The Big Lift (1950) ⭐️ Montgomery Clift | Drama, War

Experiences of two Air Force sergeants during the 1948 Berlin Airlift.

The Big Lift production team arrived in Berlin in May 1949, just as the blockade was lifted by the Russians, and triggered real airlift activity at both terminals. Principal photography began in July. Montgomery Clift became available after he dropped out of the film Sunset Blvd., in which he was supposed to be the lead, before filming began in June. Even so, all scenes involving him were filmed first to allow him to return to the United States to begin filming on location for A Place in the Sun in October.

As the film was shot in Berlin in 1949, as well as using newsreel footage of the actual airlift, it offers a contemporary glimpse into the post-war state of the city as its people struggled to recover from the devastation caused by the Second World War.

Aerial sequences were performed, often in bad weather to demonstrate the conditions under which the airlift was carried out, using a Fairchild C-82 Packet as a camera platform, taking advantage of its removable rear fuselage to take panoramic photos of up to 170 degrees. Seaton reported that he eventually overcame political complications with Soviet authorities to complete filming inside the Brandenburg Gate, which was in the Soviet zone, but that on the day of the shooting the Soviets installed loudspeakers to harass the set with propaganda. The scene was filmed without sound and the dialogue was added later via dubbing. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/)

The Big Lift
Genre: Drama, War
Director: George Seaton
Release Date: 1950
Country of Origin: USA
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042249/ (⭐️ 6.5)

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