The Big Lift
The Big Lift

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- 64/100 based on 1,672 votes

In 1948, the Soviet Union blockades the Allied sectors of Berlin to bring the entire city under their control. A semi-documentary about the resulting Berlin Airlift gives way to stories of two fictitious U.S. Air Force participants: Sgt. Hank Kowalski, whose hatred of Germans proves resistant to change, and Sgt. Danny McCullough, whose pursuit of an attractive German war widow gives him a crash course in the seamy side of occupied Berlin.... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in The Big Lift:

Montgomery Clift
Paul Douglas
Cornell Borchers
Bruni Löbel
O.E. Hasse
Dante V. Morel

Full Plot Details

In 1948, the Soviet Union blockades the Allied sectors of Berlin to bring the entire city under their control. A semi-documentary about the resulting Berlin Airlift gives way to stories of two fictitious U.S. Air Force participants: Sgt. Hank Kowalski, whose hatred of Germans proves resistant to change, and Sgt. Danny McCullough, whose pursuit of an attractive German war widow gives him a crash course in the seamy side of occupied Berlin.

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Movie Reviews

User Review - 10/10 by Mark SThis movie had a mixture of comedy,drama and mystery . Clift as its best
User Review - 8/10 by Kevin M. WServicemen learn lessons about the realities of post war while participating in an airlift to assist defeated Germany. Suprisingly well developed commentary and semi-documentary lacks much in the acting department but makes up for it in its message.
User Review - 8/10 by Rhian MExcellent movie and second only to Red River as one of Montgomery Clift's best. An interesting movie set on location and one that shows life in Berlin post-war. The love story is not over done or sentimental and itprovides a few twists and turns that surprise. The humour is surprisingly contemporary and Montgomery Clift's characters amiability and light heartedness is a refreshing change to the angst-ridden idealists he played so often. A must-see for any MC fan.
User Review - 8/10 by Owen CThis movie, Ciao Manhattan, Rome Open City & The Battle of Algiers all have this strange effect on me because they happen so close to the time & place of actual events. This feels like a window into the seldom seen period between WW2 & the Cold War. An oddly naturalistic propaganda film with a very strong Clift performance.
User Review - 8/10 by Ray JOne of my favorite aspects about classic films is it's ability to capture moments in history...and the reason why I believe film is the closest thing we have to an actual time-machine. THE BIG LIFT may not be as well known or cherished a film like, say CASABLANCA...but what it does succeed in doing is preserving a moment in history for future generations. In this case it's the evocation of life in post-WWII Germany during the the first international crisis of the cold war - The Berlin Airlift. Russia, in a political power move, decide to close their side of a divided Berlin to rail and river traffic thereby cutting off much needed food and supplies. The allies, in a counter-move decide they will just fly in the supplies into their rightful territory of Berlin and win the hearts & minds of the beleaguered citizenry. Montgomery Clift (T/Sgt. Danny MacCullogh) and Paul Douglas (M/Sgt. Hank Kowalski) play US Air Force crewmen reassigned from their posts in Hawaii and ordered to the stint in Germany. It is Douglas' character who is reluctant to go, as he harbors a deep rooted resentment for Germans. The reason for this resentment is revealed as the story progresses. While in Germany, MacCullough meets and becomes involved with a german woman, Frederika (Cornell Borchers) whose husband has been missing ever since he was assigned to the Russian Front. This relationship will undergo a few interesting twists along the way... I've seen other films which depict life in post-war German (namely, Billy Wilder's 1948 film A FOREIGN AFFAIR), but THE BIG LIFT has a grittier feel because of it's lower budget. There is also a strong documentary feel to it - especially in the 1st half of the film. History and aviation buffs can watch footage of the C-57 cargo planes flying over war damaged Berlin. There is great footage of the planes landing at Tempelhof and Rhein-Main airbases - sweeping precariously just above the buildings before touching down on the runway. The director George Seaton (Miracle on 34th Street) comes close to making a full blown pro USA propaganda flick but I give him credit for reeling the hokum in a bit by at least acknowledging - yeah, there are some faults. The dialogue is infused with some interesting political banter between the US crewmen and the german women. MacCullough also meets up with a man living in Frederika's tenement building, Steiber (O.E.Hasse) who works as a spy for the Russians. Steiber reveals to MacCullogh, in an amusing bit of dialogue, the art of cold-war spycraft to come. All in all - not bad....the drama especially, builds nicely (in regards to Montgomery Clift's character) in the second half of the flick. 8 / 10
User Review - 8/10 by Harim Kunique in its setting of post wwii occupied berlin. interesting psychological insight into german civilians' tactic for survival by leveraging the easily earned sympathy of allied soldiers
User Review - 8/10 by Panayiota KServicemen learn lessons about the realities of post war while participating in an airlift to assist defeated Germany. Suprisingly well developed commentary and semi-documentary lacks much in the acting department but makes up for it in its message.
User Review - 6/10 by Joshua G"If they can take off when the birds won't even fly then I guess a blockade isn't much of a weapon." Filmed on location in war-torn Germany, this film offers an unprecedented view of the carnage wrought during the war, and that is 'The Big Lift's' best feature. The characters aren't traditional cookie-cutter Air Force heroes but people with their own issues who do grow throughout the movie. The majority of the military personnel are playing themselves, which adds realism to their scenes. Still, the movie just plods slowly, losing your attention along the way.
User Review - 6/10 by Aj VMaybe I need to brush up on my WWII history, but this movie was a bit confusing. Clift is good in the movie, but the story could be better. Overall a so-so war movie.
User Review - 6/10 by Rebecca CIt didn't make sense. Bad character development. The girl all of a sudden turned evil. Did I miss something?

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