The Airlift (TV 2005)
"Die Luftbrücke - Nur der Himmel war frei" (original title)

Two-part historic drama about a difficult love affair between a German woman and an American soldier during the Berlin Airlift. After her husband Axel has been considered dead, Luise ... See full summary »

Director:

Dror Zahavi

Writer:

Martin Rauhaus

Stars:

Heino Ferch, Bettina Zimmermann, Ulrich Tukur

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Heino Ferch	...	General Philipp Turner
Bettina Zimmermann	...	Luise Kielberg
Ulrich Tukur	...	General Lucius Dubignon Clay Jr.
Ulrich Noethen	...	Dr. Alex Kielberg
Misel Maticevic	...	Jack
Leo Natalis	...	Michael Kielberg
Katharina Wackernagel	...	Leni
Henning Baum	...	Harry
Michael Gwisdek	...	Herbert Prenske
Burghart Klaußner	...	Ernst Reuter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruno F. Apitz	...	Stalins Berater (as Bruno Apitz)
Joachim Paul Assböck	...	General Cock Austin Walker
Peter Benedict	...	Außenminister Achesen
Uta Bonz	...	Kellnerin
Markus Boysen	...	Trumans Berater

Storyline

Two-part historic drama about a difficult love affair between a German woman and an American soldier during the Berlin Airlift. After her husband Axel has been considered dead, Luise Kielberg has to survive as single mother of a 12-year-old boy in Postwar Berlin. At the beginning of the Soviet Blockade in 1948, she works as waitress at the Tempelhof Airport and gets to know General William Turner, one of the most influential aides of General Clay to organize the American airlifts. Luise becomes his personal secretary and falls in love with him, but suddenly Axel returns...

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | love interest | army | food | airplane | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

27 November 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Airlift

Filming Locations:

Tempelhof Airport, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sat.1, teamWorx Television & Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Axel Kielberg: I love you. Never forget it.
Luise Kielberg: I love you too.

User Reviews

Looked Good But Many Flaws

The film on SAT-1 was followed by a discussion and newsreel. In the newsreel Ernst Reuter calls upon the people of "America, England, Italy, France" - in the film "England" is omitted from Reuter's Address outside the burned-out Reichstag building. Why is the contribution of the RAF and the fact that a British passenger aircraft was shot down by the Russians ignored ? Further, I thought the character played by Heino Ferch was called Lieut-Gen William H. Tunner not Turner as in the film.

I did not understand why no RAF planes were shown, no Canadian or Australian or South African pilots. I had not realised that the Airlift was simply a US effort and the French took part but the British had nothing to do with it - considering 50% British GDP in 1947 was Marshall Aid it was a sacrifice for British people to have bread rationed to feed Berlin. Short Sunderland flying boats carried salt since they did not corrode.

Just watched Part 2 and I wonder how a German doctor returning after years in a Soviet Gulag was so aware of the latest US drug Streptomycin first mentioned in a scientific paper 1944. It was also strange that distribution of the drug was handled by his schoolboy son - seemingly Berlin was a family business in 1948.

What is clear is that in trying to seize Germany Stalin precipitated The Cold War - cold in Berlin, hot in Korea.

There was a non-fraternisation policy - would a General really have breached it ?