Germany, 1933. Tim Holt is a young German student and Bonita Granville is an American student at a nearby school. While he's learning the Horst-Wessel-Lied, she's learning about democracy under the kindly tutelage of Professor Kent Smith. Holt likes the way pretty Bonita plays the piano but the state doesn't
Poor Kent Smith. Everyone says he's "bland." I find him reassuring, like a fixed location in a changing and disappointing universe. The only problem I had with him is that the Nazis are always calling him "Hair Professor." It conjured up images of his earning his PhD at Annie's Supercut and Quick Style Salon with a major in Veronica Lake.
Well, the loving couple grow up, unfortunately, and he becomes swept up in the national fervor. And why not? Hitler had a good pitch to make. Germany had been so thoroughly traduced after World War I that the nation was punished by being made to pay the cost of the war in reparations and its territories chopped up and given away. The soldiers and people thought they had signed a truce instead of an abject surrender. Hitler put everybody to work (building up the war machine) and got them out of a terrible economic depression.
Next time the lovers meet, Granville is a teacher at the American school and Holt is a stiff-necked Nazi lieutenant in riding breeches and black boots. You have to hand it to the Gestapo. They knew how to make spiffy uniforms all right.
The Nazis begin culling the herd, rounding up Jews, Poles, and other undesirables. Granville, having been born in Germany but raised in America, is under German law because, after all, "German blood runs through her veins." That was a major problem with the Nazis. They kept mixing up biology ("race") with culture (learned behavior). Granville rebels against the new order, while Holt appears to go along with it until the end, when love binds the two of them together.
It's full of stereotypes naturally but not especially stupid ones. It's a propaganda movie but it's not aimed at little kids like a cartoon. The characters are often engaging. Otto Kruger is the Gestapo major and he's splendidly evil in a suave way. He's right up there in the first rank of suave villains along with James Mason and George Sanders.
It's an earnest movie. Not a lot of jokes. But I kind of enjoyed watching it except for an occasional wince. I don't know how it would fare with today's audiences. Hair Professor tells an old Chinese folk tale. He refers to the English essayist Charles Lamb. Worst of all, he recites a passage from Goethe's "Faust" -- "Hold, thou art so fair." Lamb. Goethe. Faust. I could almost hear the eurhythmic breathing.
Poor Kent Smith. Everyone says he's "bland." I find him reassuring, like a fixed location in a changing and disappointing universe. The only problem I had with him is that the Nazis are always calling him "Hair Professor." It conjured up images of his earning his PhD at Annie's Supercut and Quick Style Salon with a major in Veronica Lake.
Well, the loving couple grow up, unfortunately, and he becomes swept up in the national fervor. And why not? Hitler had a good pitch to make. Germany had been so thoroughly traduced after World War I that the nation was punished by being made to pay the cost of the war in reparations and its territories chopped up and given away. The soldiers and people thought they had signed a truce instead of an abject surrender. Hitler put everybody to work (building up the war machine) and got them out of a terrible economic depression.
Next time the lovers meet, Granville is a teacher at the American school and Holt is a stiff-necked Nazi lieutenant in riding breeches and black boots. You have to hand it to the Gestapo. They knew how to make spiffy uniforms all right.
The Nazis begin culling the herd, rounding up Jews, Poles, and other undesirables. Granville, having been born in Germany but raised in America, is under German law because, after all, "German blood runs through her veins." That was a major problem with the Nazis. They kept mixing up biology ("race") with culture (learned behavior). Granville rebels against the new order, while Holt appears to go along with it until the end, when love binds the two of them together.
It's full of stereotypes naturally but not especially stupid ones. It's a propaganda movie but it's not aimed at little kids like a cartoon. The characters are often engaging. Otto Kruger is the Gestapo major and he's splendidly evil in a suave way. He's right up there in the first rank of suave villains along with James Mason and George Sanders.
It's an earnest movie. Not a lot of jokes. But I kind of enjoyed watching it except for an occasional wince. I don't know how it would fare with today's audiences. Hair Professor tells an old Chinese folk tale. He refers to the English essayist Charles Lamb. Worst of all, he recites a passage from Goethe's "Faust" -- "Hold, thou art so fair." Lamb. Goethe. Faust. I could almost hear the eurhythmic breathing.