Review of Watch on the Rhine (1943) by Curtis J — 21 Mar 2011
Bette Davis gets star billing but is really a supporting character in this film which won Paul Lukas a Best Actor Oscar (beating out Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca no less). They play the Mullers, a family who has been wandering Europe for 8 years fighting against the Fascist juggernaut.
They've come to Suburban Washington DC to visit Bette's family (she is an American married to a German). There are other guests as well and they aren't such characters of nobility. While so much of this political thriller is specific to it's time, the moral choices and dilemmas faced by the characters is still gripping and thought provoking.
Lucille Watson, who played Mary Haines' mother in "The Women" sort of expands on that performance in a delightful turn as Bette's wealthy gabfest of a mother. I think Lukas probably won the Oscar more for the nature of the role and it's cultural relevance in 1943, than for his actual performance which struck me as merely serviceable.
This review of Watch on the Rhine (1943) was written by Curtis J on 21 Mar 2011.
Watch on the Rhine has generally received positive reviews.
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