In 1943, Hollywood needed to keep pushing to make sure here at home that we understood there could be no sympathy to the Nazi cause. This movie is not just effective, but shockingly effective. It does avoid mostly the Jewish / Nazi Holocaust, which even though by 1943 we knew it was going on, this book it is based upon did not make this as a central theme. This one concentrates more on National Socilism brainwashing themselves as the ultimate solution to fix world problems. On this point, it is shockingly effective.
Bonita Granville and Hans Conreid, both who were in the excellent 1942 film "Now Voyager" are here with a shockingly different role for cowboy fixture Tim Holt. The weakest point of the film is the love story between Granville and Holt which is typical for this period, but had to be here to round out the movie.
The strongest point is having the American University in Nazi Germany and how as Hitler took more control, how they tried to really indoctrinate children into their view of world domination. It is shocking even now to think of what they are trying to accomplish. There is even a Hospital Operation Sequence which points out how the Nazis were using Medicine to try and accomplish their goals.
This predates the Boys from Brazil, and for shock value is a valuable film to see. Granville and Holt get a lot of support in a well directed RKO effort that sold a lot of tickets when it was released.
Bonita Granville and Hans Conreid, both who were in the excellent 1942 film "Now Voyager" are here with a shockingly different role for cowboy fixture Tim Holt. The weakest point of the film is the love story between Granville and Holt which is typical for this period, but had to be here to round out the movie.
The strongest point is having the American University in Nazi Germany and how as Hitler took more control, how they tried to really indoctrinate children into their view of world domination. It is shocking even now to think of what they are trying to accomplish. There is even a Hospital Operation Sequence which points out how the Nazis were using Medicine to try and accomplish their goals.
This predates the Boys from Brazil, and for shock value is a valuable film to see. Granville and Holt get a lot of support in a well directed RKO effort that sold a lot of tickets when it was released.