- Film Review
- Reviewed By David Parkinson
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2 out of 5
Throughout the Second World War, Hollywood failed to capture the fear and suspicion that pervaded occupied Europe. This tale of a cowardly schoolteacher, played by Charles Laughton, who is inspired to heroism by his love for a Resistance fighter, Maureen O'Hara, is no exception. Jean Renoir's inability to re-create the atmosphere of Vichy France is partly excused by the fact that he had been living in exile from his homeland since 1940, after the Nazis placed him on a death list for his socialist sympathies. This bland picture, made with virtually no enthusiasm for its clichéd villagers and hysterical Nazis, had little dramatic or propagandist value.
Plot Summary
Second World War drama, starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara and
George Sanders. Albert Lory , a timid and mild-mannered schoolteacher, has lived quietly with his mother all his life. However, the coming of war and German occupation mean that even someone like Albert must finally make a stand.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Albert Lory
- Charles Laughton
- Louise Martin
- Maureen O'Hara
- George Lambert
- George Sanders
- Major Erich von Keller
- Walter Slezak
- Paul Martin
- Kent Smith
- Emma Lory
- Una O'Connor
- Prof Sorel
- Philip Merivale
- Mayor Henry Manville
- Thurston Hall
- Prosecuting attorney
- George Coulouris
- Julie Grant
- Nancy Gates
- Presiding judge
- Ivan Simpson
- Edmund Lorraine
- John Donat
- Lt Schwartz
- Frank Alten
Crew
- Director
- Jean Renoir
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