The youngster Herr Tom Heiberg ( Herr Paul Richter ) is a Norwegian sportsman who likes very much ski jumping together with his friends who practise and compete in this spectacular sport in beautiful Norwegian settings.
Besides ski jumping, Herr Tom likes also youngster Frau Grete ( Frau Aud Egede Nissen ), who has also attracted the attention of lieutenant Herr Lund ( Herr Fridtjof Mjoen ) so pretty soon there will be a conflict between the two Nordic youngsters for the sake of her favours. Frau Grete is the daughter of Her Nils Elstad ( Herr Uwe Jens Krafft ), executive director of the Norwegian State Railways ( NSB ) who hires Herr Tom as publicity manager for the State Railways, a temporary job that the young man doesn't like very much so, in order to gain a permanent job in the company as well as winning Frau Grete's love, Herr Tom decides to gather his friends and attack the Bergen Express train.
"Bergenstoget Plyndret Inatt" ( Raid On The Bergen Express ) (1928) was an unusual Norwegian-German silent film co-production directed by Herr Uwe Jens Krafft who also plays the role of the NSB executive director. The film is a curious hybrid of adventure film and romantic drama that has in the principal roles the important and (moderately) famous Frau Aud Egede Nissen und Herr Paul Richter, two attractive and very professional actors who worked (especially Frau Aud) in leads or minor roles, with the most important German film directors: Herr Lang, Herr Murnau and Herr Lubitsch not to mention Herr Grune and Herr Lamprecht. With such excellent backgrounds, those actors knew how to be both charming and convincing though the film itself has a number of flaws.
As happens in many Nordic films, Nature is a principal character though here it becomes a bit irrelevant in the development of the story. Herr Krafft keeps dwelling on those beautiful and cold and high snowy landscapes but we have seen such sights many times before. (And let us not forget that Captain Robert Scott and his crew trained there for his failed South Pole expedition). After awhile this German count thought he was watching an advertisement for Norwegian tourism.
The scene of the Bergen Express train assault is clumsily done and the whole idea-a publicity stunt done to win more clients for the Norwegian Railway-is a piece of nonsense. What's more, the inconsistent plot is developed in a slow and awkward way.
So, we have noteworthy principal actors, some artistic direction and those eye catching Norwegian snowy landscapes (better for tourism than drama here) but the different parts don't add up to an interesting whole.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must attack the safe-deposit box of one of his Teutonic rich heiress.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com
