Night Train to Munich (1940)

Night Train to Munich
Directed by Carol Reed
Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder from a story by Gordon Wellesley
1940/UK
Twentieth Century Productions Ltd.
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Charters: I bought a copy of Mein Kampf. Occurred to me it might shed a spot of light on all this… how d’ye do. Ever read it?

Caldicott: Never had the time.

Charters: I understand they give a copy to all the bridal couples over here.

Caldicott: Oh, I don’t think it’s that sort of book, old man.[/box]

This was written by the screenwriters on The Lady Vanishes and is in the same vein with comedy-tinged suspense, mainly on a train.  I liked it.

The story takes place during the year prior to the outbreak of WWII and on the day Britain declared war on Germany.  Axel Bomasch is a Czech scientist who has invented a superior form of armor-plating.  The authorities are determined to keep this out of the hands of the Germans and arrange to spirit him away to England on the day Czechoslovakia is invaded.  His daughter Anna (Margaret Lockwood) is arrested and imprisoned in a concentration camp before she can join her father.  She escapes the camp with Karl Marsen (Paul Heinreid) and the two proceed to England and begin to search for him.

The search takes Anna to a seaside resort where she meets secret agent Gus Bennett (Rex Harrison) and is reunited with her father.  But the Nazis are in hot pursuit and spirit father and daughter back to Germany.  Bennett, in the disguise of an SS officer, makes a desperate last minute bid at rescuing them and saving the formula for the good guys. With Basil Radford and Naughton Wayne as the prototypical British cricket fans and clueless tourists Chalders and Caldicott.

This is good fun and well worth seeing.  It has some of the most obvious matte paintings ever but this only added to the atmosphere in my opinion.

Clip