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64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WWII film of the highest order...Knight's Cross, June 2, 2006
This review is from: Decision Before Dawn (DVD)
If you haven't seen this movie ( & I'm very sure most haven't ) you will be transported back to a space & time when realism meant business.
I saw this film about half a dozen times during the 60's on T.V., & as a kid I kept asking myself how could they make a movie that was so atmospheric, so vivid. Everybody & everything involved with this project clicks because they had Karma.
For the plot line, to the authenticity of the locals, all that is on the web. But if you know something about WWII in western Europe, specifically this stage of the war, the details the producers went to will astound you. From the cuff bands on uniforms, vehicle markings, to the single decal on the Waffen S.S. motorcyclist's helmet et al., these guys/women knew what they were doing.
It wasn't long after I first saw this film that I realized it was, in fact, Richard Basehart ( not a dashing figure, but the man could act ) who was the narrator for the great David L. Wolper WWII documentaries, also produced in the 60's.
Again, this is a tremendous humanistic/spy movie to experience, this is the benchmark.
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Going home, May 29, 2006
This review is from: Decision Before Dawn (DVD)
Offbeat and emotionally involving tale of German turncoats spying for the Yanks in the closing days of WWII.
Largely forgotten, this intelligent thriller captured a best picture Oscar nomination in 1951. Unusual for war films of that period, it pulls no punches about the fears and miseries of that time in Europe. Oskar Werner is sensational as the German traitor motivated to help end the suffering caused by his country's continued resistance to the inevitable Allied victory. Similar in tone to "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold."
No extras on this Fox "Heroes of War" series title other than an odd news clip about the film getting an award.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oskar Deserved An Oscar, July 22, 2006
This review is from: Decision Before Dawn (DVD)
I was delighted (and rather surprised) to see this long overlooked film getting a much deserved DVD release. It had been many years since I last saw it - on television - but much of it remained vividly in my memory. Finally seeing it again, it's not hard to understand why.
Based on a true story and filmed in atmospheric black and white, Decision Before Dawn was made entirely on location among the ruins of postwar Europe - unusual for Hollywood films of the time. The story of German POW's being recruited to work as undercover agents in their own country in late 1944 benefits from understated performances and an almost total lack of background music. Much more of an espionage film than a war movie, the heightened sense of reality serves the stifled emotions and confused motives of the characters perfectly. The film only briefly loses its way once - to include the obligatory fallen female - but even this episode is handled well.
Although not top billed, Oskar Werner plays the central character - an idealistic medic caught up in circumstances that have little to do with truth or honesty. One of the finest screen actors ever, Werner gives a superb multi-layered performance, acting as much with his eyes as his voice. The rest of the cast is also good - many of them in far from sympathetic parts. The fact that this was considered a prestige film is underlined by the presence of Richard Basehart, an actor who reputation has underservedly faded over the years.
The direction by Anatole Litvak provides just the right mixture of drama and suspense - more genuine suspense than most Hitchcock films. The script is a taut, no-frills affair. It asks questions but provides no easy answers. The film was nominated for a best picture Oscar. Of course, it didn't win and became rather neglected over the years. Not because it's not a good film, which it certainly is, but possibly because it's not just another bit of mindless entertainment. The drama and suspense engage your emotions, but Decision Before Dawn also gives you a lot to think about.
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