A sleeper blockbuster which made a fortune for RKO and propelled Edward Dmytryk into the top rank. Why was it so successful? It didn't have star factor, though the acting is fine (Tim Holt, Bonita Granville, Kent Smith). It took on the Nazis but so did many films. There's some OTT Nazi acting even for the time.
Trying to analyse it, I think the reason was this: it's a love story about young people. Tim Holt, raised to be a Nazi, falls for Bonita Graville, a German American who recognises the Nazis are wrong. So two young uns with strong point of view for their characters.
It offers career best roles for Tim Holt and Graville. He's a believable Nazi, whose conscience becomes pricked Granville is brave, spirited, beautiful - an anti Nazi in Germany.
Kent Smith lumbers through his role - he's okay I guess. The role is important, an American abroad, an audience surrogate. HB Warner as a Catholic Bishop is dull, giving a long speech - I kept waiting for the Nazis to shoot him.
But the rest is very good. Otto Kruger is excellent as a Gestapo officer who forgives Holt being soft on Granville then becomes vengeful. The pulpy quality suits the material: I mean, it's terrifying, Granville is torn away from her guardian and put into a camp, then later on women are sterilised, she escapes and his tortured, is whipped. Holt falls for her, he's put on trial, he makes a speech, is shot, she's shot. It's full on. Terrific stuff.
Dmytryk handles it all very well.
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