A Time to Die (1958)
"A Time to Love and a Time to Die" (original title)

In 1944, a company of German soldiers on the Russian front are numbed by the horrors and hardships of war when Private Ernst Graeber's long awaited furlough comes through. Back home in ... See full summary »

Director:

Douglas Sirk

Writers:

Orin Jannings (screenplay), Erich Maria Remarque (novel)

Stars:

John Gavin, Liselotte Pulver, Jock Mahoney

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Gavin	...	Ernst Graeber
Liselotte Pulver	...	Elizabeth Kruse Graeber (as Lilo Pulver)
Jock Mahoney	...	Immerman
Don DeFore	...	Hermann Boettcher
Keenan Wynn	...	Reuter
Erich Maria Remarque	...	Professor Pohlmann
Dieter Borsche	...	Captain Rahe
Barbara Rütting	...	Woman Guerrilla
Thayer David	...	Oscar Binding
Charles Regnier	...	Joseph
Dorothea Wieck	...	Frau Lieser
Kurt Meisel	...	Heini
Agnes Windeck	...	Frau Witte
Clancy Cooper	...	Sauer
John Van Dreelen	...	Political Officer

Storyline

In 1944, a company of German soldiers on the Russian front are numbed by the horrors and hardships of war when Private Ernst Graeber's long awaited furlough comes through. Back home in Germany, he finds his home bombed. While hopelessly searching for his parents, he meets lovely Elizabeth Kruse, daughter of a political prisoner; together they try to wrest sanity and survival from a world full of hatred.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | world war two | small town | hairy chest | military officer | 

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Taglines:

The great love story of World War II by the author of "All Quiet on the Western Front"

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Russian

Release Date:

15 September 1958 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Will o' the Wisp

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is not actually Douglas Sirk's only war movie. He also directed the Korean War movie Battle Hymn with 1950s Sirk regular Rock Hudson and the earlier black-and-white World War II films Hitler's Madman and Mystery Submarine.

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Goofs

Early in the movie when the platoon is dismissed, one of the soldiers is seen carrying a machine gun on his shoulder. It is clearly visible that there is no barrel inside the barrel shroud.

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Quotes

Ernst Graeber: You're more lovely every time I see you. Only this time, you look like the next time.

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Connections

Featured in Assis dans le noir - Wesley Strick parle du secret de Douglas Sirk (2007)

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Soundtracks

"A TIME TO LOVE"
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by Charles Henderson
Performed by uncredited blonde in cabaret scene

User Reviews

Trying to turn "grim" into "glossy"

A Douglas Sirk film from Universal Pictures in 1958 -- this is probably the wrong combination of director, studio, and year for a grim movie about Germany in the last months of World War II. Everything, including John Gavin's well-coiffed hair, looks a bit too "Hollywood."

However, this disconnect between style and substance has its advantages, too, creating an underlying sort of tension which keeps the movie from being labeled a failure.

Watch the supporting cast for Jock Mahoney, Klaus Kinski, and Dana ("Jim") Hutton. Lilo Pulver is an earnest but uncompelling leading lady and John Gavin never looked handsomer. (And that's saying something!) You need to wait about 50 minutes before he takes his shirt off and the resulting scene is disappointingly brief but any sight of The Chest is a cause for celebration.

Point to ponder: would any Hollywood studio risk this kind of ending in today's market?