Watch on the Rhine (1943)

Watch on the Rhine
Directed by Herman Shumlin
Written by Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman from the play by Hellman
1943/USA
Warner Bros
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Kurt Muller: I do not tell you this story to prove that we are remarkable but to prove that they are not.[/box]

Oscar-winner Paul Lukas is well worth seeing in this tale of German resistance to facism in the years before America entered the war.

Kurt Muller (Lucas) has been a Nazi-fighter since Hitler came to power.  He lives in constant danger so takes his wife Sara (Bette Davis) and three children from Mexico back to her family home near Washington.  Sara’s father was a Supreme Court justice and the house is extremely comfortable compared to what the family has been used to.  Sara’s feisty mother (Lucile Watson) is delighted to see her daughter and meet her grandchildren.

Also staying as houseguests are the Romanian Count de Brancovis (George Colouris) and his much younger wife Marthe (Geraldine Fitzgerald).  The count is a frequent guest at the German Embassy and desperate to get the money and a visa to return to Europe.  He starts spying on Kurt looking for something to sell.  With Beulah Bondi as a French friend of the family.

This is well written anti-facsist propaganda by Lillian Hellman, a noted radical.  There are several political speeches but also a number of really touching scenes.  The speeches tend to be put into the mouth of Bette Davis (in a rare supporting role) while Lukas is more the practical fighter.  He probably won his award for some very moving work near the end of the film.  I thought Lucile  Watson was pretty great as a humorous old liberal.  She lights up the screen whenever she is on it.

Paul Lukas won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Watch on the Rhine.  The film was also nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Supporting Actress  Watson); and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Trailer