A real surprise. Not exactly family entertainment from "Disney". Some violence, lots of tense moments, and a great story, based on fact. The theme of "Night Crossing" is, determination wins. Never losing sight of their objective, two East German families risk it all, in their daring balloon escape to freedom. The story is both harrowing and heartwarming. Time is not on their side. The East German Police are closing in and the outcome far from certain, until the very end. If you are looking for a good evenings entertainment, that contains no nudity, and limited violence, then I highly recommend "Night Crossing". It is pure entertainment. - MERK
17 Reviews
suspenseful and inspirational
blanche-228 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Effective acting and a real life happening are the highlights of "Night Crossing," a 1982 film starring John Hurt, Jane Alexander, Beau Bridges, Glynis O'Connor, and Doug McKeon. Directed by Delbert Mann.
This story is based on the true story of two families, the Wetzels and the Strelzyks who live in East Berlin and badly want to escape to the west. They decide to give it a go in a hot air balloon.
This means lying about why they want the material and being very careful while making it. The first attempt, with just the Wetzels, fails, and they are terrified of being captured as they sneak through the woods to their car.
Peter Strelzyk (Hurt) is devastated but decides that he can't give up. The Wetzels decide to join them.
The scenes with the hot air balloon in the sky are beautiful, and the performances by the group of pros are very strong. The end is powerful.
What an inspiring story -- when you want to do something badly enough, you don't give up. A poster said he uses it for one of his classes - it's a great lesson, as the Berlin Wall is long gone and young people don't know about it. A sad moment in history.
This story is based on the true story of two families, the Wetzels and the Strelzyks who live in East Berlin and badly want to escape to the west. They decide to give it a go in a hot air balloon.
This means lying about why they want the material and being very careful while making it. The first attempt, with just the Wetzels, fails, and they are terrified of being captured as they sneak through the woods to their car.
Peter Strelzyk (Hurt) is devastated but decides that he can't give up. The Wetzels decide to join them.
The scenes with the hot air balloon in the sky are beautiful, and the performances by the group of pros are very strong. The end is powerful.
What an inspiring story -- when you want to do something badly enough, you don't give up. A poster said he uses it for one of his classes - it's a great lesson, as the Berlin Wall is long gone and young people don't know about it. A sad moment in history.
Flawed but fascinating Disney told true story of two families escape from East Germany
IonicBreezeMachine27 August 2022
Set in East Germany from 1978-79, the film follows two men Peter Strelzyk (John Hurt) and Gunter Wetzel (Beau Bridges) who following the death of Josef Keller's (Ian Bannen) eldest son on a boarder crossing attempt and the toll it takes on Joesf and the rest of the Kellers both emotionally and through retribution of the East Germany government hatch a plan to cross into West Germany through use of a hot air balloon. As they two work on their plan, not only must they contend with typical trial & error as well as disagreements from family members, but must also elude suspicions from party loyalist neighbors and the Police.
Night Crossing is based upon the true story of the real-life balloon escape of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families from East Germany that occurred in the Fall of 1978. The story was discovered by the wife of Walt Disney Producer Tom Leetch who brought the story to her husband who in turn brought it to then VP of production Ron Miller. As both Strelzyk and Wetzel families ad watched Disney films via illicit West German TV signals when they had lived in East Germany, the families accepted Disney's offer out of five other potential investors. Both families were flown to Los Angeles where they recorded nearly 20 hours of interviews for producer Leetch and writer John McGreevey with filmmakers doing an extensive recreation of the East/West German boarder costing nearly $300,000 alone. Upon release the movie went mostly ignored at the box office making back only $8 million against it's $10 million budget and critical reception was mostly mixed with Siskel and Ebert disliking the film and even reviews that recommended the film such as Janet Maslin of the New York Times tended to preface their reviews by calling attention to some of the more hokey lines of dialogue in the film. While the movie isn't a flawless telling of this story, I think it does an adequate job in taking us through the major points so that you understand this event and the people involved in it.
In terms of the acting, much like other western productions of non-English speaking the film features a mixture of American and British actors speaking in English while playing German characters and german accents inconsistently applied to members of the supporting cast (usually the more antagonistic characters who are working against the two families). This boils down to a pet peeve of my where I feel if you're going to do this sort of thing where characters who aren't English are speaking English, just ditch the accents for everyone because as long as everyone's already speaking English, just have them use their natural voices rather than inconsistently applying accents because it only serves to break the immersion. I will say that for what the actors are called to do, John Hurt, Beau Bridges, Jane Alexander, and Glynnis O'Connor are all good in their roles and do well in the interpersonal drama, the only major sticking point is probably with the kid characters who are clearly trying their best, but there's that typical stiffness that comes from people writing children less as characters and more as idealizations of what people think kids are like such as the nadir scene where John Hurt's Peter is set to give up only for his son Frank to give a rousing bit of encouragement complete with team patches he made which is an example of the film trying to hammer its attempts at pathos a step too far.
