27 Oct This Land is Mine
(1943) A country “somewhere in Europe” has just been invaded by Hitler. As the flag of Nazi Germany is raised over City Hall of one of the small towns, the German commandant (excellent performance by Walter Slezak) is introducing himself to the Mayor. Outside in the streets, the citizens are reading the new rules: “Trust the German Soldier.” Or else.
This Land is Mine, WWII movie starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara.
Charles Laughton plays one of the schoolteachers in the school. He openly describes himself as a coward. His bossy mother wants to control his every move and definitely doesn’t want him to have anything to do with the lovely young lady next door.
From this point on we see what happens as the Resistance tries to sabotage the German efforts.
Well, when the movie first began and I saw Charles Laughton, he really was acting like a scared baby. I probably did roll my eyes. What I remember best about Laughton is his performance as Henry VIII in Young Bess, a favorite movie when I was young.
He snapped out of it soon enough, and by the end I knew that I had just watched a masterful performance.
This Land is Mine was released in May of 1943. Hitler was the conqueror of Europe. I knew that the movie makers were trying to show what it was like for the occupied countries under Nazi rule but it wasn’t until the movie was over that I learned the real story.
The director and co-producer was Jean Renoir, a Frenchman whose father was the famous French impressionist Renoir. Jean was born in Montmartre, the hill district of Paris home to so many famous artists through the years including Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Salvador Dali. Now I’m thinking, “OMG.”
Jean Renoir served in World War I. He was injured but while recuperating he watched films of Charlie Chaplin and others. He began to make silent films in 1924 starring his first wife who also happened to be his father’s last model. (Now I want to read his autobiography.)
To make a long story short, after Hitler invaded France in May 1940, Renoir left for America. I believe that this was the first film he made in Hollywood, and of course he was pouring his heart out for his native country. “Somewhere in Europe” was France of course. As I watched this 1943 movie I realized that Hollywood didn’t yet have a clue how bad it was really going to get for France and the other occupied countries of Europe.
When Jean Renoir died in 1979, Orson Welles wrote that he was “the greatest of all directors.”
This Land Is Mine [VHS] at amazon.com
Joy
Posted at 12:05h, 27 OctoberJean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game is considered one of the best films of all time. It is one I have loved ever saw I first saw it. Apparently the Vichy regime was not happy with it, although it was not overtly political. Reviews online can give an idea of its cinematic virtues.