A young woman traveling to Poland with her employer meets a count, and they fall in love as World War II begins.A young woman traveling to Poland with her employer meets a count, and they fall in love as World War II begins.A young woman traveling to Poland with her employer meets a count, and they fall in love as World War II begins.
Alla Nazimova
- Zofia Orwid
- (as Nazimova)
Harry Adams
- Ballet Attendee
- (uncredited)
Alex Akimoff
- Wine Seller
- (uncredited)
Sylvia Arslan
- Naneczka
- (uncredited)
Lynn Baggett
- Friend of Count Orvid
- (uncredited)
George Blagoi
- Polish Peasant
- (uncredited)
John Bleifer
- Wladek
- (uncredited)
Paul Bradley
- Ballet Attendee
- (uncredited)
Cyd Charisse
- Ballerina
- (uncredited)
Gino Corrado
- Peasant at Party
- (uncredited)
- …
Julius Cramer
- Polish Diplomat
- (uncredited)
Jane Crowley
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCount Stefan takes Jennifer on a walking tour of Warsaw. As they walk, stock footage is shown of various important monuments, culminating in the bronze statue of Chopin by sculptor Waclaw Szymanowski. These monuments were all systematically destroyed by the Germans in 1940.
- GoofsAt the ballet, Count Stefan and others in his box use the opera glasses to look down at Jennifer in the audience below. The first shot through the glasses shows her not looking straight up at Count Stefan, but to her right, even though they have acknowledged each other. In subsequent shots through the glasses, the perspectives are far too low and to the front of Jennifer to be from the box above.
- Quotes
Count Pawel Orwid: [at the ballet] Stefan, when I was a young man, I came for the ballerinas. Later on I came for the music. Now I come to sit.
- Crazy creditsAfter the WB logo appears at the end, the letters W and B are separated and letters added to form the words "BUY War Bonds".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Frances Farmer Presents: In Our Time (1959)
- SoundtracksPolonaise in A major, Op.40, No.1 ('Military')
(1838-39) (uncredited)
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Partially played during the opening credits and at the end
Variation in the score throughout
Played on a radio to signal that Warsaw is still fighting
Featured review
A nice chance for two 'lesser' stars to shine...
Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid both were very good actors, but very often they were either cast as either supporting actors or starred in smaller and less prestigious films. Here, however, Warner Brothers put both of them in a top film and gave them both a chance to shine--and they were more than up to the task. In particular, Lupino was lovely. Her performance was strong but also with a lot of style--she really was in her element here.
The film begins in the mid-late 1930s in Poland. Ida and her boss (Mary Boland) are visiting the country to buy antiques to take back to Boland's business in England. Shortly after the story begins, a local nobleman (Henreid) meets Lupino and is obviously smitten with her. When he asks her to marry him, there is a bit of a scandal within the family--after all, she is just a commoner. This romance and its repercussions make up the first 2/3 of the film.
At the same time, there are small hints here and there about the upcoming invasion of Poland by the Nazis--something with which audiences of 1944 would have been well acquainted. Eventually, the Nazi hoards invade and Henreid is called to active duty and the inevitable conquest begins.
Overall, there is a lot to like about this film. As I said above, the acting is very, very good. Plus, Henreid and Lupino are ably assisted by various supporting actors that also rise to the occasion. The direction and cinematography are also first-rate. These factors, combined with a good story, make for a very good film--a propaganda film with greater depth than usual and which is still very watchable today.
The film begins in the mid-late 1930s in Poland. Ida and her boss (Mary Boland) are visiting the country to buy antiques to take back to Boland's business in England. Shortly after the story begins, a local nobleman (Henreid) meets Lupino and is obviously smitten with her. When he asks her to marry him, there is a bit of a scandal within the family--after all, she is just a commoner. This romance and its repercussions make up the first 2/3 of the film.
At the same time, there are small hints here and there about the upcoming invasion of Poland by the Nazis--something with which audiences of 1944 would have been well acquainted. Eventually, the Nazi hoards invade and Henreid is called to active duty and the inevitable conquest begins.
Overall, there is a lot to like about this film. As I said above, the acting is very, very good. Plus, Henreid and Lupino are ably assisted by various supporting actors that also rise to the occasion. The direction and cinematography are also first-rate. These factors, combined with a good story, make for a very good film--a propaganda film with greater depth than usual and which is still very watchable today.
helpful•130
- planktonrules
- May 7, 2010
Details
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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