Decision Before Dawn (1951)

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Peter Viertel (screenplay)
George Howe (novel)

Release Date:

24 March 1952 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

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!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Nazi Germany | WWII | Trümmerfilm | Rubble Film

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

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
Helen Thimig	...	Fräulein Paula Schneider (as Helene Thimig)
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)

Also Known As:

Legion of the Damned (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14920) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The producers and director Litvak chose to film the movie in post war Germany because of perfect background settings - destroyed buildings - and the availability of great numbers of German original WW2 equipment such as tanks and costumes, weapons etc.

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "That Girl: Decision Before Dawn (#3.12)" (1968)

Well-written, well-acted. Great "issue" film

A taut story, first-rate acting, and a compelling subject make this film worth seeing.

Espionage/spying is a tricky subject, but "Decision Before Dawn" handles it brilliantly. No flash, no Mata Haris, no absurd coincidences. Weaving human drama and the grim realism of war, this film is that rare gem that manages to teach without preaching.

Among the superb performances is our hero Happy, played with just the right blend of suspense and humanity by Oskar Werner. Happy (an ironic name given to him by his American overseers) is torn between love of his native land and his duty to what is right. Werner walks this tightrope better than most I've seen.

In the end, however, it's the script that is the true gem of the film. Peter Viertel is a master story teller, with such great screenplays as "Saboteur" and "The Hard Way" to his credit. Viertel, with a story by author George Howe, weaves an intricate, but not confusing, narrative of war and devotion and duty. He's one of the few _writers_ I look for when I check out "On TV This Week" on IMDB.