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Decision Before Dawn
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Decision Before Dawn 
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anatole Litvak Produced by Anatole Litvak
Frank McCarthy Written by George Howe (novel) Screenplay by Peter Viertel Based on Call It Treason Starring Richard Basehart
Gary Merrill
Oskar Werner
Hildegard Knef Narrated by Richard Basehart Music by Franz Waxman Cinematography Franz Planer Edited by Dorothy Spencer Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox
Release dates
- December 21, 1951
Running time
119 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $1.55 million (US rentals)[1]
Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. The film was adapted by Jack Rollens (uncredited) and Peter Viertel from the novelCall It Treason by George Howe.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Decision Before Dawn | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Anatole Litvak Frank McCarthy |
| Written by | George Howe (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Peter Viertel |
| Based on | Call It Treason |
| Starring | Richard Basehart Gary Merrill Oskar Werner Hildegard Knef |
| Narrated by | Richard Basehart |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Edited by | Dorothy Spencer |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
Release dates
|
|
Running time
| 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.55 million (US rentals)[1] |
Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. The film was adapted by Jack Rollens (uncredited) and Peter Viertel from the novelCall It Treason by George Howe.
Contents
Plot[edit]
By late 1944, it is obvious that the Germans will lose the war. American Colonel Devlin (Gary Merrill) leads a military intelligence unit that recruits German prisoners of war to spy on their former comrades. "Tiger" (Hans Christian Blech), a cynical older thief and ex-circus worker, is willing to work for the winning side. On the other hand, "Happy" (Oskar Werner) is a young idealist who volunteers to spy after his friend is killed by fanatical fellow prisoners for voicing doubts about the war's outcome. Monique (Dominique Blanchar) trains Happy and the others in espionage techniques; she takes a liking to the young man, despite her hatred for Germans.
One day, Devlin receives word that a German general is willing to negotiate the surrender of his entire corps. Naturally, this is given top priority; because of the importance of the mission, an American officer has to go along. Devlin selects Lieutenant Rennick (Richard Basehart), a newcomer who distrusts the German turncoats. Tiger is chosen because he is the only one who knows the area, but he is under suspicion after returning from his last mission without his teammate. Happy is assigned the related task of locating the 11th PanzerCorps, which might oppose the wholesale defection. They parachute out of the same plane into Germany, then split up.
In the course of his search on bus and train rides, in guest houses and taverns, and braving Allied air raids, Happy encounters Germans with differing attitudes towards the war, some still defiant, such as Waffen SS courier Scholtz (Wilfred Seyferth), some resigned, like the young war widow Hilde (Hildegard Knef). Happy accomplishes his mission by a stroke of luck. Posing as a medic returning to his unit, he is commandeered to stay and treat Oberst von Ecker (O.E. Hasse), the commander of the 11th Panzer, at his castle headquarters. Happy has an opportunity to inject von Ecker with a lethal overdose of medicine, but does not do so.
Afterwards, Happy narrowly escapes being captured by the Gestapo. He makes his way to the safe house in the ruins of the heavily-bombed Mannheim, where the other two agents are hiding out. Meanwhile, Tiger and Rennick have learned that the general they were to contact was supposedly injured, but the hospital where he has been taken is under SS guard; without him, the other German officers cannot and will not surrender to the Allies.
Their radio is knocked out, so Happy, Tiger, and Rennick are forced to try to swim across the heavily defended Rhine River to get to the American lines with the vital information. At the last moment, Tiger loses his nerve and runs away, forcing Rennick to shoot him. He and Happy then swim to an island in the middle of the river. When they start for the other shore, they are spotted by the German defenders. Happy creates a diversion, is captured and executed as a deserter, but his sacrifice enables the lieutenant to make it to safety, with a changed attitude about some Germans.
By late 1944, it is obvious that the Germans will lose the war. American Colonel Devlin (Gary Merrill) leads a military intelligence unit that recruits German prisoners of war to spy on their former comrades. "Tiger" (Hans Christian Blech), a cynical older thief and ex-circus worker, is willing to work for the winning side. On the other hand, "Happy" (Oskar Werner) is a young idealist who volunteers to spy after his friend is killed by fanatical fellow prisoners for voicing doubts about the war's outcome. Monique (Dominique Blanchar) trains Happy and the others in espionage techniques; she takes a liking to the young man, despite her hatred for Germans.
One day, Devlin receives word that a German general is willing to negotiate the surrender of his entire corps. Naturally, this is given top priority; because of the importance of the mission, an American officer has to go along. Devlin selects Lieutenant Rennick (Richard Basehart), a newcomer who distrusts the German turncoats. Tiger is chosen because he is the only one who knows the area, but he is under suspicion after returning from his last mission without his teammate. Happy is assigned the related task of locating the 11th PanzerCorps, which might oppose the wholesale defection. They parachute out of the same plane into Germany, then split up.
