We Were Strangers (1949)

China Valdes joins the Cuban underground after her brother is killed by the chief of the secret police, Ariete. She meets and falls in love with American expatriate Tony Fenner. Tony ... See full summary »

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Peter Viertel (screenplay), John Huston (screenplay),

Stars:

Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Pedro Armendáriz

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jennifer Jones	...	China Valdés
John Garfield	...	Anthony L. 'Tony' Fenner
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Armando Ariete (as Pedro Armendariz)
Gilbert Roland	...	Guillermo Montilla
Ramon Novarro	...	Chief
Wally Cassell	...	Miguel
David Bond	...	Ramón Sánchez
José Pérez	...	Toto (as Jose Perez)
Morris Ankrum	...	Mr. Seymour, Bank Manager

Storyline

China Valdes joins the Cuban underground after her brother is killed by the chief of the secret police, Ariete. She meets and falls in love with American expatriate Tony Fenner. Tony develops a plan to tunnel under the city's cemetery to a plot owned by a high official, assassinate him, and blow up the whole Cuban hierarchy at the ensuing state funeral. Together with a band of dedicated revolutionaries, they begin digging.

---

Plot Keywords:

revolutionary | police | cemetery | tunnel | dynamite | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Romance | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rough Sketch

Filming Locations:

Havana, Cuba

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horizon Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Huston wanted a then almost-unknown Marilyn Monroe for a part in this movie. He made it about Cuban rebels at the time Monroe had a contract with Columbia. But producer Sam Spiegel didn't want to spend money for a screen test of Monroe.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Subject Was Roses (1968)

---

Soundtracks

"We Dig All Day We Dig All Night"
(uncredited)
Performed by Gilbert Roland

User Reviews

Amazingly radical, pro-revolutionary Hollywood film

This has to be the most radical, left wing film ever made in Hollywood. It is amazing that Huston and some of the other principals were not blacklisted afterwords; the McCarthy era was well underway in 1949 when the film was released. (Garfield was blacklisted, but not as a result of this particular film.)

This is a taut, suspenseful, exciting movie. But what stands out for me is that the central theme and focus of the story is the "need" to dedicate one's life to the overthrow of a dictatorship by whatever means necessary. I've never seen an American film so uncompromisingly pro-revolutionary. The heros of the film are guerrilla warriors planning a bombing that will kill dozens or hundreds of innocents along with lots of deserving government officials.

One significant drawback to this film is it's very extensive use of process photography, shooting the principal actors against background film shot on location. Whole scenes are shot this way and it's distracting.