Night Crossing (1982)

Two men want to escape from East Germany, but they will only go if they can take their families with them.

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writer:

John McGreevey

Stars:

John Hurt, Jane Alexander, Doug McKeon

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Hurt	...	Peter Strelzyk
Jane Alexander	...	Doris Strelzyk
Doug McKeon	...	Frank Strelzyk
Keith McKeon	...	Fitscher Strelzyk
Beau Bridges	...	Günter Wetzel
Glynnis O'Connor	...	Petra Wetzel
Geoffrey Liesik	...	'Little' Peter Wetzel
Michael Liesik	...	Andreas Wetzel
Ian Bannen	...	Josef Keller
Anne Stallybrass	...	Magda Keller
Matthew Taylor	...	Lukas Keller
Klaus Löwitsch	...	Schmolk
Günter Meisner	...	Major Koerner
Sky du Mont	...	Ziegler (as Sky Dumont)
Jan Niklas	...	Lt. Fehler

Storyline

In 1978 in East Germany two families, the Strelzyks and the Wetzels,make plans to escape the Communist East and flee to the West. Peter Strelzyk comes up with a daring idea to construct a homemade air balloon big enough to carry the two families across the East-West militarized border. The border between East and West Germany is heavily militarized, complete with watch towers, guard dogs, barbed-wire, alarms, sensors, search lights and patrols. Rumors have it that some areas of the militarized border are mined. The only chance of crossing the border is by air. The Strelzyks and the Wetzels commence their risky venture by purchasing lots of taffeta fabric and sewing it together with a sewing machine in the attic. Peter Strelzyk builds an experimental homemade hot air balloon burner. In 1979 when the balloon is ready Peter and his son test it but the Wetzel family becomes hesitant. The Strelzyks decide to go alone but bad weather causes the balloon to crash inside the Communist zone. ...

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Plot Keywords:

communist | east germany | escape | hot air balloon | west germany | 

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Taglines:

The East German border: 836 miles of barbed wire walls, automated machine guns, armed guards, and deadly land mines. On September 15, 1979 two families tried to cross it.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

UK USA West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Balloon Movie

Filming Locations:

Landsberg, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,547,912, 7 February 1982, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$8,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions, Bavaria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo Stereo (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place from April 1978 to September 1979.

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Quotes

Peter Strelzyk: Are we in the West?
Police Officer: Of course you are.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: One from the Heart/Night Crossing/Montenegro/Shoot the Moon (1982)

User Reviews

A spine-chilling political true action story

I think that this film has become an important record of the most horrifying aspect of the East German regime - the imprisonment of its people by what the regime called its anti-fascist protective wall. It is a document of desperation and courage not to be missed. I would however like to comment on the actual location of this escape. It did not happen in or around Berlin as supposed by some respondents and was nothing to do directly with the Berlin Wall. The escape balloon was flown over the Iron Curtain which not only divided Germany but it divided the whole of Europe at that time. The balloon took off from Pössneck, 170 miles south-west of Berlin in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and flew 14 miles to Naila in Bavaria and freedom in West Germany. The opening of the Iron Curtain in Hungary in 1989 preceded the fall of the Berlin Wall later that year. Whilst the balloon flight created entertaining suspense cinema, it should remain as a monument to those who lost their lives whilst attempting to escape from East Berlin, other parts of the GDR or other Soviet-controlled states.