In the course of his search on bus and train rides, in guest houses and taverns, and braving Allied air raids, Happy encounters Germans with differing attitudes towards the war, some still defiant, such as Waffen SS courier Scholtz (Wilfred Seyferth), some resigned, like the young war widow Hilde (Hildegard Knef). Happy accomplishes his mission by a stroke of luck. Posing as a medic returning to his unit, he is commandeered to stay and treat Oberst von Ecker (O.E. Hasse), the commander of the 11th Panzer, at his castle headquarters. Happy has an opportunity to inject von Ecker with a lethal overdose of medicine, but does not do so.
Afterwards, Happy narrowly escapes being captured by the Gestapo. He makes his way to the safe house in the ruins of the heavily-bombed Mannheim, where the other two agents are hiding out. Meanwhile, Tiger and Rennick have learned that the general they were to contact was supposedly injured, but the hospital where he has been taken is under SS guard; without him, the other German officers cannot and will not surrender to the Allies.
Their radio is knocked out, so Happy, Tiger, and Rennick are forced to try to swim across the heavily defended Rhine River to get to the American lines with the vital information. At the last moment, Tiger loses his nerve and runs away, forcing Rennick to shoot him. He and Happy then swim to an island in the middle of the river. When they start for the other shore, they are spotted by the German defenders. Happy creates a diversion, is captured and executed as a deserter, but his sacrifice enables the lieutenant to make it to safety, with a changed attitude about some Germans.
Cast[edit]
- Oskar Werner as Corporal Karl Maurer ("Happy")
- Richard Basehart as Lieutenant Dick Rennick
- Hans Christian Blech as Sergeant Rudolf Barth ("Tiger")
- Gary Merrill as Colonel Devlin
- Hildegard Knef as Hilde
- Wilfried Seyferth as Heinz Scholtz
- Dominique Blanchar as Monique
- O.E. Hasse as Oberst (Colonel) von Ecker
- Helene Thimig as Paula Schneider
Klaus Kinski had a minor, uncredited role.
- Oskar Werner as Corporal Karl Maurer ("Happy")
- Richard Basehart as Lieutenant Dick Rennick
- Hans Christian Blech as Sergeant Rudolf Barth ("Tiger")
- Gary Merrill as Colonel Devlin
- Hildegard Knef as Hilde
- Wilfried Seyferth as Heinz Scholtz
- Dominique Blanchar as Monique
- O.E. Hasse as Oberst (Colonel) von Ecker
- Helene Thimig as Paula Schneider
Klaus Kinski had a minor, uncredited role.
References[edit]
- ^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
- ^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
External links[edit]
- Decision Before Dawn at the Internet Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at the TCM Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at AllMovie
- Decision Before Dawn at the Internet Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at the TCM Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at AllMovie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Decision Before Dawn | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Anatole Litvak Frank McCarthy |
| Written by | George Howe (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Peter Viertel |
| Based on | Call It Treason |
| Starring | Richard Basehart Gary Merrill Oskar Werner Hildegard Knef |
| Narrated by | Richard Basehart |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Edited by | Dorothy Spencer |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
Release dates
|
|
Running time
| 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.55 million (US rentals)[1] |
Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. The film was adapted by Jack Rollens (uncredited) and Peter Viertel from the novelCall It Treason by George Howe.
Contents
[hide]Plot[edit]
By late 1944, it is obvious that the Germans will lose the war. American Colonel Devlin (Gary Merrill) leads a military intelligence unit that recruits German prisoners of war to spy on their former comrades. "Tiger" (Hans Christian Blech), a cynical older thief and ex-circus worker, is willing to work for the winning side. On the other hand, "Happy" (Oskar Werner) is a young idealist who volunteers to spy after his friend is killed by fanatical fellow prisoners for voicing doubts about the war's outcome. Monique (Dominique Blanchar) trains Happy and the others in espionage techniques; she takes a liking to the young man, despite her hatred for Germans.
One day, Devlin receives word that a German general is willing to negotiate the surrender of his entire corps. Naturally, this is given top priority; because of the importance of the mission, an American officer has to go along. Devlin selects Lieutenant Rennick (Richard Basehart), a newcomer who distrusts the German turncoats. Tiger is chosen because he is the only one who knows the area, but he is under suspicion after returning from his last mission without his teammate. Happy is assigned the related task of locating the 11th PanzerCorps, which might oppose the wholesale defection. They parachute out of the same plane into Germany, then split up.
In the course of his search on bus and train rides, in guest houses and taverns, and braving Allied air raids, Happy encounters Germans with differing attitudes towards the war, some still defiant, such as Waffen SS courier Scholtz (Wilfred Seyferth), some resigned, like the young war widow Hilde (Hildegard Knef). Happy accomplishes his mission by a stroke of luck. Posing as a medic returning to his unit, he is commandeered to stay and treat Oberst von Ecker (O.E. Hasse), the commander of the 11th Panzer, at his castle headquarters. Happy has an opportunity to inject von Ecker with a lethal overdose of medicine, but does not do so.
Afterwards, Happy narrowly escapes being captured by the Gestapo. He makes his way to the safe house in the ruins of the heavily-bombed Mannheim, where the other two agents are hiding out. Meanwhile, Tiger and Rennick have learned that the general they were to contact was supposedly injured, but the hospital where he has been taken is under SS guard; without him, the other German officers cannot and will not surrender to the Allies.
