Classic Film Club: Watch on the Rhine (1943)

Our next Classic Film, on September 11, is a war drama, Watch on the Rhine (1943), starring Bette Davis and Paul Lukas. It has a screenplay by Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon), adapted from a 1941 Broadway hit by Lillian Hellman. Nominated for the Best Picture Award at the 1943 Oscars, it lost out to Casablanca, but won a Best Actor Oscar for Paul Lukas. The story concerns an immigrant family seeking sanctuary in the US when they cross the border from Mexico to visit close relatives. They are from Germany and have to face opposition and treachery from a Count, who is a guest at the family home. The play had won a Critics Award in New York and film reviewers praised its acting and outspoken integrity.