Berlin Express (1948)

Berlin Express (1948) (DVD) (*)

$25.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Italian ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/NTSC/Region 0 )

Running Time:
92 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1948 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Jacques Tourneur

Written By:
Curt Siodmak
Harold Medford

Actors:
Merle Oberon ..... Lucienne
Robert Ryan ..... Robert Lindley
Charles Korvin ..... Perrot
Paul Lukas ..... Dr. Bernhardt
Robert Coote ..... Sterling
Reinhold Schünzel ..... Walther (as Reinhold Schunzel)
Roman Toporow ..... Lt. Maxim
Peter von Zerneck ..... Hans Schmidt
Otto Waldis ..... Kessler
Fritz Kortner ..... Franzen
Michael Harvey ..... Sgt. Barnes
Tom Keene ..... Major (as Richard Powers)

Synopsis:

On a trip from France to Allied-occupied Berlin, a group of travelers -- a mysterious and very secretive European woman (Merle Oberon), an American agricultural expert (Robert Ryan), a British educator (Robert Coote), a Soviet Army officer (Roman Toporow), and a French official (Charles Korvin) -- all cross paths in the cramped quarters of a military train. They discover that the notion of the 'Allied forces' is breaking down amid their victory in the war; they neither like nor trust each other, nor each other's countries, except where the Germans are concerned, where they share a distrust. And then they cross paths with a German VIP who makes them wonder if they've got all of the Germans pegged right. A bomb goes off, killing their newfound acquaintance, and the suspicions start anew. The mystery surrounding the victim only deepens when they discover that he wasn't who he claimed to be -- and that the army isn't saying who he was. Ryan, Oberon, et al. soon find themselves up to their necks in unrepentant Nazis and militant German nationalists who have banded together against the occupiers to destroy any chance of success for a peace plan being put forward by a visionary German (Paul Lukas). They find Frankfurt a hotbed of sabotage and armed underground resistance, with the occupying armies seemingly caught flat-footed by the plotting in their midst, which includes murder and blackmail. Berlin Express is a spellbinding mix of action, suspense, and topical political intrigue, laced with idealism and a surprising degree of sophistication, a level a wit almost worthy of Graham Greene, and an eye for suspense worthy of Hitchcock. Indeed, the film could almost be considered director Jacques Tourneur's postwar equivalent to Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940). It also represents a fascinating cultural snapshot, depicting the very last moments of hope for peaceful relations with the Soviets that could be seen in American movies for decades.

In divided Germany just after WWII, people from many different countries are passengers on a train. When one of the passengers, a German working for peace, is kidnapped by people who don't want his ideas to work, the others must set aside their differences and work together to find him in time for an important conference.

This product was added to our catalog on Saturday 01 February, 2020.