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The Big Lift

Play trailer Poster for The Big Lift 1950,  2h 0m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist - - Tomatometer 46% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 46% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
During the 1948 Berlin Airlift, as British and American forces break a Russian blockade of the divided German city, a pair of American soldiers fall in love with local women against a backdrop of increasing Cold War tensions. Ground control specialist Hank Kowalski (Paul Douglas) finds happiness with the idealistic Gerda (Bruni Löbel), but, when pilot Danny MacCullough (Montgomery Clift) falls for the beautiful, mysterious Frederica (Cornell Borchers), his friends question her motives.

Audience Reviews

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Luke S Dec 5, 2018 An interesting experiment in a fictional motion picture in that it incorporates large bits of historical reality, in this case the ravaged city of Berlin following the fall of the Nazi regime. Very nearly a documentary in that aspect. As well, except for the lead performances (Douglas and Clift are excellent) everyone onscreen are not actors, but the real people doing their real lives. I was slow to embrace this, but now I don't think I'll ever forget it. See more
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The Big Lift

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Cast & Crew

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George Seaton

Director

Montgomery Clift

Sgt. 1st Class Danny MacCullough

Paul Douglas

MSgt. Henry "Hank" Kowalski

Cornell Borchers

Frederica Burkhardt

Bruni Löbel

Gerda

O.E. Hasse

Stieber

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The Big Lift

The Big Lift (1950) The Big Lift (1950) The Big Lift (1950) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis During the 1948 Berlin Airlift, as British and American forces break a Russian blockade of the divided German city, a pair of American soldiers fall in love with local women against a backdrop of increasing Cold War tensions. Ground control specialist Hank Kowalski (Paul Douglas) finds happiness with the idealistic Gerda (Bruni Löbel), but, when pilot Danny MacCullough (Montgomery Clift) falls for the beautiful, mysterious Frederica (Cornell Borchers), his friends question her motives.
Director
George Seaton
Producer
William Perlberg
Screenwriter
George Seaton
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 1950, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 11, 2016
Runtime
2h 0m
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