The Pied Piper (1942)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Irving Pichel

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (writer)
Nevil Shute (novel)

Release Date:

21 August 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He Raced Hitler's Panzers to the English Channel . . . and Won !

Plot:

Englishman Mr Howard is on a fishing holiday in eastern France when the Germans invade in 1940. Setting...

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Monty Woolley	...	John Sidney Howard
Roddy McDowall	...	Ronnie Cavanaugh
Anne Baxter	...	Nicole Rougeron
Otto Preminger	...	Major Diessen
J. Carrol Naish	...	Aristide Rougeron
Lester Matthews	...	Mr. Cavanaugh
Jill Esmond	...	Mrs. Cavanaugh
Ferike Boros	...	Madame
Peggy Ann Garner	...	Sheila Cavanaugh
Merrill Rodin	...	Willem
Maurice Tauzin	...	Pierre
Fleurette Zama	...	Rose
William Edmunds	...	Frenchman
Marcel Dalio	...	Focquet
Marcelle Corday	...	Madame Bonne

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The original fairy tale was based on the disappearance of the children of the Dutch - not German - village of Hamelin. Although at the time they were thought to have vanished magically, it is now believed that the children left to join one of the Children's Crusades and were taken into slavery.

Quotes:

Focquet: I will join de Gaulle.
Howard: De Gaulle? Who's de Gaulle?
Focquet: De Gaulle, monsieur? He is one who was neither a traitor nor a coward. He's the true France.
Howard: I'm afraid I've never heard of him.
Focquet: You will, monsieur.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Good, but the book was better

Finally tracked down a tape of this 1942 filming of the Nevil Shute novel, and found it quite enjoyable. Monty Woolley is perfect in the lead, a crusty Brit on vacation in Switzerland who is persuaded, with WW2 imminent, to take a friend's two small children to safety in England. Other children join the group along the way, with the German army always around the next corner, leading to an exciting finale when the group is captured by a Nazi commander, played by Otto Preminger. Among the children are Roddy MacDowall and Peggy Ann Garner, and Ann Baxter plays a French girl who helps Monty and his charges elude the Germans. (Baxter's French accent is very convincing.) Two gripes: (1) the film is shot mostly in darkness and in close quarters, and one yearns for the director to open it up. (2) The aforementioned Preminger is over the top in his portrayal - which was of course standard in 1942. But the movie is worth seeing, and worth releasing on DVD. Now to find another "lost" Nevil Shute movie: Landfall. Any suggestions?