Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation presents "DECISION BEFORE DAWN" (1951) (119 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- With the Third Reich disintegrating, several members of the German army are defecting to the Americans and offering their services as spies --- US officer Gary Merrill trusts none of these last-minute "converts", but German prisoner Oskar Werner seems to be sincere --- Werner insists that by helping the Americans, he is saving Germany from destruction --- Merrill sends Werner behind enemy lines for counter-espionage with an American officer (Richard Basehart), who still isn't convinced that the German expatriate means what he says.
A thoughtful World War II drama, Decision Before Dawn was filmed on location in Europe and was Oscar Nominated for Best Picture & Film Editing (Dorothy Spencer).
Under the production staff of:
Anatole Litvak [Director]
Peter Viertel [Screenplay]
George Howe [novel "Call It Treason"]
Carl Zuckmayer [Dialogue]
Anatole Litvak [Producer]
Frank McCarthy [Producer]
Franz Waxman [Original Film Music]
Franz Planer [Cinematographer]
Dorothy Spencer [Film Editor]
Ludwig Reiber [Art Director]
BIOS:
1. Anatole Litvak [Director]
Date of Birth: 10 May 1902 - Kiev, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
Date of Death: 15 December 1974 - Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
2. Richard Basehart [aka: John Richard Basehart]
Date of Birth: 31 August 1914 - Zanesville, Ohio, USA
Date of Death: 17 September 1984 - Los Angeles, California, USA (multiple strokes)
3. Gary Merrill [aka: Gary Franklin Merrill]
Date of Birth: 2 August 1915 - Hartford, Connecticut
Date of Death: 5 March 1990 - Falmouth, Maine
4. Oskar Werner [aka: Oskar Josef Bschließmayer]
Date of Birth: 13 Novembe 1922 - Vienna, Austria
Date of Death: 23 October 1984 - Marburg an der Lahn, Germany
the cast includes:
Richard Basehart - Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill - Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner - Cpl. Karl Maurer aka Happy
Hildegard Knef - Hilde (as Hildegarde Neff)
Dominique Blanchar - Monique
O.E. Hasse - Col. Von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth - Heinz Scholtz - SS Man (as Wilfried Seyfert)
Hans Christian Blech - Sgt. Rudolf Barth aka Tiger
Helen Thimig - Fräulein Paula Schneider (as Helene Thimig)
Robert Freitag - Sgt. Paul Richter (as Robert Freytag)
George Tyne - Sgt. Griffin
Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]
Total Time: 119 min on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox ~ (05/23/2006)