Night Train to Munich (1940)

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat (screenplay)
Frank Launder (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | War

Plot:

When the Germans march into Prague, armour-plating inventor Dr Bomasch flees to England. His daughter Anna escapes from arrest to join him...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Nazi | England | Spy | Czechoslovakia

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Margaret Lockwood	...	Anna Bomasch
Rex Harrison	...	Gus Bennett
Paul Henreid	...	Karl Marsen (as Paul von Hernried)
Basil Radford	...	Charters
Naunton Wayne	...	Caldicott
James Harcourt	...	Axel Bomasch
Felix Aylmer	...	Dr. John Fredericks
Wyndham Goldie	...	Dryton
Roland Culver	...	Roberts
Eliot Makeham	...	Schwab
Raymond Huntley	...	Kampenfeldt
Austin Trevor	...	Captain Prada (as Austen Trevor)
Kenneth Kent	...	Controller (as Keneth Kent)
C.V. France	...	Admiral Hassinger
Frederick Valk	...	Gestapo Officer (as Fritz Valk)

Also Known As:

Gestapo
Night Train (USA) (alternative title)
Night Train to Munich (USA)

Runtime:

USA:90 min | UK:95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Full Range Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Gaumont-British Studios, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The second of four cinematic appearances by Charters and Caldicott (played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne). They first appeared in The Lady Vanishes (1938), also written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. They later appeared in Crook's Tour (1941), and in Millions Like Us (1943), which was also written by Gilliat and Lauder.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Whilst on the train Rex Harrison's character refers to the English / British being led by Churchill. However as this part of the film is set in Sept 1939 the Prime Minister was Neville Chamberlain. At the time Churchill was merely a back-bench MP until the 3rd Sept when he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and given a seat on the War Cabinet.

Quotes:

Kampenfeldt: [trying to decide the guilt of someone accused of treason - downbeat] This is a fine country to live in.
[upbeat]
Kampenfeldt: This is a *fine* country to live in.
[to camera]
Kampenfeldt: This is a bloody awful country to live in!

Movie Connections:

Spin off from The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Soundtrack:

Your Heart Skips a Beat

Entertaining Hitchcock-Like Suspense

"Night Train to Munich" is a rather conscious attempt by director Carol Reed to imitate the style of Alfred Hitchcock, and it succeeds much better than do most such movies. It is an entertaining blend of suspense and humor, with a good cast and some enjoyable scenes.

Margaret Lockwood stars as the daughter of a Czech scientist pursued by the Nazis. She escapes their clutches once, but is again captured, and a British spy (Rex Harrison) has to go undercover to try to save her and her father. Lockwood and Harrison are joined by Paul Henreid, and also by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, who had appeared with Lockwood in Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" and appear here playing the same humorous pair of English travelers.

There are a lot of action sequences and a couple of good twists, with the crucial action taking place on a train. It's all done nicely, with an exciting finale as well. Some parts of it may be rather implausible, but the same could have been said of a few of Hitchcock's films, and this is only slightly less polished than his are. "Night Train to Munich" is quite entertaining in its own right, and is definitely worth seeing.