Address Unknown (1944)

US art dealer returns to his native Germany for a visit and is attracted by Nazi propaganda.

Director:

William Cameron Menzies

Writers:

Herbert Dalmas (screenplay), Kressmann Taylor (based on a book by)

Stars:

Paul Lukas, Carl Esmond, Mady Christians

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Lukas	...	Martin Schulz
Carl Esmond	...	Baron von Friesche
Peter van Eyck	...	Heinrich Schulz
Mady Christians	...	Elsa Schulz
Morris Carnovsky	...	Max Eisenstein
K.T. Stevens	...	Griselle Eisenstein aka Griselle Stone
Emory Parnell	...	Postman
Mary Young	...	Mrs. Delaney
Frank Faylen	...	Jimmie Blake
Charles Halton	...	Censorial Pipsqueak
Erwin Kalser	...	Stage Director
Frank Reicher	...	Professor Schmidt
Dale Cornell	...	Carl Schulz
Peter Newmeyer	...	Wilhelm Schulz
Larry Olsen	...	Youngest Schulz Boy (as Larry Joe Olsen)

Storyline

US art dealer returns to his native Germany for a visit and is attracted by Nazi propaganda.

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Plot Keywords:

germany | nazi germany | police state | policeman | 1930s | 

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Taglines:

To the millions who were shocked when they read it! This picture if the fulfillment of your every expectation! (original prints ads)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agnostos diefthynsis

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the opening scene Paul Lukas's character Martin Schulz are toasting to San Francisco as he is leaving soon, one can see they are standing in front of a picture that cuts off and does not go all the way to the top of the screen

User Reviews

Good

Martin Schulz (Paul Lukas) and Max Eisenstein (Morris Carnovsky) are business partners. Martin moves to Germany with all of his family except for his eldest son Heinrich (Peter van Eyck), who stays behind to look after things in San Francisco with Max. Meanwhile, Max's daughter Griselle (KT Stevens) travels to Germany to become an actress. The families are very close and Heinrich and Griselle have future plans to marry. Once Baron von Friesche (Carl Esmond) appears on the scene, Martin goes through a change and is indoctrinated into the Nazi lifestyle. This means rejecting his Jewish friend, Max, and his friend's daughter Griselle.

The story develops through letter correspondence between the two friends, Martin and Max. There are several stand out scenes, my favourites being the performance at the theatre when Griselle disobeys the Nazi authorities and the following chase that ensues in order to catch her. The acting is good, particularly from Carl Esmond. You just know that there is a nasty ulterior motive lurking behind everything that he says and does. Once Martin begins to receive coded letters, suspicion is aroused by the German censors and it's a matter of time before something happens to him... There is a twist at the end.