Passage to Marseille (1944)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Casey Robinson (screenplay) and
Jack Moffitt (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 March 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | War

Plot:

Five patriotic convicts are helped to escape imprisonment in Devil's Island so they can fight for occupied Free French forces against the Nazis.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | England | Escape | Devil's Island | Bomber

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Jean Matrac
Claude Rains	...	Capt. Freycinet
Michèle Morgan	...	Paula Matrac (as Michele Morgan)
Philip Dorn	...	Renault
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Maj. Duval
Peter Lorre	...	Marius
George Tobias	...	Petit
Helmut Dantine	...	Garou
John Loder	...	Manning
Victor Francen	...	Capt. Patain Malo
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Grandpere
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Chief Engineer (as Edward Ciannelli)
Corinna Mura	...	Singer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Charles Andre	...	Navigator (uncredited)
Robert Appel	...	Guard (uncredited)
John Bagni	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Albert Baldo	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Carmen Beretta	...	Petit's Wife (uncredited)
Monte Blue	...	Second Mate (uncredited)
Walter Bonn	...	Prison Official (uncredited)
Frederic Brunn	...	Bijou (uncredited)
Peter Camlin	...	French Sergeant (uncredited)
André Charlot	...	Judge (uncredited)
Hans Conried	...	Jourdain (uncredited)
Marcelle Corday	...	Grocer's Wife (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Chief Guard (uncredited)
Adrienne D'Ambricourt	...	Rosalie - Mayor's Wife (uncredited)
Franklin D'Amour	...	Seaman (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Seaman (uncredited)
George Davis	...	Jacques - Waiter (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	Raoul Doulaine (uncredited)
Adrian Droeshout	...	Guard (uncredited)
Diane DuBois	...	Petit's Daughter (uncredited)
Demetris Emanuel	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Fred Essler	...	Prosper - Mayor (uncredited)
Richard Flato	...	Bombardier (uncredited)
Anatol Frikin	...	Crazy Convict (uncredited)
Harold Gerard	...	Guard (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Thug Wrecking Newspaper Office (uncredited)
Charles La Torre	...	Lt. Lenoir (uncredited)
Oscar Loraine	...	(uncredited)
Harro Meller	...	German Pilot (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Engineer (uncredited)
Victor Metzetti	...	Guard (uncredited)
Peter Miles	...	Jean Matrac Jr. (uncredited)
Suzette O'Neill	...	Flower Woman (uncredited)
Alex Papana	...	Lookout (uncredited)
Tony Paton	...	Emil (uncredited)
David Powell	...	English Radio Operator (uncredited)
Frank Puglia	...	Older Guard (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	Guard (uncredited)
Sylvain Robert	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
William Roy	...	Mess Boy (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Cayenne Prison Colony Guard (uncredited)
Konstantin Shayne	...	First Mate (uncredited)
Jay Silverheels	...	Sailor Crewman on Boat Deck (uncredited)
Bernard Sommer	...	Bombardier (uncredited)
Raymond St. Albin	...	Medical Officer (uncredited)
Maurice St. Clair	...	Dompierre (uncredited)
Mark Stevens	...	Lt. Hastings (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Seaman (uncredited)
Donald Stuart	...	Military Driver (uncredited)
Sándor Szabó	...	Sergeant of the Guards (uncredited)
Louis Trevis	...	Bombardier (uncredited)
Roger Valmy	...	Rocroi (uncredited)
Juan Varro	...	Gunner at Field (uncredited)
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski	...	French Airfield Radio Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
Casey Robinson		(screenplay) and
Jack Moffitt		(screenplay)
Charles Nordhoff		(novel) and
James Norman Hall		(novel)
Elick Moll		contributor to screenplay (uncredited)

Produced by
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
Carl Jules Weyl

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Costume Design by
Leah Rhodes		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Eric Stacey	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Heath	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Everett Alton Brown	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove	....	special effects director (as Jack R. Cosgrove)
Edwin B. DuPar	....	special effects (as Edwin Du Par)
Roy Davidson	....	special effects (uncredited)
Byron Haskin	....	special effects (uncredited)
Harry Redmond Jr.	....	special effects (uncredited)
Rex Wimpy	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buster Wiles	....	stunt double: Humphrey Bogart (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Colman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Leonid Raab	....	orchestral arranger

Other crew
Herschel Daugherty	....	dialogue director
James Leicester	....	montages
Sylvain Robert	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (as Warner Bros.-First National Pictures)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Key Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (199?) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

109 min | France:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #9359) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

One of the few films to employ a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. This film is often seen as an attempt to recapture the magic of Casablanca (1942), which many of this film's key players were a part. Some "usual suspects" include director Michael Curtiz, stars Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains, supporting and bit players Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Helmut Dantine and Corinna Mura, writer Casey Robinson, composer Max Steiner, producer Hal B. Wallis and executive producer Jack L. Warner (both films were made by Warner Bros.). Also, Michèle Morgan was originally cast as Ilsa in "Casablanca", but her salary demand was too big, so Ingrid Bergman was cast instead.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the film, the aircraft used by the Free French squadrons are American-built Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, and are described as such by Capt. Freycinet. There actually were two Free French heavy bomber squadrons based in England: Groupes de Bombardment GB II/23 "Guyenne" and GB I/25 "Tunisie," which were part of the Royal Air Force as 346 and 347 Squadrons respectively. However, they did not fly Fortresses. Their aircraft was the British-built Handley Page Halifax. Obviously, for Hollywood purposes, Fortresses were easier to obtain than Halifaxes.

Quotes:

Maj. Duval:Haven't you been taught to stand in the presence of officials?
Jean Matrac:[Flatly] No.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Warner at War (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

La Marseillaise

Flashbacks be dammed! This is a great action movie.

While much has been made of the flashback within a flashback utilized in the movie, one shouldn't overlook the great action sequences, particularly towards the end, that have you cheering on the French heroes in the film. Sure, Humphrey Bogart doesn't attempt a French accent, but just look at films where he didn't attempt a foreign accent and how disasters they were (what was that James Cagney Western where Bogie was supposed to speak with a Spanish accent? I still cringe at the thought of it.) But it doesn't affect his acting in the lead role. After all, Clark Gable didn't put on a Southern accent for "God With The Wind" and I didn't hurt his work in that masterpiece.

This is no masterpiece and it is difficult to follow sometimes, but just to see Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Claude Raines work is worth it. This

Again, many people have mentioned in the war crime Bogart commits in the film, but when I saw the supposed offending part, I had no problem with it. And I'm no conservative when it comes to such things normally, but the "crime" is against ruthless that these who had no such reservations about the rules of war.

"Casablanca" is an entirely different film and it is unfair to compare this one to that one just because it has the same director and many of the same cast members. This is a rousing piece of war propaganda that gets the audience involved and I liked it very much. There is even an emotional element to it and unlike "Casablanca," it does not feel studio bound with even some believable exterior shots. I give it seven out of ten for the action alone.