AdventureDramaAction

Night Crossing

Two men want to escape from East Germany (under Communist rule) but they will only go if they can take their families with them. Based on a true story.

Release Date : 1982-02-05

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Walt Disney ProductionsBavaria Film

Production Country : GermanyUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Peter Strelzyk

Original Name : John Hurt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doris Strelzyk

Original Name : Jane Alexander

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guenter Wetzel

Original Name : Beau Bridges

Gender : Male

Character Name : Petra Wetzel

Original Name : Glynnis O'Connor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Schmolk

Original Name : Klaus Löwitsch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ziegler

Original Name : Sky du Mont

Gender : Male

Character Name : Major Koerner

Original Name : Günter Meisner

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Doug McKeon

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Kay Walsh

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Ian Bannen

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jan Niklas

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Carola Höhn

Gender : Female

Reviews

r96sk

@r96sk

2021-06-23

Good, could've been made a bit more subtly though. 'Night Crossing', which portrays the true story of a hot air balloon escape from East Germany, is an interesting and well acted production. However, it doesn't do anything to throw you off the scent. Predictability isn't always a negative, but it is one for this film in my opinion. Whether it be through knowledge of the event, reading the opening credits (where they acknowledge the families) or just general direction of the story - it's easy to see where it's going, as such the pacing is very slow; at least across the first and middle acts. With that noted, things do end brightly thanks to the feel-good nature of the finale and the satisfactory cast. John Hurt (Peter) is the best of the bunch, while the few around him add to proceedings well. Günter Meisner, Mr. Slugworth himself, also makes an appearance. On the cast, it is kinda odd that some characters have British accents and some have German - you'd think the filmmakers would've picked one or the other. I don't have any recollection of knowing about this true event before watching this, which is a surprise given I know about other stories regarding this topic. Either way, it's a solid film.