Such a frustrating disappointment

Lack of good storyline.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I took the DVD of this famous film off the shelf the other evening and watched it again after 12 years, to see if it still held up or if I liked it an better. The answer is no. It is a typical well mounted Warner Bros "A" picture, with handsome production values and a good score from Steiner, but it has not worn very well as drama. Although attempts have been made to open out the original play with exterior scenes in Washington, at the Germam Embassy and also in the grounds of the Farrelly mansion (filmed at the old Busch Gardens) , the whole film is fairly set- bound, betraying its theatrical origins.Paul Lukas, a good actor if not a great one, repeats his much admired and very earnest Broadway portrayal as a German anti-Fascist and won the Best Actor Oscar, probably because of the times in which this film was shown. He has a few good moments but the performance is competent at best, not grippingly memorable.Bette Davis is woefully miscast as his wife. She took the role as a favour to Hal Wallis who needed a big name on the posters to ensure box office returns would justify the expense (the rights to the play had cost Jack Warner a whopping $150,000) She does her best to underplay and suppress her usual performance tricks, not entirely successfully (Interestingly, she does not smoke - along with DECEPTION, this is one of her few contemporary films where she does not),. But she is far too mannered and theatrical for the part, which was built up for her and expanded from the play. It is a pity that the great Mady Christians (who played the role on Broadway) was not asked to reprise her role.More pleasure is to be found in the supportng roles - especially Lucile Watson as the matriarch (also reprising her stage performance) and the superb English actor Henry Daniell as an icily cynical German Baron. Beulah Bondi is totally wasted as a French housekeeper.Much has been made by others reviewing this film on IMDB, of how it compares to Casablanca (released the same year) which is far superior in every respect. Comparisons are not really that relevant except that, while almost every line of dialogue in Casablanca is remembered and quoted, especially Humphrey Bogart's 'hill of beans' speech, not one line of Ms Hellmann's wordy, pompous screenplay is recalled today.It is a very wordy script indeed and there are many longeurs in the first half. Moreover, the world in which the Farrrelly's live seems almost like a Hollywood fantasy now, with a grand palladian mansion that would not look out of place in GONE WITH THE WIND, and a large staff of black servants all tugging their forelocks and saying 'Yes'm' at every opportunity. The only ingredient missing in all this is the great Hattie MacDaniel, who was under contact to Warners then and would surely have injected some much needed humour to the proceedings.At one point, the Nazi-sympathising Rumanian Count de Brancovis (George Coulouris) says to Kurt Muller (Lukas) that he cannot place his accent or from which part of Germany he comes. I am not surprised. Lukas was not German but Hungarian, born in Budapest. He was also Jewish, though no mention of his racial origins occur in the script.This film seems much longer than its 114 minutes running time, and I doubt it will get any better with the passing of time.

Pretty much anything Bette Davis did is memorable and entertaining with this movie being no exception. The movie starts out establishing a contrast which may appear to be slow but is necessary for the film to achieve its potency and grand finale to earn that 8 rating. At some point, it kicks in real nice and starts with a deep emotional tension that draws you into the movie and its premise. All the acting is superb with moments of genuine gut-sob temptation working on you in many scenes no less. The film forces one to choose an early side when the Germany is brought up. In the early Germany, there were good Germans who stood for their country in the right way. It was the fascists or Nazis that help introduce us to the not so good Germans. Just hearing how they go about their nefarious business practices and methods makes one not like them on that alone. Remember, back then, these type of films helped to make America stronger regardless of what you might think. You clearly see how Americans practice live and let live until America is threatened. Americans draw the line as they should. Kleenex, snack and tasty drink recommended. No texting or bathroom breaks after the first 15. Pay attention and let this movie have its way with you. Rewarding & satisfying ending worthy of discussion

There are many Things that are an Attraction in this relatively Unknown Wartime Message Movie. Bette Davis, Paul Lukas Best Actor Winner (beating Bogart in "Casablanca"), and Screenwriter Dashiell Hammett adapting His Friend Lillian Hellman's Long Running Play.But this may also Bring some Disappointment. The Film does not Hold Up all that well. It is Talky, Heavily Accented, and Stage Bound. The Direction is Static, the Dialog, and there is Plenty of it, can at times be Wordy and Preachy, and the Story is Melodramatic to a Fault.It is a Heavy Handed Family Affair with a Protagonist that is almost Saintly and Indestructible. He and His Family, including Wife and Three Children, seem to have Traveled all of Europe on Foot, Hiding and Fighting Fascism. Noble, but up Against what seems like Impossible Odds, They Land back at the Bette Davis Home to Regroup.This is then Played as a "Wake Up Call" for Americans to Join in on the Fight, because LOOK, there may be Nazis Hiding Under the Bed. It's all a bit much to take in with a lot of Drudgery to Endure for the few times the Film Rises to the Task of pointing out all the Intrigue and Dangers lurking just Below the Surface.Recommended Only for Film Historians and Betty Davis Fans, and for the Curious to See what Performance Beat Out Bogie. Others may find it Laborious, Dated, and Slow, Although it can Jerk a Tear or Two.

All the dialog in this movie is written as if it were a sermon. Not only is the movie too preachy, but the acting is either too stiff (the children) or too hysterical (Bette Davis, in one of her weaker performances). Another weakness of the movie is that all the dialog revolves around generalities rather than specifics. Fascism and Nazis are bad! Maybe in 1943 this was groundbreaking, but today the simplemindedness of the writing makes this a story of caricatures, rather than a story of real people. The plot of the movie could have survived if this had been filmed as a film noir with unknowns in the leads instead of a melodrama for actors pining to win an Oscar.