Berlin Express
Berlín Express
1948 · United States · 87 min
- Director
- Jacques Tourneur
- Producer
- Bert Granet
- Music
- Friedrich Hollaender
- Cinematography
- Lucien Ballard
- Editing
- Sherman Todd
- Production company
- RKO Pictures
Cast
What it is about
A group of travelers of different nationalities, thrown together by chance, boards a secure American military train from Paris to Frankfurt in occupied Germany after the war. On arrival they learn that one of their fellow passengers, a diplomat working toward a peaceful Germany, has been kidnapped. To find him they must search a devastated city, where mutual suspicion complicates every step. It is a suspense thriller that looks closely at the ruins of the postwar years.
How it was made
Jacques Tourneur directed the film for RKO Pictures, with Bert Granet as producer. Lucien Ballard, Merle Oberon's husband, served as cinematographer at her insistence, since he had developed techniques to conceal scars she had after a car accident. Location shooting took place in Frankfurt, including the IG Farben building, and in Berlin. It was the first Hollywood production filmed in postwar Berlin, and an opening credit notice states that the American, British and Soviet occupation armies authorized the footage.
Reception and legacy
The New York Times praised its photography of the wrecked cities, and Variety highlighted the picture of a devastated Germany and Robert Ryan's performance, though it faulted the screenplay for not breaking away from the formulas of anti-Nazi films. screenwriter Harold Medford was nominated for the 1949 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama. Today it is remembered as one of the few American examples of the so-called Trümmerfilms, or rubble films.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
Cinematography for personal reasons
Merle Oberon asked that her husband, Lucien Ballard, be the cinematographer. He had developed techniques to hide the scars the actress had from a car accident.
Shooting in postwar Berlin
It was the first Hollywood production filmed on location in postwar Berlin, ahead of A Foreign Affair.
More films by Jacques Tourneur
Out of the Past
Cat People
I Walked with a Zombie
The Flame and the Arrow
Night of the Demon
Days of GloryOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.