I will say that from a technical point of view, Night Crossing does everything you hope for from a movie like this such as showcasing the building of the balloon, the tests of trial and error, and the paranoia of being found out with the fate of the Keller boy's ill fated boarder run using a hijacked bulldozer only to be riddled with bullets (possibly the reason this isn't on Disney+) periodically playing in the back of our minds as the looming threat of death or imprisonment hangs over us throughout the runtime. The two major ballooning sequences are well shot and filled with a mixture of tension as well as awe and wonder and coupled with a great score by the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith we're given both sweeping majesty and palpable tension.
Night Crossing has a number of flaws that often accompany these true story movies, but with a dedicated cast and crew and a fairly on point execution of the events, the movie is a decent way of experiencing this real life story. You're enjoyment will depend on your level of forgiveness for some of the hokiness or stiltedness that comes from Disney's approach to the material, but Night Crossing is a decent film.
Night Crossing is based upon the true story of the real-life balloon escape of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families from East Germany that occurred in the Fall of 1978. The story was discovered by the wife of Walt Disney Producer Tom Leetch who brought the story to her husband who in turn brought it to then VP of production Ron Miller. As both Strelzyk and Wetzel families ad watched Disney films via illicit West German TV signals when they had lived in East Germany, the families accepted Disney's offer out of five other potential investors. Both families were flown to Los Angeles where they recorded nearly 20 hours of interviews for producer Leetch and writer John McGreevey with filmmakers doing an extensive recreation of the East/West German boarder costing nearly $300,000 alone. Upon release the movie went mostly ignored at the box office making back only $8 million against it's $10 million budget and critical reception was mostly mixed with Siskel and Ebert disliking the film and even reviews that recommended the film such as Janet Maslin of the New York Times tended to preface their reviews by calling attention to some of the more hokey lines of dialogue in the film. While the movie isn't a flawless telling of this story, I think it does an adequate job in taking us through the major points so that you understand this event and the people involved in it.
In terms of the acting, much like other western productions of non-English speaking the film features a mixture of American and British actors speaking in English while playing German characters and german accents inconsistently applied to members of the supporting cast (usually the more antagonistic characters who are working against the two families). This boils down to a pet peeve of my where I feel if you're going to do this sort of thing where characters who aren't English are speaking English, just ditch the accents for everyone because as long as everyone's already speaking English, just have them use their natural voices rather than inconsistently applying accents because it only serves to break the immersion. I will say that for what the actors are called to do, John Hurt, Beau Bridges, Jane Alexander, and Glynnis O'Connor are all good in their roles and do well in the interpersonal drama, the only major sticking point is probably with the kid characters who are clearly trying their best, but there's that typical stiffness that comes from people writing children less as characters and more as idealizations of what people think kids are like such as the nadir scene where John Hurt's Peter is set to give up only for his son Frank to give a rousing bit of encouragement complete with team patches he made which is an example of the film trying to hammer its attempts at pathos a step too far.
I will say that from a technical point of view, Night Crossing does everything you hope for from a movie like this such as showcasing the building of the balloon, the tests of trial and error, and the paranoia of being found out with the fate of the Keller boy's ill fated boarder run using a hijacked bulldozer only to be riddled with bullets (possibly the reason this isn't on Disney+) periodically playing in the back of our minds as the looming threat of death or imprisonment hangs over us throughout the runtime. The two major ballooning sequences are well shot and filled with a mixture of tension as well as awe and wonder and coupled with a great score by the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith we're given both sweeping majesty and palpable tension.
Night Crossing has a number of flaws that often accompany these true story movies, but with a dedicated cast and crew and a fairly on point execution of the events, the movie is a decent way of experiencing this real life story. You're enjoyment will depend on your level of forgiveness for some of the hokiness or stiltedness that comes from Disney's approach to the material, but Night Crossing is a decent film.
