Mission to Moscow (1943)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Joseph E. Davies (book)
Howard Koch (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 May 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

One American's Journey into the Truth

Plot:

Mission to Moscow was made at the behest of F.D.R. in order to garner more support for the Soviet Union during WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Russia | Moscow | Stalin | Ambassador | WWII

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Walter Huston	...	Ambassador Joseph E. Davies
Ann Harding	...	Mrs. Marjorie Davies
Oskar Homolka	...	Maxim Litvinov, Foreign Minister
George Tobias	...	Freddie
Gene Lockhart	...	Premier Molotov
Eleanor Parker	...	Emlen Davies
Richard Travis	...	Paul
Helmut Dantine	...	Major Kamenev
Victor Francen	...	Vyshinsky, chief trial prosecutor
Henry Daniell	...	Minister von Ribbentrop
Barbara Everest	...	Mrs. Litvinov
Dudley Field Malone	...	Winston Churchill
Roman Bohnen	...	Mr. Krestinsky
Maria Palmer	...	Tanya Litvinov
Moroni Olsen	...	Colonel Faymonville

Runtime:

123 min (Turner library print) | 124 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | German | Mandarin | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8958)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This film was often mentioned during the 1947 House of Representatives Un-American Committee (HUAC) investigation of communist infiltration in the motion picture industry and was chiefly responsible for the blacklisting of screenwriter Howard Koch. Jack L. Warner defended the picture as being "made when our country was fighting for its existence, with Russia as one of our allies. ... The picture was made only to help a desperate war effort and not for posterity."

Goofs:

Factual errors: Aside from the issue of the fairness of the Moscow purge trials, or the truthfulness of the alleged confessions of the accused, the people shown standing trial together in the film in fact did not all stand trial at the same time. There were two such major show trials, one in 1937, the second in 1938, and the real life characters depicted in the film as being tried simultaneously were actually tried in separate groups at one of the two trials.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dallas: Mission to Moscow (#12.25)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

For You

Propaganda can be fun - this isn't!!!

I can understand the need for pro-allied propaganda when the outcome of the war was still uncertain, but this was pathetic. It's no surprise that Howard Koch was the screenwriter for this rather sorry effort to promote Soviet propaganda, or that he was later cited by the HUAC. Propaganda can be fun - try North Star or Days of Glory. This movie is not an effort to raise morale or promote a cohesive war effort. It's purpose appears to try to justify any and all the barbaric atrocities committed during the Stalin regime. Example: The show trials were interspersed with remarks by allied journalists approving of the same judicial perversion for which we condemned Germany at Nueremburg. We agreed with the Soviet position that Trotsky was responsible for undermining the good works of the Soviet. We blame ourselves for the Russo-German alliance. The fact that Russia absorbed half of Poland in payment isn't discussed. This movie actually claims it was strategic move to buy time. Davies (Walter Huston) spends the entire movie trying to convince us that the Soviet Union performed a miracle, 5 yrs at a time. Big business is portrayed as greedy capitalists anxious to do business with Germany and Japan in pursuit of the Almighty buck. Russia invaded Finland as an act of self defense etc, etc. The examples are too numerous to mention.

Michael Curtiz' direction, as usual, is exciting and flawless. It is this movies' only saving grace. The early scene when Davies arrives at the Hamburg train station was precious. There are Swastikas everywhere. In typical Curtiz style, shadow troops marched passed the camera. Mein Kampf was for sale everywhere. Pathetic deportees are on the platform - number tags on their chest - waiting for transport to the camps. Hitler Youth marching like toy soldiers. If you can put the politics aside (I couldn't) you can really enjoy the visuals.

But beware, there was a message to this madness.