Berlin Express (1948)
One of the first films made in Europe after the conclusion of World War II, Berlin Express is a tight, but quite dark thriller with Merle Oberon and Robert Ryan. Director by noir guru Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past), the plot gets second shrift against the ambiance and overwhelming visual spectacle. The film includes extensive footage of the severe bomb damage caused throughout Germany.
There is quite a bit of moralizing and the addition of a narrator who takes over almost the entire first reel also detracts somewhat from the proceedings. One of the few films (at least that I am aware of) which shows that at least some of the civilian population of a subdued Germany weren’t too tickled to be occupied by the Allies.
Also interesting, at least to students of history, is the teamwork exemplified among the group. We have all the Allies working together to solve the problem of the movie. Shortly after the USSR would create the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Cold War would start.
The is a standard MOD release from Warner Archives and is a strong release just for the content of the feature. There still are no scene selections or chapter stops and the video still has several blemishes – it doesn’t appear that any (except for perhaps very minimal) cleanup was done but the film is still very watchable and nice to have, as it had become a bit of a rarity.
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)
In perhaps Hollywood’s greatest year, 1939, Warner Brothers released one of their most important films, Confessions of a Nazi Spy.
Obvious propaganda by today’s standards, Confessions of a Nazi Spy was a daring leap forward in its day. Warners’ was the only major studio to take such a public stance against Nazism prior to America’s involvement in the war.
The other studios we fearful of losing lucrative European markets, namely Germany, in retaliation against exactly such a film. Overall the film still works as entertainment although the propaganda element is a bit strong. Part of this quality is the fact that the film was based on actual facts and for an added bonus stuck fairly close to the facts without embellishment. This reality still works today.
The film stars Edward G. Robinson as a FBI agent breaking up a large Nazi spy ring here at home. However, even though he is nominally the star, he doesn’t make an appearance until the latter half of the picture. Until then we have Paul Lukas (always a favorite) and George Sanders to keep us company, which does well.
Also part of the MOD DVD library from WB. Looks like there may have been a bit of cleanup on this one, but more likely the print was simply in better shape.
All highly recommended.