Masterful Movie

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Love international intrigue movies which take place on moving trains, where the passengers work for different countries and no one is what, or who, they seem. Even better, someone gets murdered on said train and everyone becomes a suspect. That's the way "Berlin Express" begins, and matters become curiouser from there on.On arrival at a Berlin train station a kidnapping takes place, and the principal characters - American, English, Russian, German and French - decide to form an ad hoc posse and try to find the missing German humanitarian who is an important person enroute to an important conference (wouldn't be much point if there were no important aspects involved). From here the story takes off, as the 5 split up and comb Berlin in search of the missing German. The story is absorbing and holds the interest right up to the end, as the group encounters obstacles and dead ends as well as several dangerous incidents. The hero is Robert Ryan (American), paired off with Merle Oberon (German) in the search, but there are no love scenes - strictly business. The other two are Robert Coote (English) and Roman Toporow (Russian), with Charles Korvin (German) tagging along with both groups. I thought the alliance and willingness of the 5 to find the missing German seemed forced and too convenient to the plot. They all said they had urgent business in Berlin, but which fell by the wayside in their eagerness to join the search, particularly the Russian, an army Lieutenant who said he would be 'disciplined' when he finally reports to his superior (think gulag). But there are actual scenes of bomb-scarred Berlin and Frankfurt taken just after the war which add authenticity to the film, and with an excellent storyline and direction by Jacques Tourneur the movie can stand on its own as a quintessential spy picture.

In the aftermath of World War II, American, British and Russian forces are vying for political control of Germany. When a German academic with a plan for unification is due to address a conference, there are some elements who do not wish him to attend …This film is a bit of a curio, a sort of uneasy mix of documentary and narrative thriller. It feels a little like Murder On The Orient Express as we try to figure out who's after Dr Bernhardt, but it's really much more about the mistrust and opportunism which existed in Germany in the late forties. There are amazing shots of bombed-out Frankfurt and Berlin literally blown to rubble, everywhere are people hawking what few possessions they have in order to get by, and the only real currency is cigarettes. The British-American alliance is uneasy, neither trust the Russians and all are worried about a German resurgence; none can bury the past, or agree on the future. It's perceptive, thought-provoking stuff, and it accurately foresees not only the Communist annexing of the fifties, but also the unification of the nineties. It was made by a terrific cosmopolitan group - a gifted French/American director, a great German writer (Curt Siodmak, who, along with his brother Robert, made some of the best films of the forties) and a fine international cast. The plethora of nations is amusingly summed up at the start when all the men hit on Oberon and she fobs them all off in different languages. The thriller elements of the plot don't always work so well but the characters are rich and intriguing, and whilst the extensive narration is off-putting it's there for a purpose. A small but profound anti-war film, made at a pivotal moment in military history when politicians were only concerned with their spoils.

Post war Europe felt the hunger caused by the conflict in different ways. When a pigeon is shot near the Eiffel Tower, some children decide to give it a fitting burial by taking it home. One of the boys' mother, has a different idea figuring it would make do for her husband's dinner. Little did she realize the pigeon was carrying a coded message that will set things in motion in this account of life in that era.The Americans in France were sending a group of people to Berlin by train. It was a mixed crowd that included Dr. Bernhardt, an important man that was returning to Germany to present ideas for the new government there. Some of his fellow citizens did not want him to get to his destination as it is made clear with a murder attempt in the train, only the real man man was not killed. What follows is an adventure into uncharted territory that takes place among the ruins of Frankfurt and Berlin.Jacques Tourneur, a director with a talent for giving his films a view from another angle, worked successfully in Hollywood. "Berlin Express" came after his wonderful "Out of the Past". The story was based on a story by Curt Siodmak, the brother of Robert Siodmak, the film director, and a writer in his own right. The screenplay is credited to Harold Medford. Mr. Tourneur directed the thriller documentary style, as though to clarify things and put them in perspective for the audience. The narration tries to give the viewer a link to the turmoil of life after the war, especially a Germany in ruins. Lucien Ballard, a distinguished cinematographer was at hand to capture images that illustrates the horrors lived during the war.The cast includes Robert Ryan, Merle Oberon, Paul Lukas, Charles Korvin and Robert Coote. The film is worth a look by fans of Jacques Tourneur

The only real reason to watch this film is for the location work in Frankfurt and Berlin which really shows the results of the allied bombing in WW2. There's some good black and white cinematography, and an interesting sequence in an old brewery, but for a movie that promises suspense and intrigue on a train, there's very little suspense, incomprehensible intrigue and not much on trains. Maybe the concept made sense in 1948, but the plot left my wife and me scratching our heads. Dr. Bernhardt is a German diplomat/professor who apparently has some sort of vision of a unified postwar Germany and is en route to a conference in Berlin to present it to the allies at a conference. There's another faction of Germans who oppose him, for reasons unknown. Exactly why we're supposed to care one way or the other is unclear, but the 2nd faction wants to prevent him from making his presentation. There's also some propaganda about postwar cooperation, particularly regarding the Soviets. There's no chemistry between Robert Ryan and Merle Oberon who is unconvincing as a French woman, and none of the characters are particularly interesting. If you want suspense and intrigue on a train, I highly recommend "The Narrow Margin" (the 1952 original, not the remake). But "Berlin Express" is pretty underwhelming.