Shining Through (1992)

Director:

David Seltzer

Writers (WGA):

Susan Isaacs (novel)
David Seltzer (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 January 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

He needed to trust her with his secret. She had to trust him with her life.

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Flashback Sequence | German American | Law | Narration | New York

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Ed Leland
Melanie Griffith	...	Linda Voss
Liam Neeson	...	Franze-Otto Dietrich
Joely Richardson	...	Margrete Von Eberstein
John Gielgud	...	Sunflower
Francis Guinan	...	Andrew Berringer
Patrick Winczewski	...	Fishmonger
Anthony Walters	...	Dietrich's Son
Victoria Shalet	...	Dietrich's Daughter
Sheila Allen	...	Olga Leiner, Margrete's Mother
Stanley Beard	...	Linda's Father
Sylvia Syms	...	Linda's Mother
Ronald Nitschke	...	Horst Drescher
Hansi Jochmann	...	Hedda Drescher
Peter Flechtner	...	S.S. Officer at Fish Market

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate no. 31366) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company:

Peter V. Miller Investment Corp.

Trivia:

In this film, Liam Neeson works with his future sister-in-law, Joely Richardson.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Army Blue Uniform, which Leland wears during the dancing scene, was not adopted until 1 July 1957. Also officers in the United States Army did not wear Sam Browne belts after 1942, when the 'pink' khaki shirt and tie were adopted.

Quotes:

Horst Drescher: [chewing raw dove] Delicious. Makes me feel like a volf.
[laughs]
Horst Drescher: [then gulps with a sick look on his face]

Movie Connections:

References The Mortal Storm (1940)

Soundtrack:

Goodnight Sweetheart

A Beautiful Look At The '40s During WWII

I acquired this mainly because it is a beautifully-filmed period piece centered around World War II. There are several train station scenes that I think about when recalling this film. They are a couple of the highlights of the fine cinematography and set designs in here. Overall, the movie had nice 1940s feel to it with the cars, dress, hairstyles and colors. It also is good to see this on widescreen DVD.

The story also is interesting but not exactly plausible in one major regard: Melanie Griffith as a spy. sorry, but the bimbo-like quality of Melanie's voice, doesn't lead credence to playing this kind of character. I just can't picture her as some super-intelligent spy, but maybe she's a lot smarter than the roles she usually plays.

Otherwise, this is a well-done, involving suspense film that I enjoy from start to finish.