Hotel Berlin
The lives of various desperate people intersect at the Hotel Berlin, a hotbed of Nazis, officers, spies and ordinary Germans trying to weather the inevitable defeat. Martin Richter, a leader of the Ge…
Hotel Berlin
The lives of various desperate people intersect at the Hotel Berlin, a hotbed of Nazis, officers, spies and ordinary Germans trying to weather the inevitable defeat. Martin Richter, a leader of the German underground who has escaped from Dachau concentration camp, is hiding there, aided by some of the staff. He is hunted by SS-Gruppenführer Joachim Helm (George Coulouris), who has his headquarters in the same building. Another hotel guest is Nobel laureate Johannes Koenig (Peter Lorre), Richter's friend from before the war and in Dachau. General Arnim von Dahnwitz (Raymond Massey), the last of the leaders of a plot against Hitler still at large, goes to his friend von Stetten (Henry Daniell) to see if his clique can help him, but is told that nothing can be done. He has at best 24 hours to shoot himself and save the Nazi regime the embarrassment of publicly dealing with him. At the hotel, von Dahnwitz encounters Lisa Dorn (Andrea King), his lover and a famous actress. He asks Dorn to marry him and flee with him to Sweden, but she is aware his situation is hopeless and declines. Later, von Dahnwitz commits suicide. Meanwhile, von Stetten is arranging for the escape of his group to North America, where they hope to secretly rebuild their strength for another grab at power. He invites Koenig to join them (to provide a cover for their activities). Hotel "hostess" (and informant) Tillie Weiler (Faye Emerson) warmly greets Major Kauders (Kurt Kreuger), a pilot determined to make the fullest use of a short leave. They quarrel and part when he finds her photograph of a man who he thinks looks Jewish. Later, Sarah Baruch (Helene Thimig) comes to her and begs her help in getting medicine for her husband, dying of cancer. The older woman also reveals that her son Max, Tillie's former employer and love, is alive, having been liberated from a labor camp by the Allies. When they take shelter from an air raid in the basement, Sarah is recognized by Hermann Plotke (Alan Hale), who orders her to put on the Star of David badge required of all Jews. This is too much for Tillie, who reveals to all that Plotke used to work in the Bauers' department store, until he was caught stealing. Max gave him another chance, only to have Plotke appropriate the business when the Nazis came to power. Plotke orders her arrest, but is himself taken into custody for stealing from the government. Richter is given a waiter's uniform and sent to serve dinner to Dorn in her suite. When she becomes suspicious, he is forced to reveal his identity. She offers to assist him in exchange for her own passage out of Germany. Later, however, Tillie snoops in Dorn's suite (not only envious of her extensive wardrobe, but seeking a pair of shoes) and finds a suspicious discarded waiter's jacket, which she reports to Helm. Helm captures Richter by himself, but Richter is able to disarm and overpower him. He throws an unconscious Helm down the shaft of a disabled elevator. Though the hotel is surrounded, Dorn persuades admirer Major Kauders to escort a seemingly drunk Richter (now in an SS uniform) through the cordon. When Richter sends word where to meet him, however, Dorn betrays him. She is suspected, and her phone call to Von Stetten is overheard. As a result, she is taken to the underground headquarters as a prisoner. Despite her desperate attempts to justify herself, Richter shoots her.
Hotel Berlin
Drama,War
Film Details
The lives of various desperate people intersect at the Hotel Berlin, a hotbed of Nazis, officers, spies and ordinary Germans trying to weather the inevitable defeat. Martin Richter, a leader of the German underground who has escaped from Dachau concentration camp, is hiding there, aided by some of the staff. He is hunted by SS-Gruppenführer Joachim Helm (George Coulouris), who has his headquarters in the same building.
Another hotel guest is Nobel laureate Johannes Koenig (Peter Lorre), Richter's friend from before the war and in Dachau. General Arnim von Dahnwitz (Raymond Massey), the last of the leaders of a plot against Hitler still at large, goes to his friend von Stetten (Henry Daniell) to see if his clique can help him, but is told that nothing can be done. He has at best 24 hours to shoot himself and save the Nazi regime the embarrassment of publicly dealing with him.
At the hotel, von Dahnwitz encounters Lisa Dorn (Andrea King), his lover and a famous actress. He asks Dorn to marry him and flee with him to Sweden, but she is aware his situation is hopeless and declines. Later, von Dahnwitz commits suicide.
Meanwhile, von Stetten is arranging for the escape of his group to North America, where they hope to secretly rebuild their strength for another grab at power. He invites Koenig to join them (to provide a cover for their activities). Hotel "hostess" (and informant) Tillie Weiler (Faye Emerson) warmly greets Major Kauders (Kurt Kreuger), a pilot determined to make the fullest use of a short leave.
They quarrel and part when he finds her photograph of a man who he thinks looks Jewish. Later, Sarah Baruch (Helene Thimig) comes to her and begs her help in getting medicine for her husband, dying of cancer. The older woman also reveals that her son Max, Tillie's former employer and love, is alive, having been liberated from a labor camp by the Allies.
When they take shelter from an air raid in the basement, Sarah is recognized by Hermann Plotke (Alan Hale), who orders her to put on the Star of David badge required of all Jews. This is too much for Tillie, who reveals to all that Plotke used to work in the Bauers' department store, until he was caught stealing. Max gave him another chance, only to have Plotke appropriate the business when the Nazis came to power.
Plotke orders her arrest, but is himself taken into custody for stealing from the government. Richter is given a waiter's uniform and sent to serve dinner to Dorn in her suite. When she becomes suspicious, he is forced to reveal his identity.
She offers to assist him in exchange for her own passage out of Germany. Later, however, Tillie snoops in Dorn's suite (not only envious of her extensive wardrobe, but seeking a pair of shoes) and finds a suspicious discarded waiter's jacket, which she reports to Helm. Helm captures Richter by himself, but Richter is able to disarm and overpower him.
He throws an unconscious Helm down the shaft of a disabled elevator. Though the hotel is surrounded, Dorn persuades admirer Major Kauders to escort a seemingly drunk Richter (now in an SS uniform) through the cordon. When Richter sends word where to meet him, however, Dorn betrays him.
She is suspected, and her phone call to Von Stetten is overheard. As a result, she is taken to the underground headquarters as a prisoner. Despite her desperate attempts to justify herself, Richter shoots her..