Waste of time

hyped garbage

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Ida Lupino and cast do very well in a film that is hampered very much by propaganda which really makes it dated now. Because Stalin was our ally when the movie was made, nothing could be mentioned about the fact Warsaw, Poland was being invaded by the Nazi's and the Comunists. The film does not mention another event that happened when Poland was being invaded too. That is the shipment of Polish Jews to Nazi Death Camps and Soviet Siberia Death Camps at the same time during the invasion. While the film is another assembly line Warner Brothers production, the script needs to be redone to tell the real story. The Polish Leader's Speech on the Radio about holding Poland very likely never happened in the way it is presented.The moments presented here deserve to have the real story told as this invasion is one of the darkest moments in human history. Most of the population of Poland was destroyed by 2 of the biggest evils in History. It is sad that Stalin has never received his due for his role in the Jewish Holocast in Eastern Europe.

Sadly wasted cast, all of whom are beaten by a script that doesn't know where it's going and leaves you wondering where you have been. Just when you get ready to hate a villain, they turn out to be a not-so-villain (Particularly the always excellent Victor Francen, who was used extensively by Warner's to represent the full spectrum of Europeans, both good and bad). We don't even get some real-life Nazi's to loath. The only real difference between this and GWTW is that GWTW is 3 hours long and this just seems like it. One of the odd results of this is that, if you pay close attention, you may agree that the great Ida Lupino may have been a good second choice for Scarlett O'Hara (though her performance here is much more restrained by the character.)

Ida Lupino gave an outstanding performance as Jennifer Whittredge who is a young British lady who is a companion for a rich lady who loves to eat candy all day long and looks like it. Jennifer visits Poland in 1939 with her employer and go to visit various antique shops in order to bring back items to sell in London. Jennifer meets Paul Henreid, (Count Stephen Orvid) who is from a Royal Family in Poland and immediately is charmed by Jennifer's sweet looks and innocence. Count Stephen is a ladies man and enjoys dating many women, but Jeffinfer catches his eye and then his heart strings and they both fall deeply in love. This royal family become very upset when Stephen and Jennifer tell them they are going to get married, however these two love birds stand firm against the family and start to change their old ways and customs. Hitler is starting his war campaign in 1939 and double talks the Polish Government to believe he will sign a pack of peace with the Polish nation and then attacks their country and burns Warsaw to the ground. This is when the story gets interesting and it shows how the Polish nation fights back against the Nazi Dictator. Great film, great acting and Lupino and Henreid gave outstanding performances and a very good story.

The main reason why I was interested in watching this was how a Hollywood movie made in 1944 would handle the invasion of Poland. Afterall the Soviets were now our Allie. Well Hollywood took the easy way out and didn't mention the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact and the co invasion of Poland by the USSR, it was all a Nazi show. I only watched the first few minutes and than woke up (it was showing at 3-4 am) right at the start of the invasion on what looked to be Ida's and Henried's wedding night. It's a good thing Henried's character didn't get captured by the Soviets as I don't think they took a kind view of aristocrat Polish officers judging by the mass graves that were discovered full of them. Real sappy war propaganda fluff.