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The year is 1978. East Germany has sealed its border with the West for over fifteen years, with life for its citizens being dull and bleak. In Thuringia, a teenage boy attempts to escape by driving a bulldozer through the border zone. He fails and is killed by the military. His death causes his family to be taken in for "questioning" and spurs their friends, the Strelzyks and Wetzels, into wanting to escape. Peter Strelzyk hatches a daring plan with Günter Wetzel to build a balloon that will carry both their families out of East Germany. With their large purchases of fabric being monitored by the Stasi, they must work quickly before they too are arrested.
to:
The year is 1978. East Germany has sealed its border with the West for over fifteen years, with life for its citizens being dull and bleak. In Thuringia, a teenage boy attempts to escape by driving a bulldozer through the border zone. He fails and is killed by the military. His death causes his family to be taken in for "questioning" and spurs their friends, the Strelzyks and Wetzels, into wanting to escape. Peter Strelzyk (Creator/JohnHurt) hatches a daring plan with Günter Wetzel (Beau Bridges) to build a balloon that will carry both their families out of East Germany. With their large purchases of fabric being monitored by the Stasi, they must work quickly before they too are arrested.
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* AdultFear: Petra Wetzel is the most skeptical of the plan, as she's afraid the balloon will crash and kill their children. All of the adults are fearful that the Stasi will come and them away.
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* AdultFear: Petra Wetzel is the most skeptical of the plan, as she's afraid the balloon will crash and kill their children. All of the adults are fearful that the Stasi will come and take them away.
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* AdultFear: Petra Wetzel is the most skeptical of the plan, as she's afraid the balloon will crash and kill their children. All of the adults are fearful that the Stasi will come and them away.
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* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film condenses some of the actual events. For instances, the families actually built three balloons: the first was the original prototype, the second was used in the Strelzyks' escape attempt, and the third was used in the final escape. In addition, Peter is portrayed as coming up with the idea for the balloon, even though they got the idea when Petra's sister visited with a magazine showing a balloon festival in Arizona. You can read Günter Wetzel's account of the escape [[https://www.ballonflucht.de/html/englisch.html here]].
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* TheGreatWall: The Berlin Wall itself is briefly shown from Koerner's office.
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* ShownTheirWork: Details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film, referred to by characters as the SSD (''Staatssicherheitdienst'', or State Security Service).
* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film, referred to by characters as the SSD (''Staatssicherheitdienst'', or State Security Service).
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* ShownTheirWork: Details about the inner Inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film, referred toby characters as the SSD (''Staatssicherheitdienst'', or State Security Service).
* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film, referred to
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* WeatherSavesTheDay: In the late evening on September, Peter and Günther ride to the border to check the wind. After throwing some strings into the air, they determine that it's perfect for their flight and head back to get their families and the balloon.
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* WeatherSavesTheDay: In the late evening on September, September 15, Peter and Günther ride drive to the border to check the wind. After throwing some strings into the air, they determine that it's perfect for their flight and head back to get their families and the balloon.
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[[caption-width-right:350:To freedom!]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:To freedom!]]
freedom in just 28 minutes!]]
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* MacGyvering: The Wetzels sew the balloon itself in their attic while Peter uses household appliances to build the burner and construct a basket.
* MeaningfulName: The border guard lieutenant is named Fehler, which is German for "mistake."
* MeaningfulName: The border guard lieutenant is named Fehler, which is German for "mistake."
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* WeatherSavesTheDay: In the late evening on September, Peter and Günther ride to the border to check the wind. After throwing some strings into the air, they determine that it's perfect for their flight and head back to get their families and the balloon.
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[[caption-width-right:350:Based on one remarkable true story.]]
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''Night Crossing'' is a 1982 Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon. That's right. A ''true'' story.
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''Night Crossing'' is a 1982 Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon. That's right. A ''true'' story.
story, and a truly remarkable one at that.
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Changed line(s) 36 (click to see context) from:
* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film.
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* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film. film, referred to by characters as the SSD (''Staatssicherheitdienst'', or State Security Service).
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* AsYouKnow: One of Peter's neighbors has to remind him that they're neighbors and friends. It should be no surprise that he later turns out to be a Stasi agent.
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* TheInformant: This being East Germany, the Strelzyks and Wetzels are very wary about their neighbors as any one of them might report them to the Stasi.
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* TheInformant: This being East Germany, the Strelzyks and Wetzels are very wary about their neighbors as any one of them might report them to the Stasi. As it turns out, one of them actually is a Stasi agent.
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''Night Crossing'' is a 1982 Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
to:
''Night Crossing'' is a 1982 Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
balloon. That's right. A ''true'' story.
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* TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive: Implied. After several months, Peter sees Josef Keller again at the pharmacy, only to find that he's become very distant and addicted to painkillers from his time with the Stasi.