Entertaining but slight Cold War drama
kelvis11 April 1999
Few surprises from Disney in the tale of two East German families who escape to the West in a homemade hot air balloon. Director Delbert Mann gives sometimes slack pacing to what could have been a taut thriller, and the dialog is at times stilted. Still, the players give fine readings of what they have to work with, excepting possibly Doug McKeon (familiar as On Golden Pond's recalcitrant teen), whose performance smacks more of the San Fernando Valley than Saxony. Mann doesn't skimp on East Bloc clichés like spying neighbors and a scarcity of fresh produce, but it is frighteningly effective when the police start throwing their totalitarian weight around. Of course, the movies are full of mean, authoritarian Germans who, regardless of their ideological leaning, dress neatly and shout orders in heavily accented English; Günter Meisner, who plays the chief communist baddie, gave much the same performance in The Winds of War miniseries as a famous anticommunist, Hitler. Still, even if a lot of this is B-grade stuff, the flight sequences are beautifully filmed, with the usual Disney flair. This also is interesting as one of a series of adult-themed films Disney produced in the late 70s and early 80s (The Devil and Max Devlin, The Watcher in the Woods), as the studio struggled to define itself in the post-post-Walt (but pre-Michael Eisner) years.
Interesting and well acted
r96sk14 September 2020
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.
'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.
As Close To Reality As You Will Get
mal-prostar31 May 2006
The movie Night Crossing captures the feelings experienced by the vast majority of East Germans during the period 1961-89. I lived in West Berlin during most of 1967 and travelled through The Wall into East Berlin on a weekly basis. Why? Excitement, crossing a border into a Soviet governed country, experiencing the smells and the feel of East Germany, which is why Night Crossing is excellent, it captures that very feeling, and it is exciting. I was arrested by the Vopos in Checkpoint Charlie and accosted by a man in his leather coat and dark glasses I am led to believe was Stasi. When I watch the movie I can smell cheap diesel and cooking oil, I can see the outdated vehicles, the drab clothing the public wore and the lacklustre produce in shop windows. It brings back memories of realising just how lucky I was to live in a free country. In 1988, I toured the DDR from East to West, North to South. East Germany had changed little since 1967. The Trabants, constantly breaking down, were still the main mode of private motorised transport, the shops still featured nothing much to tempt me, uniforms were still commonplace, but the people, the ordinary people were open and nice once you had gained their trust. Watch Night Crossing, it's as close to the truth as any movie you will see on divided Germany, even closer than two other favourites The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Funeral In Berlin.
Run-of-the-mill adventure film
Billiam-45 May 2022
This really happened!
clearprop29 May 2011
I use this at school with my aviation class in our hot air ballooning unit. Students are now so far removed from the time of "The Iron Curtain" that they find it hard to believe this is a true story. Fortunately there are plenty of newspaper clips online to prove it. The balloon in the movie is very close to what they actually built.
This movie is well done, after the first 10 minutes the class sits very quiet and gets caught up in the suspense and action. Don't know if I would recommend it for young children because of some of the violence. But great for middle school and above, and a special treat for those of us who remember the day the wall came down.
This movie is well done, after the first 10 minutes the class sits very quiet and gets caught up in the suspense and action. Don't know if I would recommend it for young children because of some of the violence. But great for middle school and above, and a special treat for those of us who remember the day the wall came down.
A spine-chilling political true action story
richard-jones8134 June 2007
I think that this film has become an important record of the most horrifying aspect of the East German regime - the imprisonment of its people by what the regime called its anti-fascist protective wall. It is a document of desperation and courage not to be missed. I would however like to comment on the actual location of this escape. It did not happen in or around Berlin as supposed by some respondents and was nothing to do directly with the Berlin Wall. The escape balloon was flown over the Iron Curtain which not only divided Germany but it divided the whole of Europe at that time. The balloon took off from Pössneck, 170 miles south-west of Berlin in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and flew 14 miles to Naila in Bavaria and freedom in West Germany. The opening of the Iron Curtain in Hungary in 1989 preceded the fall of the Berlin Wall later that year. Whilst the balloon flight created entertaining suspense cinema, it should remain as a monument to those who lost their lives whilst attempting to escape from East Berlin, other parts of the GDR or other Soviet-controlled states.
Mann's film makes us realize the true value of freedom...
