Rent A Foreign Affair (1948)

Berlin Comedy. - A Foreign Affair review by Steve

This lesser known Billy Wilder comedy is a near remake of his co-script on Ninotchka. Jean Arthur plays a straightarrow Senator from the corn belt who visits the ruins of postwar Berlin to investigate misconduct by the occupying US army. Only she falls for the main culprit (John Lund) who is keeping a mercenary ex-mistress (Marlene Dietrich) of a leading Nazi in soap and coffee.

The Senator is a moralist who goes by the rules. She learns the facts of life soon enough, and discovers her own humanity. The Berliners do what they can to survive, and dignity is the commodity they can least afford.  This is Wilder's second comedy, and begins his signature of attributing a cynical humour to a scenario more typical of melodrama. 

The director fled the Nazis in the '30s and his mother was killed in a concentration camp. Yet he shows pragmatic sympathy for the survivors of defeat, as well as indulgence towards the US soldiers. But the mood gets progressively darker until it eventually feels a bit like watching film noir.

As the ice maiden who thaws, Arthur lacks appeal. Lund is credible, though hasn't much charm. But Marlene Dietrich is a sensation, especially when singing three sardonic cabaret numbers by Friedrich Hollaender. Wilder and Charles Brackett give her some persuasive, poetic editorials to deliver, and she nails them.

interesting piece of history, - A Foreign Affair review by pete b

more than anything, i enjoyed this film for the snapshot it provides of post-war berlin. more than anything, i enjoyed this film for the snapshot it provides of post-war berlin.

Superb Dark Farce Filmed in a Ruined & Ravaged Berlin Immediately After the Second World War - A Foreign Affair review by PV

A dark farce of a comedy complete with gallows humour, so suitable for the immediate post-war period in ruined and ravaged Berlin - those who know the city will recognise streets, especially the ruined Kaiser Wilhelm church by Zoo station, the KDW department store, Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. It's as authentic as it gets.

The plot is thin, but the actors lift it, and Marlene Dietrich is sublime. Never forget she helped Jews escape Germany in the mid-late 1930s, donated huge sums to charities helping them, left Germany for the USA where she campaigned against the Nazis etc and toured Israel post WWII.

This may not be pc for today's wokeworld soaked in #metoo juice, but the plot hangs together and the characters are believable in the context of comedy, especially farce. Some may not like the juxtaposition of that romantic comedy with talk of the horrors of war, though the mass rape of German women by Russians is mentioned in passing.

This being filmed immediately after the war, the Nazis/baddies and those who collaborated cannot be allowed to get away. In reality, 97% SS members and many more Nazi party members including war criminals did get away without consequences, with many prominent Nazis just returning to pre-war careers post-war - a barking police officer here explores that slyly. Lots of references to trying to save the people by helping them de-Nazify themselves, to let children by children etc, so all very moving.

No spoilers but the ending works only in the context of those days. But nevertheless, this is a classic. 4 stars