"Berlin Express" (1948)

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by dbf, Jun 2, 2011.

  1. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Berlin Express is now available for viewing through BBC iplayer until 8 June.
    BBC iPlayer - Berlin Express


    Berlin Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    The film was shot on location in post-WWII Frankfurt-am-Main and Berlin, Germany as well as Paris, France. During the opening credits a full-screen notice read: "Actual scenes in Frankfurt and Berlin were photographed by authorization of The United States Army of Occupation, The British Army of Occupation, The Soviet Army of Occupation."
    The film is memorable today for showing the bombed out streets of Frankfurt-am-Main.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=52304&stc=1&d=1307405462
    Impact of War on Infrastructure
    The historical context of the film is predominately expressed through two themes. The first of these is that of a strong anti-war stance evident throughout the film. The film is a tribute to the ruin and devastation caused by warmongering. Tourneur's primary means for expressing this are the panoramic and shockingly close views of the bombed out ruins of Frankfurt and Berlin that form the background to the film. Chris Fujiwara acknowledges this, seeing the ruins of Frankfurt and Berlin as 'monuments of the temporary, photographed at a moment when their meaning was most agonisingly clear.' The devastation is shown with real clarity and force; the viewer cannot help but be shocked at the extent and level of the damage. The commentator makes reference to the 'new lines, new shapes' of the city, describing the style as 'early 20th century modern-warfare architecture.'

    The level of destruction is further enforced on the viewer with scenes filmed inside the IG Farben Building; this was perhaps the first time images of its exterior and interior had been so publicly broadcast. It was left largely intact by Allied bombers and was the tallest structure remaining after intensive attack from the air destroyed 70% of Frankfurt. The shocking contrast between the building and the bombed out ruins of Frankfurt clearly shows the powerful nature of war and its catastrophic effect on our surroundings. Described as 'a monument to German ingenuity and might', it is perhaps with some irony that the IG Farben building is used by Tourneur to illustrate this dualistic contrast; it was here that many of the German 'tools of war' were developed, including Zyklon B gas.

    While the catastrophic effects of bombing were greatly felt by civilians, Berlin Express deals almost exclusively with the structural damage felt by the cities, clearly encapsulated through the explicit footage of bombed-out Frankfurt and Berlin. With reference to Berlin, the most severe damage was experienced in the centre of the city, which came to be known as the 'dead eye' or 'dead heart' of the capital. The main areas affected by the bombing were Bezirk Mitte, Friedrichshain and Tiergarten. Within this central area, nearly every public building lay in ruins, including the Berlin Palace, Berlin Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral and the Reichstag


    Cast
    Merle Oberon as Lucienne
    Robert Ryan as Robert Lindley
    Charles Korvin as Perrot
    Paul Lukas as Dr. Bernhardt
    Robert Coote as Sterling
    Reinhold Schünzel as Walther
    Roman Toporow as Lt. Maxim
    Peter von Zerneck as Hans Schmidt
    Otto Waldis as Kessler
    Fritz Kortner as Franzen
    Michael Harvey as Sgt. Barnes
    Tom Keene as Major
    Charles McGraw as USFET Col. Johns
     

    Attached Files:

  2. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Scenes of Frankfurt from the film, including Hauptbahnhof and IG Farben building.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Nevil

    Nevil WW2 Veteran/Royal Signals WW2 Veteran

    Scenes of Frankfurt from the film, including Hauptbahnhof and IG Farben building.

    Most interesting, Diane. I do recognize the IG Farben building and we did wonder how it could have largely escaped damage when there was almost total destruction all around. As they mention, the worst damage in Berlin was in the central area but really all the mainly industrial and built-up areas were pretty bad. I could imagine that the bomber crews had not had a lot of time over the city to make too many specific choices. Additionally of course Berlin had suffered an extremely damaging assault by the Soviet forces which had not felt any necessity to avoid damage to buildings or avoidance of civilian casualties. Understandable after their own appalling experiences from German forces.

    Nevil.
     

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