Escape

A rescue story set in Germany before the war. Mark lives in America; his mother is German and had gone back, and he has heard nothing from her for some time. He travels to Germany to find her. What he finds is this: she has been arrested and is being held in a camp. A death sentence has been passed and nobody wants to discuss it. The official channels are closed; everyone he asks either does not know or does not want to. Mark approaches a countess for help. She was born in America, lives in Germany and is involved with a senior general. She has no position against the regime but cannot stay indifferent either. The tension comes from there: every step depends on someone speaking, someone taking a risk, and nobody is reliable. It was made before the war reached America, at a time when Hollywood avoided the subject directly, and was among the early films to name the camps. Norma Shearer plays the countess, Robert Taylor plays Mark and Conrad Veidt the general. Mervyn LeRoy directed. A historically notable production for anyone who likes classical Hollywood suspense and prewar stories. For a viewer expecting a realistic picture of the period, the film stays inside studio convention.