Stop Train 349 (1963)
"Verspätung in Marienborn" (original title)

At the height of the Cold War, an East German refugee slips aboard an American military duty train leaving West Berlin, deep inside East Germany. The Russian and East German authorities ... See full summary »

Director:

Rolf Hädrich

Writers:

Will Tremper (story), Jim Henaghan (adaptation),

Stars:

José Ferrer, Sean Flynn, Nicole Courcel

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Ferrer	...	Cowan the Reporter (as Jose Ferrer)
Sean Flynn	...	Lt. Novak
Nicole Courcel	...	Nurse Kathy
Jess Hahn	...	Sgt. Torre
Yossi Yadin	...	Maj. Menschikov (as Yoseph Yadin)
Hans-Joachim Schmiedel	...	Banner (as Hans Joachim Schmiedel)
Christiane Schmidtmer	...	Karin (as Christiane Schmidmer)
Joy Aston	...	Mrs. Abramson
Lothar Mann	...	East German Conductor
Arthur Brauss	...	I.M.P. (as Art Brauss)
Edward Meeks	...	Capt. Kolski
Fred Dur	...	Maj. Finnegan
Len Monroe	...	U.S. Soldier
Wolfgang Georgi	...	Russian Officer Gorski
Antonella Murgia	...	Teenager

Storyline

At the height of the Cold War, an East German refugee slips aboard an American military duty train leaving West Berlin, deep inside East Germany. The Russian and East German authorities stop the train and demand that the "criminal" be handed over to them. The young American officer in charge of the train doesn't want to do it, but fears that he may have no choice in the matter. The movie is based on a true incident.

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Plot Keywords:

train | cold war | refugee | stowaway | man hunt | 

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Taglines:

Roaring across the danger zone of europe...A sealed international express, with a human cargo that can explode a continent!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Delay in Marienborn

Company Credits

Production Co:

Da Ma Produzione, Hans Oppenheimer Film, Hoche Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Postgraduate Course in Sexual Love (1970)

User Reviews

Film as realistic as can be, but suffers from that

This film is based on a real event of the Cold War, and was filmed in the same time period, so it "feels" very realistic. Characters have been combined or altered, but the attention to facts and the choice of stories keeps it from being successful with audiences not already familiar with the situation. In fact, a 16mm print of it was purchased by the U.S. Army and used as a training film for new Train Commanders on the Military Trains.

Except for one scene that might cause trouble with the PTA, this film could be shown in high school history classes covering the Cold War. (I would recommend the teacher view it first and decide if it fits in their community's standards.) What it does get right is the dilemma faced by each of the characters. Everyone in the film makes moral decisions, and the consequences drive the story. That was the Cold War in Berlin as I witnessed it.