This Land Is Mine (1943)

A mild-mannered school-teacher in a Nazi-occupied town during W.W.II finds himself being torn between collaboration and resistance.

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writer:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Laughton	...	Albert Lory
Maureen O'Hara	...	Louise Martin
George Sanders	...	George Lambert
Walter Slezak	...	Major Erich von Keller
Kent Smith	...	Paul Martin
Una O'Connor	...	Mrs. Emma Lory
Philip Merivale	...	Professor Sorel
Thurston Hall	...	Mayor Henry Manville
George Coulouris	...	Prosecutor
Nancy Gates	...	Julie Grant
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Judge (as Ivan Simpson)
John Donat	...	Edmund Lorraine

Storyline

Albert Lory is a teacher at a school in German-occupied France. He is a coward, but he is drawn into the actions of the resistance. Arrested by the Germans because of an alleged murder, a German officer promises him freedom, if he is willing to collaborate against French resistance (by discontinuing his defense speech, which is arousing the citizens in court).

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Plot Keywords:

france | adult lives at home | page torn from a book | resistance | bravery | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Latin

Release Date:

7 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Esta tierra es mía

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jean-Renoir- Dudly Nichols Productions, RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's earliest documented telecast took place in New York City Monday 14 May 1956 on WOR (Channel 9); it immediately became a popular favorite among home viewers as it first aired in Memphis Thursday 24 May 1956 on WHBQ (Channel 13), in Salt Lake City Friday 8 June 1956 on KUTV (Channel 2), in Altoona Wednesday 4 July 1956 on WFBG (Channel 10), in San Francisco Saturday 4 August 1956 on KPIX (Channel 5), in Los Angeles Tuesday 14 August 1956 on KHJ (Channel 9), in both Philadelphia and Dayton Saturday 17 November 1956 on WFIL (Channel 6) and on WLW-D (Channel 2), in Pittsburgh Monday 19 November 1956 on KDKA (Channel 2), in New Haven Sunday 25 November 1956 on WNHC (Channel 8), in Chicago Saturday 8 December 1956 on WBKB (Channel 7), and in Cincinnati Friday 4 January 1957 on WLW-T (Channel 5).

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Goofs

Railroad freight cars are of North American style....not European.

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Quotes

Major Erich von Keller: After all, what is the United States? A charming cocktail of Irish and Jews. Very spectacular; but, very childish. And England? A few old ladies wearing their grandfathers' leather britches.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: "Somewhere in Europe"-

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Connections

Featured in Cinema: Alguns Cortes - Censura II (2014)

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Soundtracks

Die Lorelei
(1838) (uncredited)
Music by Friedrich Silcher (1838)
Poem by Heinrich Heine (1823)
Played on accordion by Kent Smith and sung by the German soldiers

User Reviews

Character Study of a Teacher-Turned-Reluctant-Hero

Laughton is magnificent as the apolitical teacher who finds he must take a stand in Nazi-occupied France. The supporting cast is also terrific and the direction is outstanding. This is a movie that works on many levels. Laughton finds that not resisting in Nazi-occupied France is a worse faith than death.