Decision Before Dawn

Anatole Litvak: Decision Before Dawn (US 1951) avec Oskar Werner (Carl Maurer) et Dominique Blanchar (Monique).

Le Traître / Vakoilijana omassa maassaan / Förrädare / Entscheidung vor Morgengrauen.
Anatole Litvak / États-Unis / 1951 / 119 min / 35 mm / VOSTF
D'après le roman Call It Treason de George Howe.
Avec Oskar Werner, Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill.
La Cinémathèque française : Rétrospective Le cinéma d'espionnage (3e partie).
Sous-titres français sur la copie : Philippe Neumann.
Viewed at Salle Georges Franju, Paris dimanche 16 avril 2023, 15h00 17h00
" La Seconde Guerre mondiale touche à sa fin. Un jeune Allemand accepte de trahir les siens pour tenter de mettre fin aux exactions commises par les nazis. "

AA: The most powerful aspect of Anatole Litvak's Decision Before Dawn is being shot on location among the actual ruins of Munich, Würzburg, Nuremberg and Mannheim and on the Rhine. A documentary authenticity in general is its greatest strength. The training and the equipping of the spies and the parachute operation are thrilling and seem realistic.

Most important is the psychological viewpoint. Can Karl "Happy" Maurer (Oskar Werner) succeed as a spy in his own country? The most agonizing aspect of his mission is meeting people who know who he is and have no idea that he is now a spy with a double identity.

Double identity means lying all the time, and that creates the most tremendous pressure. Especially when it seems that everybody gets suspicious based on tiny details such as carrying a packet of cigarettes that are no longer available. SS and Gestapo officers, contrary to Hollywood stereotype, look harmless and innocuous, but they seem to see through Karl quickly.

A particularly chilling moment involves Rudolf Barth's nephew, a little boy who belongs to Hitler Jugend. He instantly informs on the spies. The spies know that they are supposed to kill him, but they refuse to do so, and the boy in turn finally saves the spies with his silence.

On both sides, Karl meets wonderful women. Monique (Dominique Blanchar) is fond of him but "a boche would be too much to forget before love". Hilde (Hildegarde Knef) reveals to Karl the tragedy of German women during the war. The promesses de bonheur remain unfulfilled.

The French title of Decision Before Dawn means "Traitor", but Karl is no traitor. He is loyal to the true calling of Germany for justice and honour. For that he is ready for the ultimate sacrifice. In a chilling climax it seems that the Allied only see that sacrifice as a tool. That does not diminish the dignity of Karl Maurer's mission.

The cast is fascinating. Besides Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill in further leading roles, there is Hans Christian Blech as Rudolf "Tiger" Barth, Wilfried Seyferth as the SS officer Scholtz, and O. E. Hasse as Colonel von Ecker suffering from angina pectoris: the medic Karl saves his life during the night. Klaus Kinski is memorable in his fleeting uncredited bit part in the beginning.

Written by Peter Viertel, photographed by Franz Planer and with music composed by Franz Waxman (enhanced by stirring soundtrack selections), this is a top production.

Born in Kiev, Anatole Litvak's commitment to the fight against the Nazis was personal, starting with another spy film, Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), continuing with contributions to the Why We Fight series, and going on until the 1960s in The Night of the Generals.

Decision Before Dawn belongs to the films that convey turbulence, confusion and tragedy during the last months of WWII on the Western Front. It is not a story-driven movie. It is an epic historical play conveying a sense of unrest.

The 35 mm print is ok.