Shining Through (1992)

An American woman of Irish, Jewish-German parentage goes undercover in Nazi Germany.

Director:

David Seltzer

Writers:

Susan Isaacs (novel), David Seltzer (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith, Liam Neeson

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Ed Leland
Melanie Griffith	...	Linda Voss
Liam Neeson	...	Franze-Otto Dietrich
Joely Richardson	...	Margrete Von Eberstien
John Gielgud	...	Sunflower
Francis Guinan	...	Andrew Berringer
Patrick Winczewski	...	Fishmonger
Anthony Walters	...	Dietrich's Son
Victoria Shalet	...	Dietrich's Daughter
Sheila Allen	...	Olga Leiner, Margrete's Mother
Stanley Beard	...	Linda's Father
Sylvia Syms	...	Linda's Mother
Ronald Nitschke	...	Horst Drescher
Hansi Jochmann	...	Hedda Drescher
Peter Flechtner	...	S.S. Officer at Fish Market

Storyline

1940, Linda Voss is a woman of Irish, Jewish-German parentage who loves the movies, especially films about war and spies. She gets a job at a New York law firm, after it's revealed she can speak German, fluently. As secretary and translator to Ed Leland, she begins to suspect that her boss is involved in espionage work. The two become lovers, and when America officially joins the Allies in fighting Hitler, Linda volunteers to go undercover behind enemy lines.

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Plot Keywords:

anti semitism | worst picture razzie winner | nazi germany | spy | secretary | 

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Taglines:

He needed to trust her with his secret. She had to trust him with her life.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sensuality

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

31 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

I ørnens klør

Filming Locations:

Hansaviertel, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Gross USA:

$21,733,781

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,938,238

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Sandollar Productions, Peter V. Miller Investment Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the living room, when Linda (Melanie Griffith) and her father read a letter from her imperiled aunts and cousin in Berlin, the music on the phonograph is Robert Schumann's "Kinderszenen" (Scenes of Childhood), Opus 15.

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Goofs

During World War II the German-Swiss border was closed completely. There were no trains crossing the border during that period like it is portrayed in the movie.

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Quotes

Ed Leland: [being interviewed] Your grandmother, she insists you speak...
Linda Voss: German? She doesn't speak English.
Ed Leland: She's lived here for...
Linda Voss: My sixth grade teacher used to do that.
Ed Leland: Beg your pardon?
Linda Voss: Used to start a question and not finish it. Like, "the capital of Indiana is..."

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Connections

References Casablanca (1942)

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Soundtracks

Goodbye Dear, I'll Be Back In A Year
Written by Mack Kay
Performed by Dick Robertson
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

What did they do to this wonderful book?

OK, so this movie is not a total turkey, but compared to the source material it isn't in the same ballpark - not even the same sport!

The book 'Shining Through' is a wonderfully nuanced and thoughtfully written novel, in which the author really cares for her characters. None of this came through in the movie and some very important plot points were left out - ones which could have lifted the movie immeasurably.

My advice - See the movie, or read the book. If you do both the movie will come out lacking.