Berlin, 1947: a congressional delegation is headed to a war-torn Berlin to evaluate military morale. U.S. Representative Phoebe Frost of Iowa (Arthur) is particularly concerned with the whereabouts of Erika von Schlütow (Dietrich, giving a career-best performance), a cabaret singer rumored to have been the mistress of high-ranking Nazi officials. Phoebe enlists Captain Pringle (Lund), one of her constituents stationed in Berlin, to aid in her investigation, blithely unaware that Pringle and Erika are lovers. A romantic farce colored by striking tones of lingering wartime danger, A Foreign Affair remains one of legendary writer/director Wilder’s most underrated comedies. (JB)
