Taken 60s Style
Having escaped from East Germany once Karin von Seefeldt (Eva Bartok) finds herself back in Dresden when a flight she is working on is forced down having flown in to restricted air space. With the State police trying to track down her brother Pieter (George Mikell) they plan to use Karin to draw him out of hiding. Karen's British fiancé Jim (Richard Greene) has other plans and arrives in Germany to try and rescue her.
"Beyond the Curtain" was a product of the British film industry in 1960 and everything about it screams 60s b-movie. Yet ironically the storyline to "Beyond the Curtain" is the sort of thing which is still being made today where a loved one is stuck in a foreign country and we have a boyfriend, husband or relative trying to rescue them. Basically what I am saying is that "Beyond the Curtain" could be made now with say Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger and it would probably be entertaining.
And in fairness "Beyond the Curtain" whilst typical of its age is still entertaining because of that basic concept of a person trying to rescue a loved one from a foreign country. And it has to be said that director Compton Bennett does a reasonable job of establishing some drama, from the pilots accidentally flying into restricted air space causing panic amongst passengers to the tension of Jim sneaking around to try and rescue Karin. But of course where today's movie would focus on the action this focuses on the drama of Karin firstly arrested and then used to try and draw her brother out of hiding.
As for the acting well it is a case of effective but ultimately forgettable with no one standing out for delivering a memorable performance. In fact the only thing which is memorable about the actors is that whilst Richard Greene was only 9 years older that Eva Bartok he looks a heck of a lot older and makes the believability of their relationship a little hard to believe.
What this all boils down to is that "Beyond the Curtain" is an effective British made drama from 1960 using the sort of storyline which is still being used today. It isn't the most entertaining of movies and so more of one for those with an interest in older movies which are not easy to find rather than those seeking entertainment.
