a "realistic, awesome and impressive vista". After lukewarm praise for the film's plot, he writes, "...it is the panoramic and close views of life amid the 'new architecture' of Frankfort and Berlin — 'early Twentieth Century modern warfare' architecture — which gives the adventure the authentic impact of a documentary."[4]

Accolades

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Harold Medford was nominated for the 1949 Writers Guild of America Award for the Screen, Best Written American Drama.

References

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  1. ^ "Berlin Express". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 30, 2019. See under "Details".
  2. ^ Hasan, Mark R. (2010). "Berlin Express (1948) (review). KQEK.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "Review: 'Berlin Express'". Variety. May 1, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  4. ^ A. H. Weiler (May 21, 1948). "'Berlin Express,' a melodrama of post-war Europe, and 'River Lady' arrive at the Victoria". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
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