Of all the actors who ever worked in Hollywood, Charles Laughton is the one, perhaps more than any other, that I wouldn't want to meet. He's creepy.
But that doesn't mean that I can't see good acting, and his performance here as an initially cowardly teacher/mama's boy is uncanny.
The secret love of his life is Maureen O'Hara, a fellow teacher. The role does not provide here with as strong a vehicle as Laughton, but she is very good. George Sanders is a coward of a different sort, who eventually commits suicide in the film (ironically, since that's how he died in real life) Walter Slezak was almost always a gem...and is here...as a Nazi leader, The one disappointment is the performance of Una O'Connor. O'Connor had a reputation for playing off the way mother-type characters...and she certainly does here. But, what was needed was a far lighter hand in the role. It's not a comedy, but she seemed to think it was.
I was delighted to see this out on DVD-R, and immediately purchased it for my DVD collection, because it is one of the best propaganda films of World War II. Una O'Connor as Mrs. Emma Lory
But that doesn't mean that I can't see good acting, and his performance here as an initially cowardly teacher/mama's boy is uncanny.
The secret love of his life is Maureen O'Hara, a fellow teacher. The role does not provide here with as strong a vehicle as Laughton, but she is very good. George Sanders is a coward of a different sort, who eventually commits suicide in the film (ironically, since that's how he died in real life) Walter Slezak was almost always a gem...and is here...as a Nazi leader, The one disappointment is the performance of Una O'Connor. O'Connor had a reputation for playing off the way mother-type characters...and she certainly does here. But, what was needed was a far lighter hand in the role. It's not a comedy, but she seemed to think it was.
I was delighted to see this out on DVD-R, and immediately purchased it for my DVD collection, because it is one of the best propaganda films of World War II. Una O'Connor as Mrs. Emma Lory