Gripping story with well-crafted characters

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Yes, Paul Lucas deserved best actor for this film. Bette Davis and a fine supporting cast bring out a terrific performance. The film is very well constructed by one would come to expect that when the author of the Broadway play brings that play to the screen with the help of the author of The Thin Man.There are many subtle points in this movie younger viewers miss. For example, the kids act robotic and unreal at times. The reason for this is because these kids were according to the story-line, schooled in Nazi Germany and that is how kids were schooled by Nazis. The youngest son particularly is alarming scripted as a Nazi Brainwashed Programmed Child. This is an extremely intelligent point most viewers miss now, as it has been a long time since this was written. Lucas as the father speaks to the children late in the movie about saving all children their "childhood". That is what this speech is about, not being brainwashed on how to think.Meanwhile, PC people have cringed at this movie being shown, so for years it did not get a lot of air play. That is because the black cast here is shown as servants, just like many films in this era. That is hard for the politically correct person to accept, because we are not supposed to show them reality. It reminds me of another Liberal view which justifies racism - "Black Slaves who came to America were not immigrants, because they were slaves." Now here is the definition of -im·mi·grantˈiməɡrənt/noun- a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. Sorry, it does not matter if someone chooses or is forced to come to another country, once they do, by definition they are an immigrant if they live in that country permanently. This movies author is considered Liberal and even Communist by some. They are also quite Racist, and that is an important point to remember. Regardless of the authors intentions in writing the play, and helping to convert it into a film, the film accurately portrays many views at the time. Yes, this film is very much war propaganda. Bette Davis added needed star power to an outstanding cast and a well written script. It is really war propaganda more than anything else as in 1943, there were several films from Warner Brothers that were. In fact, several members of the supporting cast were regulars in Warners films that year.The alarm that should be raised by this movie is it illustrates how political views can be drummed into people to the point of making society dangerous. It is still happening today, and this film should be shown as a base primer on how it was done then, and remind us of how it is being done today.The last scene with Davis and the oldest son is an interesting epilogue. It presents the oldest son as loving his dad so much, that he wants to follow in his footsteps in hopes of finding him, and contributing to the cause his father stood for - freedom from oppression. It is a telling message.

Kurt and Sara Muller (Paul Lukas, Bette Davis) and their three children flee Nazi Germany to live with Sara's family in Washington, D.C. Little do they know Sara's family already has two guests, Rumanian count Teck de Brancovis and his American wife Marthe (George Coulouris, Geraldine Fitzgerald). Teck is a slimy weasel who is trying to curry favor with the Nazi's. There's also a subplot about Marthe falling in love with Sara's brother David (Donald Woods).This is a touching, thoughtful, drama with a little added suspense. It has some fine acting (Lukas won an Oscar) and a good script written by Dashiell Hammett based on the play by Lillian Hellman. One of the main complaints among the reviews I've read is that the children act and talk like adults, not like real children. This is addressed in the film as Sara's mother even asks them if they are "children or dressed-up midgets." The kids were supposed to be intelligent and mature, both because of how they had been raised as well as the environment they had grown up in, with politics and causes taking the place of a normal childhood. So I really don't see why this is a point of complaint for so many. They weren't trying to pass the kids off as your average children. Anyway, it's a good movie with WW2 themes and strong performances from all. Lukas and Davis are especially good.

The is a great movie. The passage of time has not lessened its dramatic impact. Although set during World War Two, this movie, which is an excellent adaptation of the Lillian Hellman play, deal with themes which are relevant today and would resonate with a contemporary audience. Paul Lukas's performance is tremendous; his Academy Award is well-deserved. As for Bette Davis, she successfully tackles a role that was not a typical one for her. Here she is cast in a supporting role, yet she still stars, so good is her performance. The other member of the cast are also excellent. Special mention must go to George Coulouris and Irene Watson, both of whom have key roles in the drama. This movie conveys the feeling of determination and commitment to the struggle against Nazism, yet avoids becoming a polemic, which is why the movie is so strong as a drama. For anyone who likes strong stories and excellent acting, this movie is for you.

For all these years I have avoided watching this film because, although it had one feature I really like (Bette Davis), it appeared to about WWII along the Rhine River...and I usually detest war movies. So, last evening, I was quite delighted to learn that the movie was completely different than I had expected, and although it was about WWII and Nazis, it takes place primarily in Virginia (or is it Maryland).In 1940, before the U.S. had gotten into WWII (although the film was produced in 1943, when the end of the war was approaching) German-born engineer Paul Lukas, his American wife Bette Davis, and their 3 children Joshua cross from Mexico into the United States to visit (or live with) Davis' mother in suburban Washington. For 17 years, the Lukas/Davis family has lived in Europe, with Lukas participating in anti-Fascist activities.Will they live in peace in America? Or will Lukas continue his anti-Nazi activities through trips abroad? Of will a house guest who secretly favors the Nazi turn Lukas in for money from the Nazis. Well, the house guest won't do that, because ultimately Lukas shots him to death! At the close of the movie, one of Davis' sons announces that is planning to return to war-time Europe to find his father (Lukas). Davis, though heartbroken agrees to be brave when that time comes.Davis is excellent here, perhaps all the more so because she is playing against type. In fact, this may be one of her better roles. Lukas, an actor from Austria-Hungary, did win the Oscar for Best Actor, and he turns in a decidedly different performance than would have been given by an American actor. Lucile Watson, as the mother, was excellent here...as she always was. Geraldine Fitzgerald turns in a good performance, as does Donald Woods as the son. George Coulouris is appropriately loathsome as the evil house guest. The one performance that disappointed me was from a character actress that I have the highest respect for -- the wonderful Beulah Bondi. Unfortunately, here she plays a French great aunt, and it just seems an unnatural role for her.I give this film high marks. It rises above typical war-time movie stories, and is a superb drama. This may very well be one for your DVD shelf...a war story with a difference.