Decision Before Dawn

"A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!"

1951 1h 59m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 50

WarActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.

“A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!”

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Cast

Richard Basehart
Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill
Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner
Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
Hildegard Knef
Hilde
Dominique Blanchar
Monique
O.E. Hasse
Col. Oberst von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth
Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
Hans Christian Blech
Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anatole Litvak
Writers: Peter Viertel
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anatole Litvak, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill and Oskar Werner carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anatole Litvak directs. Franz Planer behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. Dorothy Spencer cuts. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

175 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
4Directed by Anatole Litvak, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill and Oskar Werner carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!".
9IMDB entry: tt0043459 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.