FEATURE FILM

Lilli Marlene

6.3/10
TMDB5 votes
1950Original: English74 min

Lilli Marlene, a French girl working as a bar maid in her uncle's café in Benghazi, Libya, turns out to be the girl that the popular German wartime song Lili Marleen had been written for before the war, so both the British and the Germans try to use her for propaganda purposes - especially as it turns out that she can sing as well. When the Germans kidnap her in Cairo and she starts appearing in radio broadcasts from Berlin, her British soldier friends think that she's joined the enemy. They couldn't be more wrong, because after the war it turns out that her songs over the radio contained secret messages to London from British agents in Berlin.

Genres: Drama
Cast: Lisa Daniely, Hugh McDermott, Richard Murdoch, Leslie Dwyer, Estelle Brody

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THE STORY & THE PEOPLE

About Lilli Marlene

Lilli Marlene (1950) is a film in the drama genres. Directed by Arthur Crabtree. The cast includes Lisa Daniely, Hugh McDermott, Richard Murdoch, Leslie Dwyer.

Released
1950-12-08
Original language
English
Runtime
74 minutes
Status
Released
Production countries
United Kingdom
Production companies
William Gell Productions, Monarch Productions Limited
Writers
Leslie Wood

Lilli Marlene cast & characters

Audience reviews

6.3/10 from 5 TMDB votes. Ratings and reviews are supplied by TMDB. Reviews are attributed to their original authors.

CinemaSerf

TMDB member review

Lisa Daniely is quite engaging as the eponymous character in this post-war homage to the sweethearts whose songs lifted many an heart during the hardships of WWII. She is working in a small North African bar that finds itself controlled by the British, the Nazis, then the British again - with both sides aware that she is the source of the legendary song, and with both equally aware of her enormous propaganda value.…

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Lisa Daniely is quite engaging as the eponymous character in this post-war homage to the sweethearts whose songs lifted many an heart during the hardships of WWII. She is working in a small North African bar that finds itself controlled by the British, the Nazis, then the British again - with both sides aware that she is the source of the legendary song, and with both equally aware of her enormous propaganda value. Amidst all this toing and froing, she meets and gradually falls for "Steve" (Hugh McDermott) before being recaptured by the Nazis and taken to Berlin where she is encouraged to make broadcasts in English to smash morale. Nobody will sing this song like Marlene Dietrich, but Daniely makes a decent fist of her frequent renditions - in English and German - and her porcelain-like features and delicacy of performance engender a sense of her vulnerability as she is but a pawn in a dangerous game. McDermott could never be described as versatile and it's all grin and smart-assed quips from him here too. The production has been nowhere near a desert, but as wartime feel good films go this is at the more entertaining end with just enough menace from some nasty Nazis to remind you that it could all have been true!

Questions about Lilli Marlene

What is Lilli Marlene about?

Lilli Marlene, a French girl working as a bar maid in her uncle's café in Benghazi, Libya, turns out to be the girl that the popular German wartime song Lili Marleen had been written for before the war, so both the British and the Germans try to use her for propaganda purposes - especially as it turns out that she can sing as well. When the Germans kidnap her in Cairo and she starts appearing in radio broadcasts from Berlin, her British soldier friends think that she's joined the enemy. They couldn't be more wrong, because after the war it turns out that her songs over the radio contained secret messages to London from British agents in Berlin.

Who stars in Lilli Marlene?

Lisa Daniely, Hugh McDermott, Richard Murdoch, Leslie Dwyer, Estelle Brody, Cecil Brock. See the cast cards above for character names.

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