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Escape from East Berlin

  • 19621962
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
558
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Christine Kaufmann and Don Murray in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
  • Drama
  • History
  • Thriller
In 1962, a group of East Berliners escapes to West Berlin through a tunnel dug from the basement of a house located near the Berlin Wall.In 1962, a group of East Berliners escapes to West Berlin through a tunnel dug from the basement of a house located near the Berlin Wall.In 1962, a group of East Berliners escapes to West Berlin through a tunnel dug from the basement of a house located near the Berlin Wall.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
558
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Robert Siodmak
  • Writers
    • Gabrielle Upton(story)
    • Peter Berneis(story)
    • Millard Lampell
  • Stars
    • Don Murray
    • Christine Kaufmann
    • Werner Klemperer
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Siodmak
  • Writers
    • Gabrielle Upton(story)
    • Peter Berneis(story)
    • Millard Lampell
  • Stars
    • Don Murray
    • Christine Kaufmann
    • Werner Klemperer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos24

    Christine Kaufmann and Don Murray in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann and Don Murray in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann and Don Murray in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Ingrid van Bergen in Escape from East Berlin (1962)
    Christine Kaufmann and Don Murray in Escape from East Berlin (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Don Murray
    Don Murray
    • Kurt Schröderas Kurt Schröder
    Christine Kaufmann
    Christine Kaufmann
    • Erika Jurgensas Erika Jurgens
    Werner Klemperer
    Werner Klemperer
    • Walter Brunneras Walter Brunner
    Ingrid van Bergen
    Ingrid van Bergen
    • Ingeborg Schröderas Ingeborg Schröder
    Carl Schell
    Carl Schell
    • Major Eckhardtas Major Eckhardt
    Edith Schultze-Westrum
    Edith Schultze-Westrum
    • Mother Schröderas Mother Schröder
    Bruno Fritz
    • Uncle Albrechtas Uncle Albrecht
    Maria Tober
    • Margaas Marga
    Horst Janson
    Horst Janson
    • Günther Jurgensas Günther Jurgens
    Kai Fischer
    Kai Fischer
    • Heidi Eckhardtas Heidi Eckhardt
    Alfred Balthoff
    • Klussendorf - a Neighboras Klussendorf - a Neighbor
    Anita Kupsch
    Anita Kupsch
    • Bambias Bambi
    Kurt Waitzmann
    • Prof. Thomas Jurgensas Prof. Thomas Jurgens
    Helma Seitz
    Helma Seitz
    • Frau Jürgensas Frau Jürgens
    Ronald Dehne
    • Helmut Schröderas Helmut Schröder
    Arne Elsholtz
    • Lemkeas Lemke
    Georg Bastian
    • Tillerman - a Volpo (East German Police)as Tillerman - a Volpo (East German Police)
    Waltraut Runze
    • Marga Wegeneras Marga Wegener
    • (as Waltraut Runze-Waitzmann)
    • Director
      • Robert Siodmak
    • Writers
      • Gabrielle Upton(story)
      • Peter Berneis(story)
      • Millard Lampell
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In January of 1962, 29 East Berliners escaped to West Berlin via a tunnel they had dug beneath the Berlin Wall, led by Erwin Becker, a chauffeur in the car pool of the East Germany Parliament, who served as technical adviser on this film. The film opens with Karl Schroeder (Don Murray), chauffeur to an East German Major, seeing a friend killed as he tried to drive a tow truck through a gate in the wall. He is persuaded by the friend's sister, Erika Jurgens (Christine Kaufmann), and his own family to engineer an attempt to make an escape to the Western sector of the city by digging a tunnel under the wall which is close to their home. Their efforts to evade the suspicions of the East German police, their fear of betrayal by inquisitive neighbors and the exhaustion of the digging are only a few of the difficulties faced by the group. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
    • tunnel
    • berlin wall
    • cold war era
    • east berlin east germany
    • berlin germany
    • 54 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Headline Hot! Filmed Where It Happened!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • History
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      East German police on patrol boats tried to disrupt filming by shining searchlights at the cameras. Director Robert Siodmak assembled a decoy crew to distract the East Germans and filmed the scene along the canal a short distance away.
    • Goofs
      When Kurt first meets Walter at the garage, there is a moving shadow of the boom microphone on a wall cabinet in the background.
    • Quotes

      Uncle Albrecht: Off to band practice. We are marching in the celebration parade. I don't know what we're celebrating, but we are marching.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Der Tunnel (1999)

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    Is this history now?
    I watched the Berlin Wall come down in 1989. This film brings back some haunting memories. The despair of people realizing that they are trapped in the cage called East Berlin. And what we know about the Stasi--the East German secret police--makes me cringe realizing how everybody was spied upon.

    Yes, the movie has a happy ending. But, while 28 people found freedom through the tunnel, think of those who lived out their days behind the wall.
    helpful•6
    9
    • tonyro
    • Feb 21, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1962 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Escape from Berlin
    • Filming locations
      • Berliner Union-Film, Oberlandstraße 26-35, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Walter Wood Productions
      • Hans Albin Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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