Watch on the Rhine

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For other uses, see Watch on the Rhine (disambiguation).

Watch on the Rhine
original film poster
Directed by	Herman Shumlin Hal Mohr (uncredited)
Produced by	Hal B. Wallis
Written by	Lillian Hellman (play) Dashiell Hammett Lillian Hellman
Starring	Bette Davis Paul Lukas Geraldine Fitzgerald Lucile Watson Beulah Bondi George Coulouris
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Merritt B. Gerstad Hal Mohr
Editing by	Rudi Fehr
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 27, 1943
Running time	114 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Watch on the Rhine is a 1943 film that was adapted by Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman from Hellman's play. It was directed by Hal Mohr (uncredited) and Herman Shumlin.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kurt Muller, an anti-Nazi fighter who, in attempting to return to the United States during World War II, is followed by a Nazi sympathizer who manages to infiltrate the childhood home of Muller's wife. When the family moves in, the Nazi plays cat-and-mouse with Muller, who eventually exposes him and kills him. Muller then flees to parts unknown, leaving his eldest son to carry on the struggle against the Nazis.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Awards

Both the play and the film are considered overly preachy today, but the film won the Academy Award for Best Actor (Paul Lukas) and was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lucile Watson), Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay. Although Bette Davis receives first billing, hers is really a supporting role. Paul Lukas, who was not as great a film star as Davis, is the actual lead in the film, repeating his Broadway role.