1 / 7
ERA
Did you know
44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Night Crossing
"The East German border: 836 miles of barbed-wire walls, automated machine guns, armed guards, and deadly land mines. On September 15, 1979 two families tried to cross it."
1982 1h 47m EN
😐
6.1
MID
⭐
6.5
IMDB
★6.1TMDB · 42★6.5IMDB · 1,613
AdventureDramaAction
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
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.
“The East German border: 836 miles of barbed-wire walls, automated machine guns, armed guards, and deadly land mines. On September 15, 1979 two families tried to cross it.”
Cast
John Hurt
Peter Strelzyk
Jane Alexander
Doris Strelzyk
Beau Bridges
Guenter Wetzel
Glynnis O'Connor
Petra Wetzel
Klaus Löwitsch
Schmolk
Sky du Mont
Ziegler
Günter Meisner
Major Koerner
Doug McKeon
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Delbert Mann
- Writers
- John McGreevey
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 7
CRAFT
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 7
ERA
Did you know
Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 7
CAST
Did you know
John Hurt and Jane Alexander and Beau Bridges carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 7
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "The East German border: 836 miles of barbed-wire walls, automated machine guns, armed guards, and deadly land mines. On September 15, 1979 two families tried to cross it.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 7
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0082810 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 7
WILD
Did you know
Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Delbert Mann directs. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 3Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 4John Hurt and Jane Alexander and Beau Bridges carry the top of the cast.
- 5Marketing tagline: "The East German border: 836 miles of barbed-wire walls, automated machine guns, armed guards, and deadly land mines. On September 15, 1979 two families tried to cross it.".
- 6IMDB entry: tt0082810 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 7Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Original score
- Jerry Goldsmith
- Runtime
- 107 min · 1h 47m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG
- IMDB rating
- 6.5/10 · 1,613 votes
- MPAA
- PG
- US box office
- $8,000,000
Awards
2 nominations
Also by
Delbert Mann
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- r96sk★ 7/10
Good, could've been made a bit more subtly though. <em>'Night Crossing'</em>, 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.
Production companies
Who made it
Walt Disney Productions
US
Key crew
- Executive ProducerRon Miller
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- 1970s
- german-german border
- based on true story
- east germany
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1982-02-05PG
