"So Ends Our Night" is an anti-Nazi film based on a novel by Erich Maria Remarque--the man whose works were banned by the Party due to his insistence in his writings (such as "All Quiet on the Western Front") that war was not at all fun but actually quite bad (imagine that!). As he himself had been forced to flee Nazi Germany, it's not at all surprising that this story is all about German expatriates who also fled the nation for their lives. The film came out 10 months before the US entered WWII and was actually among the first to be critical of the fascists. Despite the war in Europe having been raging for a year and a half, the US film industry was very slow to produce films condemning the Nazis--mostly due to stupid anti-First Amendment legislation that forced neutrality in films.
The film stars three actors who didn't seem the least bit German--Frederic March, Glenn Ford and Margaret Sullavan. And so, it seemed more like three Americans trapped in Europe. However, despite being strong American accents (which is odd, as the supporting characters all have European accents), the actors did a fine job in the film and the story was compelling.
As for the story, it's about three people who have fled Germany and are forced to wander about Europe, as they have no passports and are always one step away from deportation (where it would mean almost certain death). The three did not know each other until their exile but are now becoming good friends--thanks to the bind of shared misery. Again and again it looks as if one of them might somehow escape but repeatedly their efforts to legally remain outside Germany are thwarted. I was surprised, however, that March was given a much smaller role than Ford, as in 1941 Glenn Ford was definitely a newcomer and March was an established star.
While this is a very good film, I couldn't help but notice that there were a few better anti-Nazi films from the same era--in particular, "Mortal Storm" (also starring Sullavan) and "Arise My Love". Still, it was quite compelling and I am sure it did a lot to solidify the American public towards the notion of one day joining in the war.
The film stars three actors who didn't seem the least bit German--Frederic March, Glenn Ford and Margaret Sullavan. And so, it seemed more like three Americans trapped in Europe. However, despite being strong American accents (which is odd, as the supporting characters all have European accents), the actors did a fine job in the film and the story was compelling.
As for the story, it's about three people who have fled Germany and are forced to wander about Europe, as they have no passports and are always one step away from deportation (where it would mean almost certain death). The three did not know each other until their exile but are now becoming good friends--thanks to the bind of shared misery. Again and again it looks as if one of them might somehow escape but repeatedly their efforts to legally remain outside Germany are thwarted. I was surprised, however, that March was given a much smaller role than Ford, as in 1941 Glenn Ford was definitely a newcomer and March was an established star.
While this is a very good film, I couldn't help but notice that there were a few better anti-Nazi films from the same era--in particular, "Mortal Storm" (also starring Sullavan) and "Arise My Love". Still, it was quite compelling and I am sure it did a lot to solidify the American public towards the notion of one day joining in the war.