''Beyond the Curtain'' is a 1960 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Compton Bennett Herbert William Compton Bennett (15 January 1900 – 11 August 1974), better known as Compton Bennett, was an England, English film director, writer and producer. He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film ''The Seventh Veil'' and the ...

, and starring

Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ...

and

Eva Bartok Éva Márta Szőke Ivanovics (18 June 19271 August 1998), known professionally as Eva Bartok, was a Hungarian-British actress. She began acting in films in 1950, and her last credited appearance was in 1966. She acted in more than 40 American, ...

Plot

A refugee from

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

finds herself trapped in her home city of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

when a plane she is travelling on between Berlin and West Germany is forced down. She is used by the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...

, who want her to help them to find her dissident brother.

Cast

as Captain Jim Kyle *

as Karin von Seefeldt *

Marius Goring Marius Re Goring (23 May 191230 September 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in ''A Matter of Life and D ...

as Hans Körtner *

Lucie Mannheim Lucie Mannheim (30 April 1899 – 17 July 1976) was a German singer and actress. Life and career Mannheim was born in Friedrichshain, a district of Berlin, where she studied drama and quickly became a popular figure appearing on stage in plays ...

as Frau von Seefeldt *

Andrée Melly Andrée Melly (15 September 1932 – 31 January 2020) was an English actress. Early life Melly was born on 15 December 1932 in Liverpool, Lancashire to Edith and Francis Melly. She made her stage début aged nine at the Little Theatre, Southpo ...

as Linda *

George Mikell George Mikell (born Jurgis Mikelaitis; 4 April 1929 – 12 May 2020) was a Lithuanian-Australian actor and writer best known for his performances as Schutzstaffel (SS) officers in '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961) and '' The Great Escape'' (196 ...

as Pieter von Seefeldt * John Welsh as Turner *

Denis Shaw Douglas "Denis" Findlay Shaw (7 February 1921 – 28 February 1971) was a British character actor who specialized in portraying villains. Biography Shaw was born in Dulwich on 7 February 1921. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was frequently cast ...

as Krumm *

Annette Carell Annette Karen Carell (variously Carrell; born Anneliese Erlanger; 7 January 1926 – 20 October 1967) was a German-born American actress of stage, screen, and television who lived in the United States and Britain at various stages of her career. ...

as governor * Gaylord Cavallaro as Twining *

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated ...

as waiter *

Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'' and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in ''Last of the Summer ...

as Bill Seddon *

Steve Plytas Phokion Stavros Plytas (9 January 1913 – 27 December 1994), known professionally as Steve Plytas, was a Greek film and television actor based in the United Kingdom. His stage work included West End appearances in Tennessee Williams' ''The Nig ...

as Zimmerman *

Guy Kingsley Poynter Guy Kingsley Poynter, also known as Guy Kingsley (3 September 1915 – 6 September 1983), was an American actor. Poynter is best remembered for his part as 'Doctor Daniel "Doc" Matthews' in the 1950s radio series ''Journey into Space''. He appea ...

as Captain Law *

André Mikhelson André Mikhelson was a Russian actor, in mostly British films. He was born in Moscow, in 1903. Selected filmography * ''The Gambler and the Lady'' (1952) - El Greco (uncredited) * ''Desperate Moment'' (1953) - Polizei Inspector * ''Star of My N ...

as Russian Colonel

Production

It was the first British feature film from producer John Martin, who had a strong record in documentaries. It was made in association with the companies of Sydney Box. Filming began in September 1959.

Reception

Critical reception

''Kinematograph Weekly'' wrote "The picture creates little emotional impact Or excitement during the first half, but, although human interest remains flabby, its climax, staged among the rubble and ruins of the Reichschancellery, thrills." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "This inept melodrama creates little impact or excitement during the first half, and its later attempts at suspense belong to the early days of the serial. Human interest remains flabby throughout, Eva Bartok's strident and hysterical performance being just about what the woefully unconvincing script deserves, and only Eric Cross's photography, and a dash of surface action, rise above the generally tepid level."

Box office

In May 1960 ''Kinematograph Weekly'' reported the film "a very ordinary adventure melodrama, has been helped over many a stile by reissue ''Campbell’s Kingdom'' (Rank—British). The latter is, of course, first-class."

References

External links

* 1960 films 1960 drama films British aviation films British drama films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Compton Bennett Cold War films Films critical of communism Films about the Berlin Wall Films set in East Germany 1960s British films English-language drama films {{1960s-UK-film-stub