{"id":33258,"date":"2014-04-07T09:54:48","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T16:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33258"},"modified":"2021-01-19T20:24:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T03:24:27","slug":"berlin-express-1948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33258","title":{"rendered":"Berlin Express (1948)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;No one was here without a purpose.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-33260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn post-WWII Germany, a group of international train passengers &#8212; including an American agronomist (Robert Ryan), a British schoolteacher (Robert Coote), a French businessman (Charles Korvin), a Russian soldier (Roman Toporow), and a French secretary (Merle Oberon) &#8212; band together to locate a kidnapped doctor (Paul Lukas) who has been working for peace and political unification.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>Jacques Tourneur Films<\/li>\n<li>Merle Oberon Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Paul Lukas Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Ryan Films<\/li>\n<li>Trains and Subways<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nJacques Tourneur directed this taut ensemble thriller set on-board a moving train and throughout the ruins of post-WWII Germany. What seems at first like a &#8220;simple&#8221; murder mystery (a la <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2826\"><em>Murder on the Orient Express<\/em><\/a>) quickly reveals itself to be a tale of mistaken identities and deceptively shifting national loyalties; by the climactic pseudo-finale taking place inside an abandoned brewery in Berlin, we&#8217;re solidly hooked and pleasantly on edge. <em>Berlin Express<\/em> is notable as the first American feature film actually shot in post-war Europe &#8212; and to that end, it has an unfortunate didactic tone at times, especially during the first half-hour; the anonymous narration (by Paul Stewart) could and should have easily been cut, though I suppose it was assumed that audiences at the time were used to a Voice of God explaining to them the terrible truths of war-torn Europe. Thankfully, one can choose to ignore this and focus instead on both the exciting, twist-filled narrative and the lovely cinematography (by Lucien Ballard, Oberon&#8217;s husband at the time).     <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Listen for the best response in the film (I won&#8217;t give away context or spoilers): &#8220;I think you&#8217;ve got that now.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paul Lukas as Dr. Bernhardt<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Lukas.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Lukas.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Lukas.png 608w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Lukas-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Lukas-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Reinhold Schunzel as Walther<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Schunzel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Schunzel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Schunzel.png 608w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Schunzel-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Schunzel-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lucien Ballard&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography.png 608w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography2.png 608w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography2-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography2-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography3.png 608w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography3-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Berlin-Express-Cinematography3-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Respectfully authentic integration of multiple languages (without subtitles)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a fine (if subtly flawed) outing by a master director.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0040155\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1948\/05\/21\/archives\/berlin-express-a-melodrama-of-postwar-europe-and-river-lady-arrive.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3003berl.html\">DVD Savant<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3097\/berlin-express#articles-reviews?articleId=504\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;No one was here without a purpose.&#8221; Synopsis: In post-WWII Germany, a group of international train passengers &#8212; including an American agronomist (Robert Ryan), a British schoolteacher (Robert Coote), a French businessman (Charles Korvin), a Russian soldier (Roman Toporow), and a French secretary (Merle Oberon) &#8212; band together to locate a kidnapped doctor (Paul Lukas) who has been working for peace and political unification. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Ensemble Cast Jacques Tourneur Films Merle Oberon Films Mistaken or Hidden&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33258\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33258"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64551,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33258\/revisions\/64551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}