Berlin Express

1948
Approved
1h 27m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.7K

YOUR RATING

A multinational group of train passengers become involved in a post-World War II Nazi assassination plot.

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Film Noir Crime Drama Thriller

A multinational group of train passengers become involved in a post-World War II Nazi assassination plot.A multinational group of train passengers become involved in a post-World War II Nazi assassination plot.A multinational group of train passengers become involved in a post-World War II Nazi assassination plot.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

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)

Taylor Allen

Fräulein
(uncredited)

Will Allister

Richard
(uncredited)

Frank Alten

German Steward
(uncredited)

Arthur Berkeley

Nightclub Patron
(uncredited)

Robert Boon

German Youth #2
(uncredited)

Ernst Brengt

Artist
(uncredited)

Director
- Jacques Tourneur
Writers
- Harold Medford
- Curt Siodmak
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
At the end of their bus ride through bombed-out Frankfurt, the main characters arrive at the massive I.G. Farben building. Completed in 1930, it was once the largest office building in Europe and home to the giant chemical business. From 1945 to 1952 it was the location of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied European Forces). From 1952 to 1994 it was the headquarters of the U.S. Army's V Corps. In 1996 the building was acquired by the state of Hesse, and after a $25M renovation became the Westend Campus of the University of Frankfurt. The small, continuous elevators seen in the film, called paternoster lifts, are still in use.

Goofs
When Dr. Bernhardt is being shown smoking a cigarette in the reflection of a passing train, the image is the opposite of how it should appear in a reflection.

Quotes
Narrator: [voiceover] That's right - the dove of peace was a pigeon. A dead pigeon.

Crazy credits
During the opening credits, a title card states that the photography of Berlin and Frankfurt is used with the cooperation of the occupying armies.

Connections
Featured in Pulp Cinema (2001)

User reviews63

Review

Featured review

7/10

interesting view of post-war Germany

This movie is most notable as a historical document giving a glimpse of Germany after the war. The location shots in bombed out Frankfurt and Berlin are rather startling, and it's interesting to see the hatred and mistrust everyone has for the Germans. The movie is shot very well and the early scenes are excellent.

Unfortunately the script is weak. Towards the end I realized that I just wasn't clear on why things were happening as they were. It felt like the plot was just a backdrop to the ambiance, which was fine in the beginning but became a problem as the plot moved its wobbly self to center stage. I can't entirely blame the script though; I think Tourneur's greatest failing as a director is that while he had a lot of style and could always make things interesting, he could be sloppy in terms of telling a story. Of course he wasn't the only director who believed you could gloss over a lot if you just kept things moving, but that works better with a good muddled script like The Big Sleep rather than the distinctly ordinary but muddled script he worked with here. Still worth seeing though.