Confessions of a Nazi Spy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Confessions of a Nazi Spy | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis Jack L. Warner Robert Lord |
| Written by | Leon G. Turrou (articles) Milton Krims John Wexley (screenplay) |
| Starring | Edward G. Robinson Francis Lederer George Sanders Paul Lukas |
| Music by | Max Steiner (uncredited) |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito Ernest Haller |
| Editing by | Owen Marks |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | May 6, 1939 |
| Running time | 104 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 M (USD) |
| IMDb profile | |
Confessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 spy thriller and the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to World War II. [1] The film stars Edward G. Robinson, George Sanders, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated from their country after the rise of Adolf Hitler. Though the film can rightfully be seen as propaganda, it was based on the articles of former FBI agent Leon G. Turrou, who had been active in investigating Nazi spy rings in the United States prior to the war.
Despite its controversial subject, the film was a major worldwide box office hit for Warner Bros. and won the year's National Board of Review award for Best Film. Confessions of a Nazi Spy was banned in Germany, Japan, and many Latin American countries.
Scenes from Confessions of a Nazi Spy are shown in War Comes To America, the last of the Why We Fight propaganda film series.
[edit] Plot
Dr. Karl Kassel (Paul Lukas) comes to America to rally support for the Nazi cause among German-Americans. He instructs his audience at a German restaurant that the fuhrer has declared war on the evils of democracy and that as Germans, they should carry out his wishes. Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), an unemployed professor, joins the cause and eventually becomes a spy for the group. A letter written by Schneider to a liaison in Scotland is intercepted by a British Military Intelligence officer (James Stephenson), leading to the ring's downfall.
FBI agent Ed Renard (Edward G. Robinson) is assigned to the case, and is able to capture Schneider and extract a confession. Through Schneider, Renard is led to Hilda Kleinhaure (Dorothy Tree), then Kassel's mistress Erika Wolff (Lya Lys), and eventually the ring leader himself. While the FBI manage to capture many members of the ring and their accomplices, several, including Hilda, manage to escape, but ultimately face prosecution overseas.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Edward G. Robinson | Edward Renard |
| Francis Lederer | Kurt Schneider |
| George Sanders | Franz Schlager |
| Paul Lukas | Dr. Karl Kassel |
| Henry O'Neill | U.S. Atty. Kellogg |
| Dorothy Tree | Hilda Kleinhauer |
| Lya Lys | Erika Wolff |
| Grace Stafford | Helen Schneider |
| James Stephenson | British Military Intelligence agent |
| Hedwiga Reicher | Lisa Kassel |
| Joe Sawyer | Werner Renz |
| Sig Ruman | Dr. Julius Krogmann |
| Henry Victor | Hans Wildebrandt |
| Hans Heinrich von Twardowski | Max Helldorf |
| Wolfgang Zilzer | Johann Westphal |
| Rudolph Anders | Capt. Wilhelm Straubel |
| Eily Malyon | Mrs. MacLaughlin |
| Ward Bond | American Legionnaire (uncredited) |