Nazi_Fighter_David7 June 2004
'Night Crossing' is about an enormous barrier designed not to keep enemies out but to keep its own people in
'Night Crossing' is about a very long border fencer equipped with silent alarms and automatic firing systems
'Night Crossing' is about the denial of the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
'Night Crossing' is about the fear and pain that afflict so many families
'Night Crossing' is about one attempt to risk a crossing through the border zone
'Night Crossing' is about a loving father whose only desire is to give his boys what should never have been taken away from them
'Night Crossing' is about a disturbed mother who wants her babies and her husband alive
'Night Crossing' is about a caring husband who wants his family to be together but in a better place
'Night Crossing' is about children who want to be free to reach at anytime the sky
'Night Crossing' is about a hot-air balloon handcrafted and built by two families
'Night Crossing' is about a balloon which could go just high enough to crash or catch fire and explode
'Night Crossing' is about two determined men who want their family to climb into a hot air balloon and float away to 'liberty'
'Night Crossing' is about the fear of getting caught by an evil regime
'Night Crossing' is about a sensible man who can't let bad dreams stop him
'Night Crossing' is about an icy policeman who wants every lookout tower on full alert
With exquisite music by Jerry Goldsmith, Delbert Mann's 'Night Crossing' makes us realize the true value of freedom
Final thoughts:
There are a few moments in everyone's life, certainly in public lives, that can define a person...
For those of us old enough to remember the Reagan presidency, seeing the clips again in the wake of his death makes it seem like those events happened just yesterday, or last week. The voice, the expressions, are all so familiar. But for a large percentage of people, these events might as well have happened fifty years ago, if not more. They are part of the distant past. President Reagan is a name, and not much more. President Gorbachev is another name, and not much more. So how can we remember these two men who had such a huge impact on their country?
Reagan and Gorbachev worked together to tear down the Berlin Wall and to steer their superpower nations away from nuclear confrontation
'Night Crossing' is about a very long border fencer equipped with silent alarms and automatic firing systems
'Night Crossing' is about the denial of the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
'Night Crossing' is about the fear and pain that afflict so many families
'Night Crossing' is about one attempt to risk a crossing through the border zone
'Night Crossing' is about a loving father whose only desire is to give his boys what should never have been taken away from them
'Night Crossing' is about a disturbed mother who wants her babies and her husband alive
'Night Crossing' is about a caring husband who wants his family to be together but in a better place
'Night Crossing' is about children who want to be free to reach at anytime the sky
'Night Crossing' is about a hot-air balloon handcrafted and built by two families
'Night Crossing' is about a balloon which could go just high enough to crash or catch fire and explode
'Night Crossing' is about two determined men who want their family to climb into a hot air balloon and float away to 'liberty'
'Night Crossing' is about the fear of getting caught by an evil regime
'Night Crossing' is about a sensible man who can't let bad dreams stop him
'Night Crossing' is about an icy policeman who wants every lookout tower on full alert
With exquisite music by Jerry Goldsmith, Delbert Mann's 'Night Crossing' makes us realize the true value of freedom
Final thoughts:
There are a few moments in everyone's life, certainly in public lives, that can define a person...
For those of us old enough to remember the Reagan presidency, seeing the clips again in the wake of his death makes it seem like those events happened just yesterday, or last week. The voice, the expressions, are all so familiar. But for a large percentage of people, these events might as well have happened fifty years ago, if not more. They are part of the distant past. President Reagan is a name, and not much more. President Gorbachev is another name, and not much more. So how can we remember these two men who had such a huge impact on their country?
Reagan and Gorbachev worked together to tear down the Berlin Wall and to steer their superpower nations away from nuclear confrontation
Must see for everyone who thinks that freedom is free - it is NOT!
george7g25 November 2006
Probably grossly underrated by all who never experienced the hell of living under communist regime. Although, it seems hard to believe, all of it happened, actually the reality was even worse than the movie. It resembles Orwellian fiction, only this is no fiction. John Hurt is excellent as always. Yes, the screenplay is not full of action, but life is not either. Plot is breathtaking. Yes, people were shot, yes thousands of them. Their 'crime' was that they wanted to leave communist 'paradise' without government authorization. At times the movie drives tears in your eyes. We need more movies like this to really appreciate what America provides for us. Excellent movie, highly recommend! God bless our country, USA!
Outdated, but true and inspiring.
herbstnebel2ss24 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie accurately portrays the struggle life was for the typical East German. Watched by the secret police, friends and coworkers, most easterners simply existed.
The Strelzyk's and the Wetzel's were two families that decided they weren't going to take it anymore.
Despite the extreme danger involved in escaping to the West, they feel the rewards far outweighed the risks. John Hurt and Beau Bridges, portraying the respective family heads hit upon the idea of flying over East Germany's heavily fortified border.
There are tense moments as they gather and jimmy-rig the necessary materials for the flight. They work their day jobs and construct the balloon at night, right under the noses of the authorities, one of whom is Strelzyk's neighbor (Klaus Loewitsch).
