Review of The Big Lift (1950) by Ray J — 18 Jul 2009

One of my favorite aspects about classic films is it's ability to capture moments in history...and the reason why I believe film is the closest thing we have to an actual time-machine. THE BIG LIFT may not be as well known or cherished a film like, say CASABLANCA...but what it does succeed in doing is preserving a moment in history for future generations. In this case it's the evocation of life in post-WWII Germany during the the first international crisis of the cold war - The Berlin Airlift. Russia, in a political power move, decide to close their side of a divided Berlin to rail and river traffic thereby cutting off much needed food and supplies. The allies, in a counter-move decide they will just fly in the supplies into their rightful territory of Berlin and win the hearts & minds of the beleaguered citizenry.

Montgomery Clift (T/Sgt. Danny MacCullogh) and Paul Douglas (M/Sgt. Hank Kowalski) play US Air Force crewmen reassigned from their posts in Hawaii and ordered to the stint in Germany. It is Douglas' character who is reluctant to go, as he harbors a deep rooted resentment for Germans. The reason for this resentment is revealed as the story progresses. While in Germany, MacCullough meets and becomes involved with a german woman, Frederika (Cornell Borchers) whose husband has been missing ever since he was assigned to the Russian Front. This relationship will undergo a few interesting twists along the way...

I've seen other films which depict life in post-war German (namely, Billy Wilder's 1948 film A FOREIGN AFFAIR), but THE BIG LIFT has a grittier feel because of it's lower budget. There is also a strong documentary feel to it - especially in the 1st half of the film. History and aviation buffs can watch footage of the C-57 cargo planes flying over war damaged Berlin. There is great footage of the planes landing at Tempelhof and Rhein-Main airbases - sweeping precariously just above the buildings before touching down on the runway.

The director George Seaton (Miracle on 34th Street) comes close to making a full blown pro USA propaganda flick but I give him credit for reeling the hokum in a bit by at least acknowledging - yeah, there are some faults. The dialogue is infused with some interesting political banter between the US crewmen and the german women. MacCullough also meets up with a man living in Frederika's tenement building, Steiber (O.E.Hasse) who works as a spy for the Russians. Steiber reveals to MacCullogh, in an amusing bit of dialogue, the art of cold-war spycraft to come.

All in all - not bad....the drama especially, builds nicely (in regards to Montgomery Clift's character) in the second half of the flick.

8 / 10.