In 1943 Paul Lukas became one of those select few character actors who had the good fortune to win a Best Actor Oscar and quickly rise to the ranks of leading man, only to fall back. The film he won for was Watch On The Rhine where he repeated the role he did on Broadway.
That Oscar merited him co-equal billing with Errol Flynn in Uncertain Glory in the following year. Of course Lukas fell back into the ranks of distinguished character players, Uncertain Glory didn't do too much to maintain him.
It wasn't a great film for Errol Flynn either. He plays a gentleman thief whose last job cost a night watchman his life and merited him the guillotine. Even in Nazi occupied France the police was diligently doing their job against your run of the mill criminals.
But the RAF saves him at the moment of execution with a bombing raid. Flynn escapes, but is recaptured by Lukas. However on the way back they are delayed because some Resistance people blew up a bridge with a German troop train. The Nazis are using their usual methods to find the saboteur. If the saboteur is not found by a certain date, 100 French hostages will be executed.
This gives Flynn a brilliant idea to claim responsibility for the sabotage because if he has to die, at least die a hero. Lukas agrees and phones his superior Douglass Dumbrille that he killed Flynn while trying to escape.
Of course that's all Errol needs now that the authorities are no longer looking for him and Lukas has his neck stuck out. Flynn's found himself a girl friend in the village in newcomer Jean Sullivan who was little heard from after Uncertain Glory.
Errol Flynn was trying a more thoughtful role, but he looked bored a lot of the time. Lukas was fine and I do disagree with another reviewer who said he was Javert like. He was anything but. We do see Lukas with his family, he has a life outside the Surete. Also Flynn's character is not Jean Valjean. He's a career criminal at the top of his profession and the Surete is naturally interested in catching him.
In the supporting cast I like Lucile Watson as the mother of a hostage who will do anything to save her son and Dennis Hoey as the village priest who is a fine moral example for his flock.
Uncertain Glory is second rate Flynn and usually not mentioned by devoted fans of Errol as one of his better films.
That Oscar merited him co-equal billing with Errol Flynn in Uncertain Glory in the following year. Of course Lukas fell back into the ranks of distinguished character players, Uncertain Glory didn't do too much to maintain him.
It wasn't a great film for Errol Flynn either. He plays a gentleman thief whose last job cost a night watchman his life and merited him the guillotine. Even in Nazi occupied France the police was diligently doing their job against your run of the mill criminals.
But the RAF saves him at the moment of execution with a bombing raid. Flynn escapes, but is recaptured by Lukas. However on the way back they are delayed because some Resistance people blew up a bridge with a German troop train. The Nazis are using their usual methods to find the saboteur. If the saboteur is not found by a certain date, 100 French hostages will be executed.
This gives Flynn a brilliant idea to claim responsibility for the sabotage because if he has to die, at least die a hero. Lukas agrees and phones his superior Douglass Dumbrille that he killed Flynn while trying to escape.
Of course that's all Errol needs now that the authorities are no longer looking for him and Lukas has his neck stuck out. Flynn's found himself a girl friend in the village in newcomer Jean Sullivan who was little heard from after Uncertain Glory.
Errol Flynn was trying a more thoughtful role, but he looked bored a lot of the time. Lukas was fine and I do disagree with another reviewer who said he was Javert like. He was anything but. We do see Lukas with his family, he has a life outside the Surete. Also Flynn's character is not Jean Valjean. He's a career criminal at the top of his profession and the Surete is naturally interested in catching him.
In the supporting cast I like Lucile Watson as the mother of a hostage who will do anything to save her son and Dennis Hoey as the village priest who is a fine moral example for his flock.
Uncertain Glory is second rate Flynn and usually not mentioned by devoted fans of Errol as one of his better films.