La ville écartelée

The shooting of the film on location in Germany is what makes the whole film work and memorable. The story in itself is not really that great, but probably it grasps our attention because of the surroundings: the ruins, the gloomy statues and the simple and down-to-earth life of the common people. Had it been a Hollywood stage production, there wouldn't have been much to it, but once the movie enters Berlin it gets to another level. The same goes for the acting. Acting among the local population with only two brought-in American actors in the cast ( the main characters ) must have been an inspiration.

Spooky airlift film in which the bad seem good and visa versa. This movie was made in 1950. As such, Berlin is accurately portrayed as a destroyed city. Portrayed is perhaps the wrong word. The reason is because the city was still a giant rubble pile. Great dialogue and excellent story make this the premiere film concerning the American and British airlift to save Berlin from the Soviets. The malevolent opportunism demonstrated by the German locals, lend a tragic, yet realistic touch to this movie. Lovelorn American servicemen eat up female German desperation, and thus the stage is set for tragedy.

Found this one recently on DVD at my local market. Have mixed feelings about it. On the negative side there is the picture quality with too high a contrast, plus an abysmal and tinny-sounding soundtrack. Storywise, the first 27 minutes were superfluous and my interest as a spectator was only aroused from minute 28 onwards. I reckon the whole gamut could have been locked into a 1h 35m stint instead of the two hours it took in reality.

On the positive side, however, the film is a very interesting insight into the Berlin under blocade of the 1950's. Filmed on location with the Berliner people, you couldn't ask for a greater dose of realism. Some of the scenes are overlong, notably those within aircraft, which gets boring. What interested me were the character developments of the four main protagonists, plus the "russian spy". I found Montgomery Clift's character too weak and passionless and was more interested by the character portrayed by Paul Douglas, as well as that portrayed by Cornell Borchers ( I was most unpleasantly surprised when I realised what her real intentions were ). A most impressive moment in the film is when Clift confronts Borchers on her past in front of the house in rubble. As he leaves her, disgusted, a great part of wall comes tumbling down ! I don't know whether it was done on purpose, or whether it was just a coincidence during the filming. Whatever the hypothesis, it was most impressive.

My appreciation of the film on balance is definitely positive in relation to its plot and character development but oh how I wish they could have given it a clear stereo soundtrack !!!

The movie, "The Big Lift," starring Montgomery Clift as Flight Engineer Danny MacCullough, represents a time machine back into the beginnings of the Cold War. It's shot in gritty black and white by director George Seaton to enhance the images of life among the ruins of post WWII Berlin. It's also a very nice slice of Air Force flying in the early 50's and as a professional pilot, I can say that the flying sequences showing the C-54 cockpit are quite realistic. In one scene, Clift runs cockpit checklists for the pilots who are flying that are completely authentic. There is also a nice description of how GCA approach control works, which still exists as a backup at todays airports.

Some claim that Paul Douglas' character, "Kowalski," isn't believable as an anti-German bigot, but I thought he was "spot-on." There are men in their 80's today who still feel the same way.

German actor O.E. Hasse portrays "Stieber, the Scrounger." He's a bit of comic relief as a spy for the Russians, watching Templehof field, counting the Allied aircraft as they land. He says that he has to lessen the count so that the Russians will believe him. Look for Hasse in another excellent war picture, "Decision Before Dawn", where he plays Wehrmacht Colonel Von Ecker of the XI Panzer Corps, deployed east of the Rhine to counter the American Seventh Army during the closing months of the war. Also like "The Big Lift," this movie was shot amongst the ruins of Germany and used real Army personnel on screen.

"Decision Before Dawn," "Battleground," "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "The Big Lift" are four b+w movies made in this era which attempted to get a real taste for the movie goer of what the men experienced during World War II and the period just after. All four are favorites of mine and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Thank you for reading my comments.

This is film is one of the best true-life adaptations of an historical event - The Berlin Airlift. It was made on location in Berlin with the full cooperation of the US Military who actually played minor acting roles with the exception of the principal actors. The movie does an excellent job in portraying the bleak situation that the Berliners had to endure as a result of the Soviet blockade along with all the wrecked structures all of the city and the hording of black market staples such as coffee and coal. The most interesting portrayal in this film is the Paul Douglas character of that of an American seargant who has no love for the Germans and goes out of his way to be rude and act like a true "occupation" taking revenge out on a former Nazi prison guard that tormented him while he was a prisoner.

Its probably the most realistic portrayal of an American soldier after the war when technically the US Army was an occupation force along with the British and French. In addition, the portrayal of the German widow who really hated the Americans was probably realistic as well. These characters seemed more than stereotypes which was common in films portraying the political situation at the time. It does a good job in showing how ordinary soldiers and people can have divided loyalties and wrestle with the adverse situation that befell them in Berlin at the time. Truly a time capsule of Postwar Berlin.