It's 1943 and the Nazis have occupied the Netherlands. Ralph Richardson runs a shipyard that is building U-boats for them. He and his wife, Googie Withers, disapprove of the occupation. But what can Richardson do -- join the band of resistance fighters that are sabotaging his operations?
His family acquire a reputation as collaborators and it isn't until Richardson runs across a school room story of Piet Hine, a legendary figure of Dutch national pride that he rethinks his position. He secretly begins aiding the resistance, keeping his activities from everyone else, including his wife. But he does so in a way that convinces the Germans that he is on their side. The ending is both tragic and triumphant and isn't depicted.
It's unusual in that there is so little action, considering the place this film occupies in British history. One might expect more dashing around, more shooting, more romance, more all-encompassing thrills, as in "The Adventures of Tartu," in which Robert Donat sneaks around in an enemy uniform while destroying the plant.
Not here. Richardson speaks softly and smoothly. And he's not nearly as expressive as Googie Withers in the wife's role. But it's not all underplayed. The Nazis are so stereotyped that they're amusing. You have to see and hear Esmond Knight as the local Nazi boss, von Schiffer, to believe it. His ugly features are wreathed in a constant scowl, even when he's being friendly. He scowls in his sleep. His voice is a Teutonic sneer. He wears a monocle. And he's stupid.
It's not much of a thriller but the scenes of Richardson at home with his family are formal and warm at the same time. His last letter to his wife will be familiar to anyone who has heard Tom Joad's last speech to Ma Joad, or read Emerson's concept of the oversoul.
His family acquire a reputation as collaborators and it isn't until Richardson runs across a school room story of Piet Hine, a legendary figure of Dutch national pride that he rethinks his position. He secretly begins aiding the resistance, keeping his activities from everyone else, including his wife. But he does so in a way that convinces the Germans that he is on their side. The ending is both tragic and triumphant and isn't depicted.
It's unusual in that there is so little action, considering the place this film occupies in British history. One might expect more dashing around, more shooting, more romance, more all-encompassing thrills, as in "The Adventures of Tartu," in which Robert Donat sneaks around in an enemy uniform while destroying the plant.
Not here. Richardson speaks softly and smoothly. And he's not nearly as expressive as Googie Withers in the wife's role. But it's not all underplayed. The Nazis are so stereotyped that they're amusing. You have to see and hear Esmond Knight as the local Nazi boss, von Schiffer, to believe it. His ugly features are wreathed in a constant scowl, even when he's being friendly. He scowls in his sleep. His voice is a Teutonic sneer. He wears a monocle. And he's stupid.
It's not much of a thriller but the scenes of Richardson at home with his family are formal and warm at the same time. His last letter to his wife will be familiar to anyone who has heard Tom Joad's last speech to Ma Joad, or read Emerson's concept of the oversoul.