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* TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive: TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: Implied. After several months, Peter sees Josef Keller again at the pharmacy, only to find that he's become very distant and addicted to painkillers from his time with the Stasi.
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* TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive: Implied. After several months, Peter sees Josef Keller again at the pharmacy, only to find that he's become very distant and addicted to painkillers from his time with the Stasi.
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* DeadpanSnarker: Petra, just before they leave for the launch site.
-->'''Günther:''' You've gained weight.
-->'''Petra:''' I've got my best clothes underneath. I'm not arriving in West Germany looking like a bum.
-->'''Günther:''' You've gained weight.
-->'''Petra:''' I've got my best clothes underneath. I'm not arriving in West Germany looking like a bum.
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* ProperlyParanoid: When buying an enormous quantity of fabric, Peter feels uneasy when the manager goes to his office to make a phone call. He immediately leaves afterwards, knowing he likely alerted the Stasi.
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->'''Doris Strelzyk:''' You want us to climb into a balloon and float away to West Germany?
->'''Petra Wetzel:''' Come on, it isn't funny to joke about going to the West.
->'''Doris Strelzyk:''' They're not joking.
->'''Petra Wetzel:''' Come on, it isn't funny to joke about going to the West.
->'''Doris Strelzyk:''' They're not joking.
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* TheInformant: This being East Germany, the Strelzyks and Wetzels are very wary about their neighbors as any one of them might report them to the Stasi.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1542.JPG]]
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1542.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1542_0.JPG]]
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1542.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Based on one remarkable true story.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Based on one remarkable true story.]]
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* AluminumChristmasTrees: We must reiterate that, yes, this actually happened. You can even see the original balloon used in the real escape at the Mauer Museum in Berlin.
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* ChekhovsGun: Doris loses her blood pressure pills during the first escape attempt. They're later found by the Stasi on the day of their second attempt, providing a lead.
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* RaceAgainstTime: The third act, when the Strelzyks and Wetzels start working to build a second balloon. The Stasi are steadily closing in, based on the launch site and tracking any unusual purchases of fabric.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Major Koerner, who's able to narrow down the search radius based on the first balloon's carried weight and how long it was in the air.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Major Koerner, who's able to narrow down the search radius based on the first balloon's carried weight and how long it was in the air.
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* StateSec: The Stasi are the most prominent bad guys in the film.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: The second balloon. While Peter and Günter have learned a lot from their first attempt, saving on trial and error, they're unable to risk testing the balloon for two families because there's no more time.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: The second balloon. While Peter and Günter have learned a lot from their first attempt, saving on trial and error, they're unable to risk testing the balloon for two families because there's no more time.
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* TheStasi: The primary antagonists, referred to as the "SSD" (''Staatssicherheitsdienst'', or "[[StateSec State Security]] Service").
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* PunchClockVillain: Deconstructed. Major Koerner, the leader of the Stasi agents hunting down the families, clearly sees himself as [[JustDoingMyJob just a cop doing his job]]. But when he goes to the pharmacy to track down a prescription number (see above), the pharmacist is clearly terrified of Koerner and his lackies. The pharmacist tries to reason with Koerner, telling him how hard it will be to track the name down with what he has to work with. Koerner quietly browbeats him, giving strong hints that the pharmacist might be subjected to, shall we say, ''harsher'' forms of interrogation if he doesn't comply.
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Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
Night Crossing is a 1982 Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
The year is 1978. East Germany has sealed its border with the West for over fifteen years, with life for its citizens being dull and bleak. In Thuringia, a teenage boy attempts to escape by driving a bulldozer through the border zone. He fails and is killed by the military. His death causes his family to be taken in for "questioning" and spurs their friends, the Strelzyks and Wetzels, into wanting to escape. Peter Strelzyk hatches a daring plan with his Günter Wetzel to build a balloon that will carry both their families out of East Germany. With their large purchases of fabric being monitored by the Stasi, they must work quickly before they too are arrested.
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The year is 1978. East Germany has sealed its border with the West for over fifteen years, with life for its citizens being dull and bleak. In Thuringia, a teenage boy attempts to escape by driving a bulldozer through the border zone. He fails and is killed by the military. His death causes his family to be taken in for "questioning" and spurs their friends, the Strelzyks and Wetzels, into wanting to escape. Peter Strelzyk hatches a daring plan with his Günter Wetzel to build a balloon that will carry both their families out of East Germany. With their large purchases of fabric being monitored by the Stasi, they must work quickly before they too are arrested.
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* MissedHimByThatMuch: The day of the escape, the Stasi find heart medication belonging to Doris Strelzyk. They go to the pharmacy and after looking through the entire prescription file, they get a lead, which is further expounded by their neighbor, a Stasi member, mentioning how the Strelzyks have been acting strangely for weeks. Fortunately, the families manage to leave their house for the last time and get to their launch site just before the Stasi agents arrive.
