Night Train to Munich (1940)

The movie was made in Britain in 1940 and takes place in 1939, when Hitler's forces moved into Czechoslovakia. In Prague, there is an industrial scientist with a possible revolutionary method of armor plate whom the Nazis want to work for them, and British agents smuggle him out, but leave his daughter behind. She is taken to a concentration camp (when they were still prisons rather than centers of genocide) and escapes with another inmate and gets to Britain to reunite with her father. Unfortunately German agents are at work in Britain, and they are forced back to Germany. A British agent poses as a German army officer to try to get them back out.The movie is effective in showing the harshness and danger of the Nazi regime with relative subtlety (shown by the scenes of people in trouble for saying the wrong things), but it shows the Gestapo as being a little too careless and inept, and the scene with the mountain tram cars being rather unconvincing. Still entertaining as a period piece.

NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH is a classic old 1940s b&w wartime propaganda film. With its gentleman spy and genius scientist (with beautiful daughter) McGuffin it's gloriously old fashioned. The plot sees a Czech scientist and his daughter captured by the Nazis just before the outbreak of war with Poland (which will drag in Britain and France, and mark the true beginnings of WWII) who put them on a train to Munich with a villainous Gestapo officer. Thankfully, also on board is a British gentleman-spy (the old dapper fool routine) with plans to get them off. To add a little comedy, there's also a pair of British travellers who become so appalled by the pushiness and rudeness of the Germans that they decide to join in. The use of matte paintings, models and trick photography might put off younger viewers but it's charming and effective. Similarly, most of the action scenes have the combination of purity and artificiality of so many early films, with a gunfight on a gondola moving between two mountain peaks being both particularly unreal and charming. The dialogue is fast and humorous, especially around the (sorta) love triangle. Altogether, an afternoon delight.

I won't dwell on the plot points,as many have already. This film is very enjoyable,despite the unlikely jumps in plot, due mainly to the actors likability. This story originally came from a serialized novel by Gordon Wellesley,and screen written by the writers of Hitchcocks' "The Lady Vanishes". Thus the similarities,including characters Charters and Caldicott. When this film ends Paul Henreid,as the villain,isn't killed,and Rex Harrison as the hero looks back as He escapes the Nazis' clutches. It seemed that these two were bound to meet again,maybe in several films,as attractive, competent adversaries. But it seems that they didn't,and that's too bad.

"Night Train to Munich" (1940) is a smaller and lighter Carol Reed film, a little uncharacteristic, but nevertheless very good. The stars are Margaret Lockwood, Rex Harrison, Paul von Henreid, Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne. A Czech scientist is taken to England for safety so the Nazis won't get him or his work when the Czechs invade, but his daughter Anna (Lockwood) is captured and sent to a concentration camp. While there, she meets Karl Marsen (Paul Henreid as Paul von Henreid) who recognizes one of the Nazi officers at the camp as someone he knew, and the man helps both of them to escape. Once in England, she contacts her father through a performer, Gus Bennett (Harrison), in reality a government agent. Unfortunately, she and her father again fall into enemy hands, and Randell disguises himself as a Nazi officer in order to return to them England.Very suspenseful with great chemistry between the two stars. What helps make this film, though, are Radford and Wayne of "The Lady Vanishes" fame, who are hilarious as two airhead train passengers, one of whom recognizes Harrison as British, though he's in Nazi regalia. The two were an extremely popular pair and appeared together in several films.Very good.