Memorable, crazy movie

As Good As It Gets

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The opening script for "Berlin Express" gives one an idea of what to expect in this movie. "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 based on a story by Curt Siodmak, a German writer, director and producer. He fled Germany after Hitler came to power. and wound up in Hollywood in 1937. Most of the action takes place aboard the The Main Seiner, an American Army express train that ran from Paris to Berlin, with a stop at Frankfurt. The film narrator says that the Berlin Express "is a sort of traveling Grand Hotel for soldiers on leave and on orders, for War Department clerks and wartime wives, displaced persons, diplomats." Other people also seem to be able to travel on the express, judging by those in this film.Otto Franzen (Paul Lukas) was a German industrialist, now a dealer in scrap metal. Henri Perrot (Charles Korvin) had been a member of the French underground and is now in commerce. James Sterling (Robert Coote) is a British war veteran and Allied teacher for re-education in German schools. Lt. Maxim Koroshilov (Roman Toporow) is a Russian soldier on orders. Lucienne Mierbeau (Merle Oberon) is a multi- linguist and secretary. Hans Schmidt (Peter von Zerneck) is a German civilian who speaks English and whose occupation is drowned out by the train whistle. Robert Lindley (Robert Ryan) is an American agriculturalist working to rebuild Germany's food and nutrition programs. A mystery traveler is soon understood to be Heinrich Bernhardt (Fritz Kortner), but we know he is a decoy. He was Otto Franzen and Paul Lukas was the real Bernhardt.These are the people who make up the main cast of the film. Others take part later in Berlin. All of the cast are superb. The cinematography is outstanding. The technical work and production qualities are excellent.This is the first Hollywood movie made in war-torn Germany after the May 1945 end of World War II in Europe. It shows the almost total destruction of the cities of Frankfurt and Berlin. So, this film has considerable historical value. As bleak and terrible as the destruction appears – three years after the war, the film doesn't show the human toll. One can get a sense of it from the stark landscapes and scenes devoid of all but a few people. Then, the contrast with the scene of the busy open-air market amidst the rubble. That's a place, the narrator says, where one can sell and buy anything "from diapers to diamonds.""Berlin Express" was made as a mystery-thriller, but there's a great deal more to it than that. It is foremost a bleak picture of the widespread destruction of Germany. People of the 21st century may view this as a horror of war, and rightfully so. Those who watched the film when it came out would have been more aware of the insanity of it. Not because of any hateful or spiteful vengeance on the part of the Allies for needless bombing. But, because of the refusal of Germany to surrender with a lunatic at its helm. So, this film stands not just as an example of the horrors of war, but of the insanity of the war perpetrator who then refuses to surrender in the face of defeat and instead invites his own destruction. This film also has a clear propaganda theme. It's hope is that the Allies will be able to work together and help eventually to rebuild the devastated Germany. It does this with some light humor and jousting between the men on the train from different countries. And, the film touches one more topic – post-war Nazism. It has an existing Nazi underground that reminds viewers that Nazism itself is not dead. Indeed, the neo-Nazi beast was to rear its head soon in countries around the globe. Three things about the film are puzzling. The first is the shooting of a pigeon in the opening scene. Who would be shooting pigeons with so many people around the Eiffel Tower? And why didn't the shooter pick up the pigeon? I'll give a pass to the pigeon having the message for the suspense, but it wasn't necessary to the plot. The second strange thing was on the train. One of the men who escorts the decoy Dr. Bernhardt asks Schmidt for a light as he leaves the train. He passes a message to him. It's the same message found on the pigeon: 21:45, D, 9850, Sulzbach. Schmidt was the undercover bodyguard for Dr. Bernhardt, as we learn later. Was that just an Allied relay to him about the message? The only way it makes sense is that Schmidt then got the American military guys to switch the decoy's compartment. Then, the only person who would know where to kill Dr. Bernhardt (the fake one), would be someone on the train who saw the changes. We all find out later who that was.The third strange thing seems to be a hole in the plot. After the train stops at Sulzbach, Lindley and others find that some compartments have been changed. His first compartment, A, is now occupied by Lucienne who had been in B. Lindley doubles up with Perrot in E. They find D unoccupied – where the decoy Bernhardt had been, and the Army captain said it was to stay that way. So, Bernhardt must now be in B. But as the train resumes travel and the decoy Bernhardt comes down the corridor, he enters the now vacated compartment D and closes the door. The explosion goes off and kills him. Why didn't he go into his new compartment B? It seems like a plot hole and scripting or directing error.

With the second world war ending, already Germans envisioned a united country. A man of peace, Paul Lukas, travels back for a peace conference with this idea in mind. Trouble is that there is an absolute lunatic fringe who doesn't want this to occur and instead see a divided Germany as cause for discontent and eventual renewal of war against the allies.The usually benign Charles Korvin has a completely different role here. As Lukas's faithful secretary, Merle Oberon is anything but dominant in this 1948 film. The Russian officer in the film is stereotyped as being suspicious of anything western.The best part of the film is the ending where we see hope for friendship and understanding among the nations.

There is nothing like a puzzling thriller on a rattly train, and there have been many successful ones including NARROW MARGIN (1952) and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) . Prior to these and after the Hitchcock Brit ones of the 30s is this terrific Jacques Tourneur RKO surprise package BERLIN EXPRESS. Filmed in the rubble of German cities in 1946 this film, basically is a very good and constantly weaving espionage drama; and not unlike NORTH BY NORTHWEST in deception, missing persons, terrific set pieces in ruins and epic visuals of genuine locations. Robert Ryan as the US everyman, all casual but tough, Merle Oberon gives ze Fronnch occent a good go, and a solid cast enjoying a provocative script . I especially liked the Russian soldier Roman Toporov and his witty snarls. BERLIN EXPRESS also explores the unusual brief reality of Nazi resistance to the US victory over Germany, and offers some really intriguing plot devices (a clown in a cabaret) some identity swapping and a fantastic shootout in a ruined brewery. There are quite a few gasp-out-loud moments. Did Jacques Tourneur ever make a dud? I actually do not think so. The only annoyance to modern audiences are the obvious studio process shots where characters have dialogue before a projected background screen. I suggest you catch the BERLIN EXPRESS next time it is scheduled.

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.