
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.... (Full plot summary below)
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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.
Leave your thoughts about Berlin Express.
| Classic Film and TelevisionMichael E. GrostFascinating thriller, and anti-war classic. |
| User ReviewAileen JI found those old post-war pictures of Frankfurt and Berlin extremely interesting, having spent many years in both places as they grew out of the rubble into modern cities. The shots of the Pater Nosters in the Frankfurt IGB Farben building brought back delightful and sometimes apprehensive moments. |
| User ReviewKelly Mit really felt like i lived in germany right after the WWII. wonderful film! it was kind of funny though, that all nationalities wanted germany united, except the germans... |
| User ReviewDoug CGreat postwar noir starring Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin, and Paul Lukas, four postwar heroes from Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S. who battle a group of diehard Nazis to rescue an anti-fascist diplomat. The first American movie filmed in post-WW II Germany, the direction and cinematography in this film captures the ruins of bombed-out Frankfurt. Great train action and strong theme of postwar peace prospects, expressing both doubt and hope. |
| User ReviewBradley KAn odd installment in Tourneur's filmography but a very entertaining international espionage thriller. The odd Rod Sterling-esque voice over somehow works with the post war Europe setting, achieving a satisfying dissonance. This dissonance is found also in the motley crew of protagonists including a clown (?). Very entertaining stuff, and an interesting take on the noir format but be sure to check out Tourneur's psychological-horrors and true noirs! |
| User ReviewAdam DExciting thriller set in post World War 2 Germany that is somewhat diminished by the annoyingly invasive narrative. |
| User ReviewJeremiah ZI have not seen too many 1948 movies. Most interesting thing about this movie is that it seems they used actual footage of bombed out Frankfurt and Berlin as backdrops to the movie. The movie is quite idealistic - five people from five different countries try to rescue a German peacemaker just after WWII. |
| User ReviewRyan HI think the big hook would have been that they actually shot it in Germany shortly after the war when damage was still very fresh (although some if it is just rear-projection that is really shoddy looking)... the story isn't anything special... and the cast lacks that big name that could have made this memorable. |
| User ReviewMartin TKind of a cross between The Third Man and The Narrow Margin. A political thriller set against the backdrop of occupied Germany. Tourneur's direction guarantees some wonderful scenes, especially the brewery and the bit of business with the window during the climax. And there's some fascinating location footage of war-torn Frankfurt and Berlin (although it's often rear-projected, and poorly, behind the actors). However, it's all dressed up in a lot of hokey sentiment calling for international unity, topped off with heaps of very corny narration. Worth a look for the fine photography, thriller elements, and some light banter between the leads. |
| User ReviewMatthew SSome stunning shots of the reminents of Germany after the allied bombing campaign. The magnitude of the damage done certainly had more impact on me than any other element of the film. That said, there was a good level of tension and some nice twists. Not bad overall but not a great example of the genre. |