Review of All Through the Night (1942) by Bill W — 18 Oct 2007

"All Through the Night" is the story of Alfred "Gloves" Donahue, a man with underworld connections who follows the trail of a murder to Nazi spies operating in America. Though made prior to "Casablanca" (1942), this film features Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who would all have major roles in that film.

Humphrey Bogart leads the cast with an excellent performance as Alfred "Gloves" Donahue, indifferent to World War II until drawn into a world of subterfuge. Conrad Veidt plays a refined yet dangerous Nazi leader in a role similar to the role he would play as Major Strasser in "Casablanca". Kaaren Verne is effective as Leda Hamilton, a woman caught in the tangled plot. Peter Lorre does a fine job lurking in the shadows and trying to thwart Donahue's efforts. Jane Darwell was amusing as Donahue's interfering mother.

The film has an interesting story with enough turns to keep it engaging. There was a lot of humor injected into the story and the dialogue was good for the most part. Some of the humor was off-beat, particularly that of Frank McHugh's character, Barney, whose muddled relationship with his wife and other concerns distracted from the more interesting main story. However, there were a lot of amusing moments as well, particularly when Donahue fakes a report to the Nazi underground. This film is clearly a propaganda piece, which is fine for the most part, but at times the propaganda is too blunt. Overall, though, "All Through the Night" is a satisfactory World War II film featuring performances from famous actors that would soon appear in "Casablanca".