The first attempt, involving only the Strelzyks, ends in failure when the balloon crashes just a few yards from the border. The crashed balloon is discovered by border guards and an relentless search begins for the conspirators who are determined to try again. With sales of materials being closely monitored Peter and Guenter still manage to procure bits and pieces of cloth with which to construct a second balloon for their nail biting escape to freedom. The film also features a heartwarming and effective soundtrack by the late Jerry Goldsmith.
The Strelzyk's and the Wetzel's were two families that decided they weren't going to take it anymore.
Despite the extreme danger involved in escaping to the West, they feel the rewards far outweighed the risks. John Hurt and Beau Bridges, portraying the respective family heads hit upon the idea of flying over East Germany's heavily fortified border.
There are tense moments as they gather and jimmy-rig the necessary materials for the flight. They work their day jobs and construct the balloon at night, right under the noses of the authorities, one of whom is Strelzyk's neighbor (Klaus Loewitsch).
The first attempt, involving only the Strelzyks, ends in failure when the balloon crashes just a few yards from the border. The crashed balloon is discovered by border guards and an relentless search begins for the conspirators who are determined to try again. With sales of materials being closely monitored Peter and Guenter still manage to procure bits and pieces of cloth with which to construct a second balloon for their nail biting escape to freedom. The film also features a heartwarming and effective soundtrack by the late Jerry Goldsmith.
Suspenseful, even after many watchings
saddletreeranch29 November 2003
This movie has been enjoyed by our family numerous times. The first time, I stayed on the edge of my seat during the entire movie. Even subsequent viewings give me goosebumps and cause excitement and tears. I consider this movie to be one of my absolute top 5 favorites. It is very well written and the actors do a fine job of making you care about them. Families who would like their children to get a feel of what life was like in East Germany before the Berlin Wall came down should definitely see this movie.
Great Movie, still, not so 'Disneyesque'
Morritec17 April 2005
I was surprised as I watched this movie, how much it had 'encaptured' me. No the actors didn't act like typical 'Hollywood' actors, but that's not always bad either, as this film proves. Quite different from the Disney standard, it is a refreshing turn none-the-less! They also give you a taste of what it was probably like without being 'educational'. A movie everyone should both see and enjoy. Many people love arguing over 'accuracies' in any movie of this type, but just getting the basic idea has plenty to offer. Mild gripe; East and West Germany, viewed on any map, would have West Germany on the left side, East to the right. The movie at times, sets you back slightly, because about half of the scenes have West Germany on the right side of the screen, and other times on the left side. Even during the same events, they shift back and forth. Perhaps, just a little more consistency would have avoided this mild distraction. Go See It!
Weak script, Great story!
sled_driver10 May 2001
Fun movie! The script is awful but the quality of actors saves the day. John Hurt is perfect, as is Jane Alexander. Beau Bridges is fair and the actress who plays his wife is very weak. The story is the true star. Based on a true story, the pace moves well and the whole concept of escaping East Germany sucks you in and holds you. Joyous ending provides enough elation to compensate for script. Don't expect Academy Award quality but it's a great ride for the whole family.
An inspiring story of courage!
craigmaramilan23 March 2007
What can I say about this film other than the narrative is one of the most exciting in film history...and based on a true story! Being old enough to remember the Berlin Wall when it was still used to contain a country, this film gives you a dark insight into the grim incarceration of East Berliners, and their desperate attempts to escape, no matter what the cost. The film follows the lives of two families , who decide to escape using a hot-air balloon manufactured by themselves. Forever fearing arrest by the authorities, under scrutiny by neighbours, they have to calculate a plan to reach the other side of the wall. A tense & thrilling story of courage and determination which truly pays homage to all those who succeeded and failed the treacherous journey to West Berlin and freedom.
Good show from a pre-woke disney
Hang_All_Drunkdrivers7 September 2023
This was made in 1982 so they left out the liberal propaganda and just told the story of some people making a hot air balloon in the hope of flying over the wall separating poor and communist east germany from free and capitalist west.
The families involved made two balloons and that brings up a weakness in the flik. The balloons did not look homemade at all. They looked like commercial balloons you buy from companies selling such things. They were big and beautiful.
This is very much a family movie but that's ok. It's an exciting story and despite there being two families involved, there was not much focus on personal relationships. This movie moved.
The families involved made two balloons and that brings up a weakness in the flik. The balloons did not look homemade at all. They looked like commercial balloons you buy from companies selling such things. They were big and beautiful.
This is very much a family movie but that's ok. It's an exciting story and despite there being two families involved, there was not much focus on personal relationships. This movie moved.
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