Product Details

• Actors: Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Paul Lukas, Charles Korvin, Robert Coote
• Directors: Jacques Tourneur
• Producers: Berlin Express
• Format: Import, PAL
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Editions Montparnasse
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0018U3HQA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,823 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

France released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), French ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: On a trip from France to Allied-occupied Berlin, a group of travelers -- a mysterious and very secretive European woman (Merle Oberon), an American agricultural expert (Robert Ryan), a British educator (Robert Coote), a Soviet Army officer (Roman Toporow), and a French official (Charles Korvin) -- all cross paths in the cramped quarters of a military train. They discover that the notion of the "Allied forces" is breaking down amid their victory in the war; they neither like nor trust each other, nor each other's countries, except where the Germans are concerned, where they share a distrust. And then they cross paths with a German VIP who makes them wonder if they've got all of the Germans pegged right. A bomb goes off, killing their newfound acquaintance, and the suspicions start anew. The mystery surrounding the victim only deepens when they discover that he wasn't who he claimed to be -- and that the army isn't saying who he was. Ryan, Oberon, et al. soon find themselves up to their necks in unrepentant Nazis and militant German nationalists who have banded together against the occupiers to destroy any chance of success for a peace plan being put forward by a visionary German (Paul Lukas). They find Frankfurt a hotbed of sabotage and armed underground resistance, with the occupying armies seemingly caught flat-footed by the plotting in their midst, which includes murder and blackmail. Berlin Express is a spellbinding mix of action, suspense, and topical political intrigue, laced with idealism and a surprising degree of sophistication, a level a wit almost worthy of Graham Greene, and an eye for suspense worthy of Hitchcock. Inde...Berlin Express

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Allies to the Rescue, August 2, 2010

By 

T.S. "chocolate milk" (Woodstock, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BERLIN EXPRESS (DVD)

This is not a review of the product, but the film. Just watched it on TCM. It blew me away. Next to Judgment at Nuremburg, it's the greatest post-WWII film I've ever seen. A very important German peace activist is targeted on a train. Four men who happen to be on the train, from four different countries (Britain, France, Russia, & the U.S.) all team together to rescue the activist. Truly great stuff. I took it for a lazy Sunday afternoon flick, but I was very suprised to see a pure classic. Robert Ryan and Merle Oberon are the two headliners, he the U.S. representative, she the secretary to the German activist. Great character actors round out the cast. Excellent!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Berlin Express: a Trip Worth Taking, June 23, 2010

By 

ronzo - See all my reviews

This review is from: BERLIN EXPRESS (DVD)

While still worth seeing, BERLIN EXPRESS should have been a better film than it turned out to be. The plot involves the attempt to protect an anti-fascist German statesman (Paul Lukas) from members of a die-hard Nazi underground. An attack made on the train ultimately leads to a manhunt through bombed out Frankfurt.

According to the DVD's cover, this was "the first American movie filmed in post-World War II Germany". Director Jacques Tourneur and cinematographer Lucien Ballard take full advantage of this opportunity by producing some superb visuals of the city's remains. In my opinion, they even do a better job than Roberto Rossellini did, in this regard, for ROME, OPEN CITY (1945); a film that obviously influenced BERLIN EXPRESS.

Unfortunately, the visuals and overall pacing are impaired by a convoluted script. Specifically, an attempt is made to make BERLIN EXPRESS more than an espionage thriller. It also tries to be a "why can't we all just get along" film. With this in mind, the train passengers that later form the manhunt group were drawn from different nationalities; Robert Ryan is American, Merle Oberon is French; there is also a Britisher, a Russian, and a few Germans.

Despite the ensuing international relations socio-political dialogue, it is still a film worth seeing. The scene of Robert Ryan being shot at in a large beer vat is quite affecting: it has stayed with me for decades. And I'm not sure if I'll be able to get Merle Oberon's feathered hat out of my mind anytime soon.

The Warner Archive Collection print has not been restored in any way, and there are a number of visual artifacts, but this did not interfere with my enjoyment of the film.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie...Outrageous Price..!!, September 10, 2009

By 

Seen Them All "Ace Movie Critic !!" (SoCal Desert) - See all my reviews

Come on Amazon you can do better...!!!....this movie is available on Warner's Movie site for half the price this vendor is selling it for. We depend on Amazon to offer good movies and good service at fair prices....this movie is way overpriced...!!!

An anti-fascist German is kidnapped by Nazi in post-WW2 Berlin. A group consisting of an American (Robert Ryan), a Frenchman, a Russian, and an Englishman track down the kidnappers and rescue the hostage. This is the first American movie to be filmed in post-WW2 Germany. Exciting with a good script..