A true story about the daring escape from East Germany to West Germany via hot air balloon is the subject of the 1982 Walt Disney Productions' drama, Night Crossing. Delbert Mann, Academy Award winning director for 1953's Marty, called the shots on Night Crossing.
The Berlin Wall is the "goal line" that the Strelzyk and Wetzel families plan long and hard for, and the film spares little in the way of detailing their exhaustive and risky preparation. An earlier attempt to breach the Wall by bulldozer fails miserably, only adding to the importance and urgency surrounding the second attempt.
The actual flight is a nail-biter, with several crucial factors being left, essentially, to luck. Eight people clamber aboard the home-made balloon, at night nonetheless, and their journey seems excruciatingly slow. But, they make it, and are hailed as heroes.
Night Crossing stars John Hurt, Beau Bridges, Jane Alexander and Doug McKeon.
