The interesting parts in this film for me are the filmed landing/take-off operations and of course the footage of a ruined Berlin. These would have been a good basis for a documentary about the Airlift.
However, in a 2 hour feature these seem cut'n'pasted just for the sake of them. Sure, they bring a sense of realism to the story, yet and when we are for example shown in great detail how the radar systems in air traffic control work I was just thinking how few would actually appreciate this mumbo-jumbo which has nothing to do with the story. There'a 20+ minutes of material begging to be left to the cutting floor. The story itself is simple and doesn't warrant two hour running time.
Was the production done in a haste? For example the engine scare at the end is meant to be a terrifying experience yet it was boring at best - all due to poor editing and of course amateur acting. The latter was maybe the only choice as Berlin at the time didn't have the glamour to attract actors to maybe even risk their lives in a low-key production.
The film itself is a typical piece of propaganda of the times. We're reminded many times why the American way is the only way as Kowalski and Gerda have their rather childish conversations about democracy. A film about a serious matter - famine - isn't really good material for laughs anyway yet the Kowalski character is written to be the comical sidekick, (un)fortunately his character isn't written very well and the jokes fizzle most of the time.
If the film had pursued more of the serious sub-plot of Kowalski's hatred at his stalag tormentor this film could have offered much more. But his brutal assault is quickly forgotten and never mentioned again.
All in all this film has a B-grade feeling and what I really did like was the authentic setting. Post-war Berlin was much more hard-hitting and more insightfully depicted a few years earlier in Rossellini's "Germania anno zero", told from a German boy's perspective. This is a curiosity piece, but definitely not a must-see.
However, in a 2 hour feature these seem cut'n'pasted just for the sake of them. Sure, they bring a sense of realism to the story, yet and when we are for example shown in great detail how the radar systems in air traffic control work I was just thinking how few would actually appreciate this mumbo-jumbo which has nothing to do with the story. There'a 20+ minutes of material begging to be left to the cutting floor. The story itself is simple and doesn't warrant two hour running time.
Was the production done in a haste? For example the engine scare at the end is meant to be a terrifying experience yet it was boring at best - all due to poor editing and of course amateur acting. The latter was maybe the only choice as Berlin at the time didn't have the glamour to attract actors to maybe even risk their lives in a low-key production.
The film itself is a typical piece of propaganda of the times. We're reminded many times why the American way is the only way as Kowalski and Gerda have their rather childish conversations about democracy. A film about a serious matter - famine - isn't really good material for laughs anyway yet the Kowalski character is written to be the comical sidekick, (un)fortunately his character isn't written very well and the jokes fizzle most of the time.
If the film had pursued more of the serious sub-plot of Kowalski's hatred at his stalag tormentor this film could have offered much more. But his brutal assault is quickly forgotten and never mentioned again.
All in all this film has a B-grade feeling and what I really did like was the authentic setting. Post-war Berlin was much more hard-hitting and more insightfully depicted a few years earlier in Rossellini's "Germania anno zero", told from a German boy's perspective. This is a curiosity piece, but definitely not a must-see.