The Master Race (1944)

When allied troops liberate a small battle-scarred Belgium town in 1944 the American and British commanders do all they can to help the war-weary people back on their feet. There are mental... See full summary »

Director:

Herbert J. Biberman

Writers:

Herbert J. Biberman (screenplay), Anne Froelich (screenplay),

Stars:

George Coulouris, Stanley Ridges, Osa Massen

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Coulouris	...	Von Beck
Stanley Ridges	...	Phil Carson
Osa Massen	...	Helena
Carl Esmond	...	Andrei
Nancy Gates	...	Nina
Morris Carnovsky	...	Old Man Bartoc
Lloyd Bridges	...	Frank
Eric Feldary	...	Altmeier
Helen Beverly	...	Mrs. Varin
Gavin Muir	...	William Forsythe
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Katry
Richard Aherne	...	Sergeant O'Farrell (as Richard Nugent)
Ludwig Donath	...	Schmidt (as Louis Donath)
Herbert Rudley	...	John
Gigi Perreau	...	Baby (as Ghislaine Perreau)

Storyline

When allied troops liberate a small battle-scarred Belgium town in 1944 the American and British commanders do all they can to help the war-weary people back on their feet. There are mental and physical wounds to heal, fields to plough, the church to rebuild. But a top Nazi, knowing the War is lost, has infiltrated the town and is fostering dissent and disunity.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | belgium | church | explosion | world war two | 

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Taglines:

The dramatic shock of the century!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Raça Superior

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on Januray 15, 1945 with George Coulouris and Helen Beverly reprising their film roles.

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Goofs

The British officer Captain William Forsythe gives a palm down American style salute.

User Reviews

Interesting premise, boring execution

Based on the title and the first few minutes, this looks like it will be a kind of "Boys from Brazil" story about Neo-Nazis out to reclaim the world, but it's actually a rather run-of-the-mill WWII propaganda melodrama of betrayal and loyalty. George Coulouris plays von Beck, a Nazi general who leads a group of "inner circle" Nazis on the eve of Germany's surrender (the movie was released after D-Day but before the actual surrender). Glad to leave the weakened Hitler behind, the group goes underground, intending to get new identities and foment dissent among the liberated peoples of the former Third Reich. In Belgium, Coulouris pretends to be his brother, moves in with his sister-in-law and her daughter (who were seen as collaborators by the villagers), and tries to derail the Allies to return the land to nomality. Paul Guilfoyle (father to the Paul Guilfoyle who currently plays Brass on CSI) is Coulouris' first conquest in his propaganda battle. Lloyd Bridges is a former concentration camp prisoner and Nancy Gates is his girlfriend. The most interesting character is Helena, played by Osa Massen, who was raped by a German soldier and subsequently bore a child (Gigi Perreau in a wordless performance). The two have become semi-outcasts, seen as tainted by Nazi blood. There is some nice use of light and shadow in some scenes but aside from its interesting set-up, nothing very exciting goes on. After the opening, we never see any of the other "inner circle" Nazis and the whole film becomes a story of the villagers struggling to trust each other again. One of the worst lines of dialogue in any WWII movie occurs here when Bridges has to say, at an inspiring moment, "When the Lord made people, he had a great idea!" Massen is the best actor in the picture, even though she is saddled with having to look wide-eyed and sinister for the first half of the film until her secret shame (which we guess early on) finally comes out.