The Big Lift (1950)

Experiences of two Air Force sergeants during the 1948 Berlin Airlift.

Director:

George Seaton

Writer:

George Seaton

Stars:

Montgomery Clift, Paul Douglas, Cornell Borchers

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Montgomery Clift	...	Danny MacCullough
Paul Douglas	...	Hank Kowalski
Cornell Borchers	...	Frederica Burkhardt
Bruni Löbel	...	Gerda
O.E. Hasse	...	Stieber
Dante V. Morel	...	Dante V. Morel (as Capt. Dante V. Morel)
John R. Mason	...	John R. Mason (as Capt. John R. Mason)
Gail R. Plush	...	Gail R. Plush (as Capt. Gail R. Plush)
Mack Blevins	...	Mack Blevins (as Capt. Mack Blevins)
William A. Stewart	...	William A. Stewart (as Capt. William A. Stewart)
Alfred L. Freiburger	...	Alfred L. Freiburger (as 1st Lt. Alfred L. Freiburger)
Gerald Arons	...	Gerald Arons (as 1st Lt. Gerald Arons)
James Wilson	...	James Wilson (as 1st Lt. James Wilson)
Richard A. Kellogg	...	Richard A. Kellogg (as 1st Lt. Richard A. Kellogg)
Roy R. Steele	...	Roy R. Steele (as 1st Lt. Roy R. Steele)

Storyline

In 1948, the Soviet Union blockades the Allied sectors of Berlin to bring the entire city under their control. A semi-documentary about the resulting Berlin Airlift gives way to stories of two fictitious U.S. Air Force participants: Sgt. Hank Kowalski, whose hatred of Germans proves resistant to change, and Sgt. Danny McCullough, whose pursuit of an attractive German war widow gives him a crash course in the seamy side of occupied Berlin.

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Plot Keywords:

berlin airlift | aviation | airlift | semi documentary | u.s. soldier | 

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Taglines:

From the Ruins came Hope and Despair

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

20 July 1950 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Quartered City

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,300,000, 31 December 1950

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the US officers appearing in the movie kept their actual rank except one, John R. Mason, who was "demoted" to the rank of sergeant for the story.

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Goofs

Throughout the film, Montgomery Clift's army uniform has sergeant stripes, then it doesn't, then it does, etc.etc.

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Quotes

Frederica Burkhardt: When you live in a sewer, you soon discover that the sewer rats are best equipped to survive.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie, the "Hollywood" stars (Clift, Douglas etc.), are not credited, however a panoramic coda does credit the principal military service members who portrayed themselves in the film. It shows them standing at attention in front of a C-54, with their names and ranks scrolling across.

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Connections

Referenced in Woman on the Run (1950)

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Soundtracks

Vielleicht
(uncredited)
Written by Günter Neumann
Played by the band at the nightclub and sung by Cornell Borchers

User Reviews

Scenery outweighs disadvantages

The shooting of the film on location in Germany is what makes the whole film work and memorable. The story in itself is not really that great, but probably it grasps our attention because of the surroundings: the ruins, the gloomy statues and the simple and down-to-earth life of the common people. Had it been a Hollywood stage production, there wouldn't have been much to it, but once the movie enters Berlin it gets to another level. The same goes for the acting. Acting among the local population with only two brought-in American actors in the cast ( the main characters ) must have been an inspiration.