Escape (1940)

1938: A young man arrives in Hitler's Germany, frantically seeking information about his German mother, and finds she is pending execution at a concentration camp.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Arch Oboler (screen play), Marguerite Roberts (screen play),

Stars:

Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Norma Shearer	...	Countess von Treck
Robert Taylor	...	Mark Preysing
Conrad Veidt	...	General Kurt von Kolb
Alla Nazimova	...	Emmy Ritter (as Nazimova)
Felix Bressart	...	Fritz Keller
Albert Bassermann	...	Dr. Arthur Henning
Philip Dorn	...	Dr. Ditten
Edgar Barrier	...	Commissioner
Bonita Granville	...	Ursula
Elsa Bassermann	...	Mrs. Henning
Blanche Yurka	...	Nurse
Lisa Golm	...	Anna

Storyline

An American goes to Germany to find his mother and discovers her in a concentration camp. With the help of a German countess he engineers her escape.

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Plot Keywords:

germany | escape | deception | heart disease | political prisoner | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

When the Door Opened

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Author Grace Zaring Stone used a pen name when her book was published to protect relatives living in Europe from Nazi retribution. Similarly, no composer credit was given in the film for the same reason, and some of the actors used fictitious names.

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Quotes

Mark Preysing: She knows nothing about international politics, she has the mind of an artist, she sees people as general humanity, not as separate races.

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Connections

Featured in The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Liebestod"
(1865) (uncredited)
from "Tristan und Isolde"
Written by Richard Wagner
Played on piano by Conrad Veidt
Played at a concert and as background

User Reviews

Condemned to death for selling your home!

Imagine! Returning to the country of yourself birth and finding yourself convicted of treason, then condemned to death, and for the sole crime of selling your old family home. Thus begins the nightmare one woman is plunged into in 1936 Nazi Germany, and is the setting for her son's desperate attempt to free and get her to safety. Robert Taylor plays the American-born son who goes to Germany to find out what has happened to his missing mother.

Feel his shock and incredulity when he learns of his mother's impending execution. See his mounting desperation and frustration as his inquiries are met with fearful denials from the very people who were once his mother's friends and neighbors.

To who can this lone American turn to for help? You will find yourself on the edge of your seat as you watch the unfolding horror, the near misses, the turning of fate. Better yet, read the novel this movie is based on.