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* HopeSpot: The first escape attempt. After the Wetzels bail out of the plan, the Strelzyks attempt to escape by themselves. However, a cloud dampens the balloon and forces them to land. Peter scouts ahead, only to find that they're inside the border zone, with land mines and trip wires standing between them and returning home.
* MissedHimByThatMuch: The day of the escape, the Stasi find heart medication belonging to DorisStrelzyk.Strelzyk in the area where the first balloon was found. They go to the pharmacy and after looking through the entire prescription file, they get a lead, which is further expounded by their neighbor, a Stasi member, mentioning how the Strelzyks have been acting strangely for weeks. Fortunately, the families manage to leave their house for the last time and get to their launch site just before the Stasi agents arrive.
* MissedHimByThatMuch: The day of the escape, the Stasi find heart medication belonging to Doris
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The year is 1978. East Germany has sealed its border with the West for over fifteen years, with life for its citizens being dull and bleak. In Thuringia, a teenage boy attempts to escape by driving a bulldozer through the border zone. He fails and is killed by the military. His death causes his family to be taken in for "questioning" and spurs their friends, the Strelzyks and Wetzels, into wanting to escape. Peter Strelzyk hatches a daring plan with his Günter Wetzel to build a balloon that will carry both their families out of East Germany. With their large purchases of fabric being monitored by the Stasi, they must work quickly before they too are arrested.
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* BadLiar: Peter and Günter are not quite convincing when they say that their orders for absurdly large quantities of fabric are for a camping club.
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* EarnYourHappyEnding: After many hardships, setbacks, and tragedies, both families manage to successfully escape East Germany and make a new life for themselves in the West.
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* MissedHimByThatMuch: The day of the escape, the Stasi find heart medication belonging to Doris Strelzyk. They go to the pharmacy and after looking through the entire prescription file, they get a lead, which is further expounded by their neighbor, a Stasi member, mentioning how the Strelzyks have been acting strangely for weeks. Fortunately, the families manage to leave their house for the last time and get to their launch site just before the Stasi agents arrive.
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* TheStasi: The primary antagonists, referred to as the "SSD" (''Staatssicherheitsdienst'', or "[[StateSec State Security]] Service").
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Night Crossing is a 1982 Disney movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
to:
Night Crossing is a 1982 Disney Creator/{{Disney}} movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
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* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent / TheKidsAreAmerican : Played straight and averted. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
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* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent / TheKidsAreAmerican : Played straight and averted.NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Zigzagged. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
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Not a trope.
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* BerlinWall
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Moved to the Trivia tab.
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Tropes:
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!!Tropes:
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* FakeNationality: The family members are all American, except for Brit John Hurt.
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* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Mr. Slugworth]] is now working for TheStasi.
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* ShownTheirWork: Details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
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* ShownTheirWork: Details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.accurate.
----
----
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* ShownTheirWork: details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
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* ShownTheirWork: details Details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
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* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Played straight and averted. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
to:
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent / TheKidsAreAmerican : Played straight and averted. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
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Night Crossing is a 1982 Disney movie made during their period of films aimed more at older audiences. It's the based on a true story account of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families' escape from East Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.
Tropes:
* BerlinWall
* DefectorFromCommieLand: The main characters, obviously.
* {{Determinator}}: 3 examples: The families, however this is partly due to necessity since the police will never stop looking for them. The police who devote all their resources to finding anyone who attempts to escape. And East Germany as a whole who ironically devoted so much just to prevent anyone from leaving their "paradise."
* DirtyCommunists: One of the best examples.
* FakeNationality: The family members are all American, except for Brit John Hurt.
* ForegoneConclusion: How else would the movie have been made? As it ages and the concept becomes increasingly obsolete; the outcome is less determined by younger audiences though.
* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Mr. Slugworth]] is now working for TheStasi.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Played straight and averted. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
* ShownTheirWork: details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
Tropes:
* BerlinWall
* DefectorFromCommieLand: The main characters, obviously.
* {{Determinator}}: 3 examples: The families, however this is partly due to necessity since the police will never stop looking for them. The police who devote all their resources to finding anyone who attempts to escape. And East Germany as a whole who ironically devoted so much just to prevent anyone from leaving their "paradise."
* DirtyCommunists: One of the best examples.
* FakeNationality: The family members are all American, except for Brit John Hurt.
* ForegoneConclusion: How else would the movie have been made? As it ages and the concept becomes increasingly obsolete; the outcome is less determined by younger audiences though.
* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Mr. Slugworth]] is now working for TheStasi.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Played straight and averted. All of the members of the Strelcyk and Wetzel Families speak in their native British or American accents. But all secondary characters speak with (sometimes exaggerated) German accents. Justified in that some of the actors are German.
* ShownTheirWork: details about the inner German Border defenses are very accurate.
