Watch on the Rhine Movie Review 1943

Couple involved with the anti-Nazi underground has escaped the country, but is pursued and harassed by Nazi agents. Adapted by Hammett and Hellman from her play. Performed on stage before the U.S. entered the war, it was the first American play and movie to portray the ugliness of fascism as an ideology, as opposed to the more devious evil of its practical side. The Production Code at the time required that a killer always be punished; the murderer (whose screen motives had been noble) refused to film the offending scene, which explains the tacked-on ending. Superb drama from a pair of highly gifted writers and a great cast. Shumlin also directed the play.

Distribution

Baker & Taylor Inc., 2709 Water Ridge Pkwy., Ste. 500, Charlotte, NC 28217, Phone: (704)357-3500, Toll-free: 800-775-1800, Email: btinfo@btol.com, URL: http://www.btol.com

Available on VHS
Running time 114 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

World War II Spies, Nazis & Other Paramilitary Slugs, The Resistance, Adapted from a Play

Screenplay

Lillian Hellman, Dashiell Hammett

Cast

Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Donald Woods, Beulah Bondi, Geraldine Fitzgerald, George Coulouris, Henry Daniell, Helmut Dantine, Donald Buka, Anthony Caruso, Clyde Fillmore, Howard Hickman, Creighton Hale, Kurt Katch, Clarence Muse, Alan Hale, Frank Reicher, Mary (Marsden) Young

Cinematography

Hal Mohr, Merritt B. Gerstad

Director

Herman Shumlin

Music

Max Steiner

Producer

Hal B. Wallis, Warner Bros.

Awards

Oscars 1943: Actor (Lukas); Golden Globes 1944: Actor--Drama (Lukas); N.Y. Film Critics 1943: Actor (Lukas), Film.