Decision Before Dawn (1951)

As the US Army approaches Nazi Germany, they recruit German prisoners to spy behind German lines.

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Peter Viertel (screenplay), George Howe (novel),

Stars:

Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill, Oskar Werner

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Basehart	...	Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill	...	Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner	...	Cpl. Karl Maurer aka Happy
Hildegard Knef	...	Hilde (as Hildegarde Neff)
Dominique Blanchar	...	Monique
O.E. Hasse	...	Col. Von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth	...	Heinz Scholtz - SS Man (as Wilfried Seyfert)
Hans Christian Blech	...	Sgt. Rudolf Barth aka Tiger
Helene Thimig	...	Fräulein Paula Schneider
Robert Freitag	...	Sgt. Paul Richter (as Robert Freytag)
George Tyne	...	Sgt. Griffin
C.A. Amos	...	Himself (as C.A. Amos 1st Lt. USAF)
Harold Benedict	...	Himself (as H.L. Benedict S/Sgt. USAF)
H.W. Briggs	...	Himself (as H.W. Briggs Sgt. USA)
D.G. Devine	...	Himself (as D.G. Devine Cpl. USAF)

Storyline

WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.

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Plot Keywords:

germany | spy | prisoner | nazi germany | checkpoint | 

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Taglines:

A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

25 February 1952 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Legion of the Damned

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Bavaria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oskar Werner and Richard Basehart did most of their own stunt work, including jumping in and swimming the fast currents of the Rhine river on location in Germany.

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Goofs

Karl is mistakenly called a corporal. The Luftwaffe uniform that he wears both in the US POW cage and while back in Germany has the rank insignia of an "Obergefreiter", specifically three winged emblems on the collar patches, plain shoulder straps and two chevrons on his left sleeve. Also when the list is checked for his name at the bridge the rank is written down as 'Gfr' (gefreiter) The ranks of Gefreiter, Obergefreiter and Stabsgefreiter (all which were partially identified by chevrons on the sleeve) were not NCOs and had no command authority over other soldiers. They were simply grades of seniority and would be more equivalent to Private First Class (PFC) in the US military. The German rank that is the closest equivalent to Corporal is Unteroffizer. Also, Karl is wearing the medical badge on his right sleeve; Luftwaffe enlisted medical personnel wore the badge on the left sleeve, while Wehrmacht (army) wore it on the right.

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Quotes

Narrator: [First Lines] Of all the questions left unanswered by the last war, and probably any war, one comes back constantly to my mind. Why does a spy risk his life. For what possible reason, If the spy wins, he's ignored. If he loses, he's shot.

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Connections

Referenced in Hilde (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Ach, wie ist' möglich dann (Treue Liebe)"
Written by Kükcken

User Reviews

realistic WWII movie, illustrates a little-known aspect of the war

I saw this movie recently on AMC, and was extremely impressed. It was filmed on location only a few years after the end of the war, and uses the bombed-out scenery to brilliant advantage. I agree with all of the previous comments, and wonder why this film is not available on DVD or video. I was so intrigued by the story that I found a copy of the book on which it was based over the internet, "Call it Treason" by George Howe. I just finished it, and I enthusiastically recommend the book,it's worth searching for (out of print.) I wish there were more books and movies like this around....