À FOREIGN AFFAIR

This 1948 Billy Wilder film is set in post-War Berlin, which must have added to its interest for US audiences at the time.  Wilder and his co-writer Charles Brackett do a great job of smuggling into the story details about the challenges of rebuilding Germany after the War, and the suffering the civilian population had endured.

In addition of course it wouldn’t be a Wilder film without some dark humour. We learn that on the day Berlin’s gas supply is restored there are 160 suicides.  Hitler and Eva Braun killing themselves after marrying in the bunker is described as the ‘perfect honeymoon’.  There are some references to gas chambers and shaved heads which made me wince.

The film doesn’t shy away from the fact that US servicemen in Berlin are trading small necessities and luxuries of life for sexual favours.  In fact this activity is front and central to the story.

Captain Pringle has no intention of returning home to Iowa given that he is enjoying a relationship with a local woman, Erika von Schlütow.  Given that Erika is played by Marlene Dietrich who can blame him?  

Erika is in danger of being despatched to a labour camp given that during the War she had consorted with a senior Nazi.  It is clear throughout the film that Pringle and Erika’s affair is purely transactional, sex in return for security and some of the comforts of life. The first thing we see Pringle do is trade à birthday cake sent to him by à girlfriend back home for a mattress for Erika.

This might make both characters seem unsympathetic but Wilder and Brackett do put their behaviour into some context.  Erika is someone who has had to do whatever she had to do in order to survive, whilst Pringle has an exemplary war record, so having risked life and limb shouldn’t we cut him some slack?

Their life together is threatened when US Congresswoman Phoebe Frost arrives on a fact finding mission. She’s all for efficiency and not at all prepared to cut anyone any slack.  When she enlists Pringle's help in trying to identify Erika’s lover he sees that there's nothing for it but to pretend to fall in love with her as a way of distracting her from her pesky investigation.

Despite this promising setup the romantic comedy that ensues is not up to much.  Part of the problem is that Pringle is played by John Lund, something of a nonentity as a leading man compared with say a Cary Grant or a William Holden.

Given Pringle's lack of charm or charisma it's not very believable that Phoebe would fall in love with him simply because he kisses her (against her will it might be added). I don't imagine that female members of Congress were that common back in 1948 so the way her character is portrayed in this film, as someone easily manipulated, is demeaning to the point of misogyny.

Phoebe is played by the estimable Jean Arthur, who doesn't get much chance to flex her acting muscles in this role.

Also hard to believe is that Pringle then for no obvious reason falls in love with Phoebe, so that the film ends with him leaving Erika to seek out another protector.  I would have preferred Pringle and Erika to stick together (they seem well suited) but obviously that would not have been a commercial proposition.  

I haven't seen many of Marlene Dietrich's films but I'm beginning to think that she rarely enjoys a happy ending.  At least here she's still alive and kicking at the end, although Wilder teases us for a moment that this might not be the case.

The part of Erika is one Dietrich could play in her sleep, complete with a couple of nightclub songs.

The fourth character of note is Pringle's commanding officer, Colonel Plummer, played to perfection by Millard Mitchell.  This is one of several impressive supporting roles for him in the late 40s and early 50s before his untimely death in 1953, including 'Twelve O'Clock High', 'The Gunfighter', 'Winchester '73' and 'Singin' In The Rain'.

Despite its limitations this film has enough going for to make for an enjoyable watch.