Watch on the Rhine (1943)

A German-born engineer, his American wife and their children travel from Mexico to the United States to visit her family but their plans are complicated by a Romanian count.

Directors:

Herman Shumlin, Hal Mohr (uncredited)

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (screen play), Lillian Hellman (additional scenes and dialogue)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Davis	...	Sara Muller
Paul Lukas	...	Kurt Muller
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Marthe de Brancovis
Lucile Watson	...	Fanny Farrelly
Beulah Bondi	...	Anise
George Coulouris	...	Teck de Brancovis
Donald Woods	...	David Farrelly
Henry Daniell	...	Phili Von Ramme
Eric Roberts	...	Bodo
Donald Buka	...	Joshua
Anthony Caruso	...	Italian Man
Helmut Dantine	...	Young Man
Clyde Fillmore	...	Sam Chandler
Erwin Kalser	...	Dr. Klauber
Kurt Katch	...	Herr Blecher

Storyline

Anti-Fascist German engineer Kurt Muller, with his American-born wife, Sara, and their three children, returns to the United States in 1940 after spending 17 years in Europe, where Kurt has engaged in underground resistance to the rising Nazi threat. Unscrupulous Romanian count Teck de Brancovis, a houseguest of Sara's family in Washington, D.C., discovers Kurt's secret and threatens to expose his activities to his contacts at the German embassy.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | world war two | spy | border crossing | resistance fighter | 

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Taglines:

One woman of courage...symbol of millions..with a heartful of love for a man to remember (Print Ad- New York Sun, ((New York NY)) 26 August 1943)

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play was written by her longtime companion, Dashiell Hammett. Hellman was unable to write the adaptation herself as she was contracted to work on the screenplay for The North Star (1943). She recommended that Hammett be given the assignment as he was very familiar with the material. (Hammett also needed the money.)

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Goofs

When Mrs. Fanny and Mrs. Mellie are riding in the car after an afternoon of shopping, there are various wrapped packages behind them perched in front of the rear window. But in the following cuts, the packages change positions several times.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Sara Muller: When the time comes... When it comes, I will do my best.

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Connections

Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006)

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Soundtracks

Brigade Song
Written by Paul Bowles
Sung by Paul Lukas

User Reviews

An excellent movie

It may (or may not) be considered interesting that the only reason I really checked out this movie in the first place was because I wanted to see the performance of the man who beat out Humphrey Bogart in his CASABLANCA (10/10 role for the Best Actor Oscar. (I still would have given the Oscar to Bogie, but Paul Lukas did do a great job and deserved the nomination, at least.) Well, I'm glad I did check this movie out, because I enjoyed it immensely. I think the movie did preach a little, but not only did I not mind, I enjoyed the speeches and was never bored with them.

The acting was outstanding in this movie. I especially enjoyed Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson (rightfully nominated for an Oscar), Bette Davis (wrongfully not nominated), George Coulouris and, oddly, Eric Roberts, who plays the middle child. I really enjoyed his character: an odd-looking boy who talks like some sort of philosopher. He just cracks me up. Even the characters name (Bodo) is funny.

The ending, in which Lukas's character was forced to do something he considered wrong even though he was doing it for all the right reasons, worked for me as well. I agreed with why he felt he had to what he did, and I understood why he couldn't quite explain it. The message this movie makes is a good and noble one, the scenery (meaning the house) is beautiful, and the acting is the excellent. Watch this movie if you ever get a chance.

9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

27 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Watch on the Rhine

Filming Locations:

Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1