Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Lawbolisted Powerful

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

GManfred Hollywood produced this one as the war in Europe had barely begun and the US was a couple of years away from Pearl Harbor. They had correctly identified the threat from Nazi Germany, though, and made a pretty accurate assessment of the consequences involved. "Confessions Of A Nazi Spy" is better than it sounds, and is not a story extracted from a cheap novel.Nutshell; Some German-Americans felt an attachment to their Fatherland at the outbreak of the war, and some bought into the narrative and became Nazi sympathizers. Schneider (Francis Lederer) is one of those. He is inspired by the speeches of Dr. Kassell (Paul Lukas) and becomes a spy - more of a messenger - for a local subversive Nazi group. He is discovered by the FBI (Edw. G. Robinson), loses his nerve and informs on the group. Any more of the plot will spoil the story.The picture is related in semi-documentary style which gives it a patina of authenticity and is directed by Hollywood veteran Anatole Litvak, who adds the required tension and who made several noteworthy noir and crime dramas in his career. Lederer and Lukas supply the villains and Robinson the hero in this surprisingly good rendition of a story of troublesome times to come for America.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . for American Hearts & Minds on the Big Screen in 1939. Since all the Hollywood money--except Warner's--was backing the Nazis, that racist, boring snooze-fest bladder-buster dubbed GONE WITH THE WIND stole CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY's well-deserved Best Picture Oscar. In fact, GWTW's story line dove-tailed perfectly with Nazi Disinformation Minister Joseph Goebbels' racially-divisive propaganda leaflets that CONFESSIONS documents were being handed out at every American school yard, placed on theater seats before each GWTW showing, as well as being dropped by the bushel from airplanes and high-rise windows. In 1939, one of the two major U.S. political parties was in cahoots with Hitler. That is why the millions of German Fifth Columnists and Hitler Youth Scouts terrorizing America were NEVER interned, despite mountains of evidence summarized in CONFESSIONS. Instead, the race-based slavery precepts championed by GWTW created a climate in which thousands of loyal Japanese-Americans were declared as being "Non-human," as they were permanently deprived of all their property and peace of mind despite there not being a shred of evidence against a single one of them! CONFESSIONS shows us how Hitler used Fifth Column traitors and saboteurs to plunder Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and France. Britain had to stamp out thousands of their own Gestapo pawns around the time that CONFESSIONS was released. But in America, all but four of these Heil-Hitlering Brown Shirts remained free before, during, and after WWII--free to lord it over the rest of us loyal, Freedom-loving citizens with their huge heaps of money down to the present day. Are YOUR Congressional reps second generation Sig Heilers?

mukava991 This is a fast-paced, sometimes slightly confusing but never boring semi-documentary- style FBI drama about the hunt for a ring of Nazi spies in the US in the years leading up to World War Two. The nastiest Nazis are played by such villainous actors as George Sanders, Martin Kosleck and Hans von Twardowski; somewhat softer but still powerful characterizations are supplied by Frances Lederer as a misfit with dreams of grandeur and Paul Lukas as a cultivated and respected doctor who lectures at gatherings of the German- American Bund. They are all scheming to steal military secrets for the use of the Third Reich in its ambitions to conquer America. Edward G. Robinson plays the FBI official who tracks them down. If you are familiar with later movies like House on 92nd Street, Double Indemnity, Hangmen Also Die, They Drive By Night, The Stranger and Man Hunt you will see that all of these actors were past masters of the types of roles they played therein. Based on a true story of a spy ring in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, these frightening individuals are brought to compelling life under the no-nonsense direction of Anatole Litvak. Although the film can certainly be described as propagandistic, particularly with the bombastic Walter Winchellesque narration, who can argue that something sinister wasn't afoot in those days and that America wasn't directly threatened by a powerful and totalitarian rival? Sure, America was not perfect either, but it is easy to be roused by the spirit of independence and individual liberty that is evoked by the good guys trapping and defeating the bad guys. One of the best scenes is the interrogation of Frances Lederer by the seasoned FBI agent Robinson who cleverly yet forcefully appeals to Lederer's vanity to coax him into confessing and naming names. Paul Lukas is also gripping as the suave and confident doctor who by degrees crumbles in defeat after first being cornered by the FBI and then set upon by the Gestapo. Unfortunately the fate of some of the spies is not resolved at the end and the narrative just seems to drop them in favor of a blitzkrieg of wartime propaganda (much of it added after the film's initial release to update it for 1940 audiences). According to the FBI historian who appeared on Turner Classic Movies to introduce and discuss the film, this anti- espionage effort was largely a failure but the FBI learned a great deal from it and got better at its job in ensuing years. Part documentary, part detective story, part human drama, part cat-and-mouse chase adventure. Something for everyone.

Neil Doyle This is definitely a better than average espionage yarn produced by Warner Bros. a couple of years before our entry into WWII. FRANCIS LEDERER has a key role as a homegrown Nazi spy without much experience but learning the ropes from the more experienced GEORGE SANDERS and PAUL LUKAS.Anatole Litvak's direction is swift and the story told in a semi-documentary style that would flourish more often in the '40s over at Fox where films like THE HOUSE ON 92nd STREET and 13 RUE MADELINE would exploit the subject of espionage.EDWARD G. ROBINSON has the role of a good guy for a change, an FBI man who has to track down the Nazi spies before valuable information is leaked.Maintains interest throughout, despite the late appearance in the film of Robinson's character.One of FRANCIS LEDERER's best roles during the '30s, it's a film well worth watching despite the overtones of propaganda.