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Three Faces West

  • 19401940
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
838
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Romance
Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the town... Read allViennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the townsfolk in moving to greener pastures in Oregon. He falls for Leni, but she is betrothed to ... Read allViennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the townsfolk in moving to greener pastures in Oregon. He falls for Leni, but she is betrothed to the man who helped her and her father escape from the Third Reich. She must make a decisio... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
838
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Bernard Vorhaus
  • Writers
    • F. Hugh Herbert(original screenplay)
    • Joseph Moncure March(original screenplay)
    • Samuel Ornitz(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Wayne
    • Sigrid Gurie
    • Charles Coburn
Top credits
  • Director
    • Bernard Vorhaus
  • Writers
    • F. Hugh Herbert(original screenplay)
    • Joseph Moncure March(original screenplay)
    • Samuel Ornitz(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Wayne
    • Sigrid Gurie
    • Charles Coburn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 22User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos29

    John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    Charles Coburn and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne, Charles Coburn, and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne, Charles Coburn, Trevor Bardette, Spencer Charters, Sigrid Gurie, and Gretchen Kisker in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne, Trevor Bardette, and Francis Ford in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne, Charles Coburn, and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne and Sigrid Gurie in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne and Dewey Robinson in Three Faces West (1940)
    John Wayne, Charles Coburn, Wade Boteler, Frank Brownlee, Bob Burns, Horace B. Carpenter, Spencer Charters, Jim Corey, Mary Field, Francis Ford, Byron Foulger, Sigrid Gurie, Helen MacKellar, Jack Montgomery, Bill Nestell, Rose Plumer, Victor Potel, John Sheehan, Russell Simpson, Roland Varno, and Charles Waldron in Three Faces West (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Wayne
    John Wayne
    • John Phillipsas John Phillips
    Sigrid Gurie
    Sigrid Gurie
    • Leni 'Lenchen' Braunas Leni 'Lenchen' Braun
    Charles Coburn
    Charles Coburn
    • Dr. Karl Braunas Dr. Karl Braun
    Spencer Charters
    Spencer Charters
    • Dr. 'Nunk' Atterburyas Dr. 'Nunk' Atterbury
    Helen MacKellar
    Helen MacKellar
    • Mrs. Wellesas Mrs. Welles
    Roland Varno
    Roland Varno
    • Dr. Eric Von Schereras Dr. Eric Von Scherer
    Sonny Bupp
    Sonny Bupp
    • Billy Wellesas Billy Welles
    Wade Boteler
    Wade Boteler
    • Mr. Harris - Department of Agriculture Officialas Mr. Harris - Department of Agriculture Official
    Trevor Bardette
    Trevor Bardette
    • Clem Higginsas Clem Higgins
    Russell Simpson
    Russell Simpson
    • Ministeras Minister
    Charles Waldron
    • Dr. William Thorpeas Dr. William Thorpe
    Wendell Niles
    • Man-on-the-Street Radio Announceras Man-on-the-Street Radio Announcer
    Frank Brownlee
    Frank Brownlee
    • Bill - Farmeras Bill - Farmer
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Burns
    Bob Burns
    • Farmeras Farmer
    • (uncredited)
    Horace B. Carpenter
    Horace B. Carpenter
    • White-Haired Farmer in Oregonas White-Haired Farmer in Oregon
    • (uncredited)
    Hugh Chapman
    • Boyas Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Jim Corey
    Jim Corey
    • Churchgoeras Churchgoer
    • (uncredited)
    Calvin Ellison
    • Boyas Boy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Bernard Vorhaus
    • Writers
      • F. Hugh Herbert(original screenplay)
      • Joseph Moncure March(original screenplay)
      • Samuel Ornitz(original screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threaten the town, John Phillips leads the townsfolk in moving to greener pastures in Oregon. He falls for Leni, but she is betrothed to the man who helped her and her father escape from the Third Reich. She must make a decision between the two men. —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
    • third reich
    • surgeon
    • small town
    • dust bowl
    • oregon
    • 69 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Back from the living dead . . to claim a ghostly promise of love!
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Wendell Niles, the "man on the street" reporter after the big dust storm, was a real radio announcer. He worked on many shows of the golden-age of radio including "The Burns and Allen Show."
    • Goofs
      At c.6 minutes Dr Braun and his daughter suddenly switch seats on the train.
    • Quotes

      Farmer: There ain't no college professor gonna teach me how to farm my land.

      John Phillips: How much land you got left that hasn't blown away? Look, men, let's quit arguing and kidding ourselves. We're all in the same boat. And we're all gonna sink unless we stick together. Every one of us has been served with a "dispossess notice," not by Uncle Sam or a bank or some mortgage company, but by a little ol' gal we've been kicking in the teeth, Mother Nature.

    • Connections
      Featured in American Experience: Civilian Conservation Corps (2009)

    User reviews22

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Different kind of movie from John Wayne
    Three Faces West presents two stories, that of a highly respected elderly Austrian doctor (Charles Coburn) and his daughter (Sigrid Gurie) who have fled the Nazi regime and come to American seeking a place to practice medicine, and also that of a small dust-bowl town in North Dakota in need of a doctor which is personified by John Phillips (John Wayne) who is a farmer and community leader. Initially the doctor and more particularly the daughter are not prepared for the hardships they find and wish to leave but a growing romantic relationship brings everyone closer together. A story like this wouldn't be complete without some more obstacles, and in keeping with the two part tale we have two obstacles one for the budding romance and one for the struggling town.

    The film is definitely very much about the message and it essentially has two messages to deliver, there is the message about tyranny and the sacrifices that may be necessary by those who oppose it and also that of the community and working together to overcome adversity. In light of the era that this was made it is not surprising to see such an approach. It is interesting from an historical point of view to observe the attitudes towards Nazi Germany in the United States of 1940 before they had entered the war.

    Beyond the good performances from the three principles as well as Spencer Charters in the side kick role there is nothing particularly impressive about the production, but a well intentioned story coupled with an atypical role for Wayne and the interesting historical perspective on both the dust bowl and early years of WWII make this worthwhile viewing for me. It's interesting to note that Sigrid Gurie despite a solid performance would barely make a dozen films over her career. On the other hand Charles Coburn who played her father wouldn't make his first film until he was 56 and continued into his eighties, he also won and Oscar and was nominated for two more.
    helpful•12
    1
    • gpeevers
    • Apr 27, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Refugee
    • Filming locations
      • Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Republic Pictures (I)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $100,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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