Die Luftbrücke - Nur der Himmel war frei (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Dror Zahavi

Writer:

Martin Rauhaus (writer)

Release Date:

27 November 2005 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Two-part historic drama about a difficult love affair between a German woman and an American soldier during the Berlin Airlift...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Homecoming Soldier | Airfield | Claim In Title | Heroism

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

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 Apitz	...	Stalins Berater
Joachim Paul Assböck	...	General Cock Austin Walker
Peter Benedict	...	Außenminister Achesen
Markus Boysen	...	Trumans Berater
Martin Goeres	...	Soldat
Hans Haasis
Jürgen Hentsch	...	Amerikanischer Präsident Truman
Hansjürgen Hürrig	...	Stalin (as Hans Jürgen Hürrig)
Petra Kelling	...	Oberschwester
Rüdiger Kuhlbrodt	...	Trumans Berater
Claudia Loerding	...	Frau Prenske
Jan Messutat	...	US-Wachsoldat
Jannis Michel	...	Michael Kielberg 6 J.
Ralph Misske
Anabelle Munro	...	Sekretaerin
Rainer Piwek
Vincent Redetzki	...	Wolfgang
Cornelia Schmaus	...	Mutter von Luise
Hinnerk Schönemann	...	Jacks neuer Copilot
Tim Wilde

Also Known As:

Airlift (Hong Kong: English title) (DVD title)

Runtime:

180 min (2 parts)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Tempelhof Airport, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany

Company:

teamWorx Produktion für Kino und Fernsehen GmbH

Quotes:

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

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 ?