Their radio is knocked out, so Happy, Tiger, and Rennick are forced to try to swim across the heavily defended Rhine Riverto get to the American lines with the vital information. At the last moment, Tiger loses his nerve and runs away, forcing Rennick to shoot him. He and Happy then swim to an island in the middle of the river. When they start for the other shore, they are spotted by the German defenders. Happy creates a diversion, is captured and executed as a deserter, but his sacrifice enables the lieutenant to make it to safety, with a changed attitude about some Germans.
Cast[edit]
- Oskar Werner as Corporal Karl Maurer ("Happy")After a period of inactivity in films, Werner appeared in five in 1955, among them Mozart, in which he played the title role, and Lola Montès, directed by Max Ophüls. It was not until 1962, when he appeared in Jules and Jim, that he began to draw critical acclaim and international recognition.
Filmography and television work[edit]
Year Film Role Notes 1939 Hotel Sacher Liftboy Linen for Ireland Hotelpage uncredited 1948 Der Engel mit der Posaune Hermann Alt 1949 Eroica Karl van Beethoven 1950 The Angel with the Trumpet Herman Alt 1951 Das gestohlene Jahr Peter Brück Ruf aus dem Äther Der Student Wonder Boy Rudi Ein Lächeln im Sturm Francois Mercier Decision Before Dawn Cpl. Karl "Happy" Maurer 1955 The Last Ten Days Hauptmann Wüst Spionage Lt. Zeno von Baumgarten Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lola Montès Student 1958 Ein gewisser Judas Judas TV movie 1962 Jules and Jim Jules 1964 Torquato Tasso[6] Torquato Tasso TV movie 1965 Ship of Fools Dr. Schumann New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated–Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold Fiedler Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role1966 Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag 1968 Interlude Stefan Zelter The Shoes of the Fisherman Fr. David Telemond 1975 Columbo Harold Van Wick Episode: "Playback" 1976 Voyage of the Damned Professor Egon Kreisler Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture - Richard Basehart as Lieutenant Dick Rennick
Partial filmography[edit]
- Repeat Performance (1947)
- Cry Wolf (1947)
- He Walked by Night (1948)
- Roseanna McCoy (1949)
- Reign of Terror (1949)
- Tension (1950)
- Outside the Wall (1950)
- Fourteen Hours (1951)
- The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)
- Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
- Decision Before Dawn (1951)
- The Stranger's Hand (1952)
- Titanic (1953)
- Angels of Darkness (1953) (uncredited)
- La Strada (1954)
- Le Aventure di Cartouche (1954)
- Jailbirds (1954)
- The Good Die Young (1954)
- Il bidone (1955), also known as The Swindle (US) andThe Swindlers (UK)
- Finger of Guilt (1956)
- The Extra Day (1956)
- Moby Dick (1956)
- The Intimate Stranger (1956)
- Los jueves, milagro (1957)
- Time Limit (1957)
- The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
- Amore e Guai (1958)
- The Dispossessed (1959)
- Jons und Erdme (1959)
- The Man Stalin Killed (1959)
- The Restless and the Damned (1959), also known as
- Hans Christian Blech as Sergeant Rudolf Barth ("Tiger")
- Gary Merrill as Colonel Devlin
Filmography[edit]
- Winged Victory (1944)
- Slattery's Hurricane (1949)
- Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
- Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950)
- Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
- All About Eve (1950)
- The Frogmen (1951)
- Decision Before Dawn (1951)
- Another Man's Poison (1951)
- Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
- The Girl in White (1952)
- Night Without Sleep (1952)
- A Blueprint for Murder (1953)
- Witness to Murder (1954)
- The Black Dakotas (1954)
- The Human Jungle (1954)
- Navy Wife (1956)
- Bermuda Affair (1956)
- The Missouri Traveler (1958)
- Crash Landing (1958)
- The Wonderful Country (1959)
- The Savage Eye (1960)
- The Great Impostor (1961)
- The Pleasure of His Company (1961)
- Mysterious Island (1961)
- A Girl Named Tamiko (1963)
- The Searching Eye (1964)
- Catacombs (1965)
- Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966)
- Destination Inner Space (1966)
- Clambake (1967)
- The Incident (1967)
- The Last Challenge (1967)
- The Secret of the Sacred Forest (1970)
- The Power (1968)
- Più tardi, Claire, più tardi (1968)
- Amarsi male (1969)
- Huckleberry Finn (1974)
- Thieves (1977)
- The Seekers (1979)
- September Song (1984)
- Hildegard Knef as Hilde
- Wilfried Seyferth as Heinz Scholtz
- Dominique Blanchar as Monique
- O.E. Hasse as Oberst (Colonel) von Ecker
- Helene Thimig as Paula Schneider
Klaus Kinski had a minor, uncredited role.
References[edit]
- ^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
External links[edit]
- Decision Before Dawn at the Internet Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at the TCM Movie Database
- Decision Before Dawn at AllMovie
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