Lilli Marlene (1950) Reviews

• Not a very interesting movie.

  gerry10192006-04-17

  I had been looking for this somewhat obscure little movie because it is an early film of Stanley Baker. The picture is set in North Africa before El Alamein when the British and German armies moved backwards and forwards across the same territory on several occasions. The story is partially narrated by an American radio man who keeps the story moving. Stanley Baker has a small part playing a Welshman....surprise! Anyway when the Germans retake the "pub" in which so much of the action takes place they find on interrogating the staff that the daughter of the house is called Lilly Marlene and is none other than the original on whom the song is based. This seems like a big coup for the Nazis until they find she is a very patriotic Frenchwoman who refuses to sing the song in German until her parents are threatened. Well the Brits retake the place and Lilly is momentarily saved but there are still hidden dangers. The movie unspools in a predictable fashion and before the end we are treated to a couple of Vera Lynn songs (not sung by her). The movie is available on an NTSC VHS.

• A war legend brought to life.

  mark.waltz2016-08-03

  As far as I know, this is simply just a traditional German song sung by Marlene Dietrich in her native tongue, even though she was adamantly anti-Nazi. But this British drama gives it a new twist as she is discovered by the Nazi's, a French girl, once in love with a German song writer, and now living in North Africa in utter hatred of the Nazi party. She is rescued by British soldiers who spend much energy trying to keep her from being kidnapped by the Germans who have their own plans for her. The sweet faced Lisa Daniely is convincing as the sweet but determined Lilli who is desperate to remain out of Nazi hands. They do get their hands on her and through torture and cruel brain washing manage to break her down. But with the determined British on their toes, the Nazi's have their hands full in keeping their evil plot in motion. This is a much better film than what I was lead to believe, while not outstanding, but it does provide both a serious war story and the romantic longing of lonely soldiers who longed to return home to the girl they loved. This might have had more of an impact had it come out during the war rather than five years later. It sinks a bit by fast forwarding to after the war to a rather unbelievable conclusion. But it scores points with me for trying something unique and presenting Nazi atrocities with open honesty, perhaps based upon some of the truths discovered once the war ended.

• Fictional account of WW II song in a hokey film

  SimonJack2016-05-28

  The title of this film got my attention. Who wouldn't want to see a movie entitled "Lilli Marlene?" That's the title of one of the most popular wartime songs of World War II. It's variously spelled Lili and Marleen. And, it had different renditions. Although I knew a little of the history behind the song, I had no idea that there had been a movie made by the same title. So, I bought the DVD. The 1950 movie is a war flick and a drama that concerns the famous song and a girl by that name who says that she was the subject of the song. It's a pretty weak piece of fiction that's set mostly in North Africa. The plot is far-fetched, and the screenplay is terrible. This clearly looked to be a "B" or lower tier production. There's not a person in the cast who was a well-known actor. A couple of the cast seem to be able to act. But most are not very good. And the lead male, Hugh McDermott, is a stone-faced wooden character whose voice barely changes from a monotone. If he weren't playing a radio correspondent and cutting records with news reports, one would likely never find a change in his voice. It's too much of a stretch to imagine the heroin of this film, Lisa Daniely as Lilli, falling for this guy. She is fairly good in her role -- one of the few in this film who seem to be able to act. Just about everything else is wrong with this movie though. The camera work, editing, props, and production qualities are rather abysmal. The movie is a real dud. My three stars are solely because of the song. Daniely sings it twice in the film – once in German and once in English. For those who would like a little more information about the song, I offer the following. The original, "Lilli Marleen" was recorded by Lale Andersen in Germany in 1939, as composed by Norbert Schultze. He had written a melody for the World War I poem written by Hans Leip. But it wasn't played on the air until 1941 – by a fluke. And it skyrocketed in popularity among the German soldiers. The British forces of the 8th Army in Africa also heard and liked the song heard on German broadcasts. A British rendition was written in 1943 by Jimmy Phillips and Tommy Connor. They changed the lyrics and it was recorded by Vera Lynn. Then that year, the native German and strongly anti-Nazi actress, Marlene Dietrich began singing the song. She sang a German and an English version across Europe until the end of the war. It became a signature song for her over her entertainment career.

• 6 years too late

  jonathangardiner-775682018-08-31

  The film was dated by 1951. It is great as a propaganda film for the war but for the post war period it is out of date. However Stinker Murdoch adds a bright touch for those who collect comedic performances. Overly sentimental and jingoistic with stero typical performances representing all areas of the UK and 'ze Germans'.