A Foreign Affair (1948)

In occupied Berlin, an army captain is torn between an ex-Nazi cafe singer and the U.S. congresswoman investigating her.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett (screenplay), Billy Wilder (screenplay),

Stars:

Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, John Lund

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Arthur	...	Phoebe Frost
Marlene Dietrich	...	Erika Von Schluetow
John Lund	...	Captain John Pringle
Millard Mitchell	...	Col. Rufus J. Plummer
Peter von Zerneck	...	Hans Otto Birgel
Stanley Prager	...	Mike
William Murphy	...	Joe (as Bill Murphy)
Raymond Bond	...	Pennecot
Boyd Davis	...	Giffin
Robert Malcolm	...	Kramer
Charles Meredith	...	Yandell
Michael Raffetto	...	Salvatore
Damian O'Flynn	...	Lieutenant Colonel
Frank Fenton	...	Major Mathews
James Larmore	...	Lieutenant Hornby

Storyline

A congressional committee visits occupied Berlin to investigate G.I. morals. Congresswoman Phoebe Frost, appalled at widespread evidence of human frailty, hears rumors that cafe singer Erika, former mistress of a wanted war criminal, is "protected" by an American officer, and enlists Captain John Pringle to help her find him...not knowing that Pringle is Erika's lover.

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Plot Keywords:

congresswoman | military | singer | nazi | morals | 

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Taglines:

It would make a cigar store Indian laugh ...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

20 August 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mundana

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Female stars Jean Arthur and Marlene Dietrich were in their late 40s when they shot this film. The leading man 'John Lund' however was a decade younger than both.

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Goofs

Though the character played by Jean Arthur is an 'unmarried' American Congresswoman, the actress's real life wedding ring is visible in many scenes especially close-ups during the latter part of the film.

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Quotes

Captain John Pringle: Don't tell me it's subversive to kiss a Republican!

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Connections

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Meadowlands"
(uncredited)
Written by Lev Knipper and Viktor Gusev
Sung by chorus (Soviet soldiers)

User Reviews

Isn't It Romantic?

Congresswoman Frost (Jean Arthur) comes to occupied Berlin to investigate the ‘moral decay' of US troops but falls in love with Captain Pringle (John Lund), who is having an affair with nightclub singer von Schlütow (Marlene Dietrich), who in turn is the ex-moll of a Nazi big wig.

Which filmmaker alive today would have the guts, the clout and the talent to make this dark a satire on the ‘rebuilding of Iraq'? Only three years after World War II, here is a movie that mercilessly punches holes through all illusions about patriotism, militarism or the nobility of the American cause. Nobody is spared in Billy Wilder's vision: the soldiers, the politicians, the Germans, they all claim to be working for the great cause of building a New Germany, while at the same time ruthlessly pursuing their own self-interests (self-interests, more often than not, having to do with getting laid). Wilder's very own brand of romanticism and sharp wit keep this movie from getting too grim and his cynical, played-for-laughs version of Germany Year Zero may well be more honest and grounded in reality than the misery-fest of Roberto ‘look at me caring for these poor victims' Rosselini.

***1/2