Compared to the vast number of films made about the Second World War during the fifties and sixties, there were relatively few made about the First World War during the twenties and thirties. There were probably a number of reasons for this. The static nature of trench warfare did not make for exciting action pictures, and the relatively primitive film-making techniques of the time made it difficult to dramatise large-scale battles. Another reason is that, while World War II has passed into legend as a heroic struggle against tyranny, there was a widespread feeling during the inter-war era that World War I had all been a dreadful mistake, best commemorated (if at all) through monuments and solemn ceremonies, not through the medium of popular entertainment. This feeling was especially strong in America and contributed to the growth of isolationism during this period.
Hollywood films about World War II almost always concentrated on the American war effort. With World War I this was not always so. "All Quiet on the Western Front", for example, focuses on the Germans and does not include a single American character, and the only American in "A Farewell to Arms" is a volunteer serving with the Italian Army. "After Tonight" is another American World War I film without any American characters. Like the British-made "Secret Agent" and "The Spy in Black" it is a spy film, espionage being easier to portray on screen and affording more excitement than the war in the trenches.
The story is set on the Eastern Front between Russia and Austria-Hungary, a theatre of war which would have been unfamiliar to most Americans. Rudolph Ritter, an Austrian counter-intelligence officer, falls in love with a beautiful Army nurse named Karen Schöntag. (Or Schontag- the pronunciation varies according to which character is speaking). Unknown to him, Karen is really a Russian spy tasked with infiltrating the Austrian Army and discovering military secrets. Eventually, however, mounting evidence begins to indicate to Ritter that the woman he loves may be an enemy spy, in which case it will be his unpleasant duty to arrest her and have her executed. (The use of this unfamiliar setting was probably necessary to ensure that American audiences remained neutral between the lovers. Had Karen been an American spying on the Germans, she would have become the heroine and Ritter the villain, and vice versa had she been a German spying on the Allies).
The film was not a success when it was released in 1933, and lost $100,000 at the box office. The studio, RKO, apparently considered firing the leafing lady, Constance Bennett, although she is probably one of the better things about the film. Her leading man Gilbert Roland, however, is rather wooden, and with his Mexican accent it is difficult to accept him as an Austrian. (Bennett and Roland were later to marry). The film's main weaknesses, however, are its lame dialogue and its storyline, particularly the decision to substitute a contrived happy ending for the tragic one which the plot seemed to be leading up to. After 90 years this is not really a film that stands up well. 4/10.
Hollywood films about World War II almost always concentrated on the American war effort. With World War I this was not always so. "All Quiet on the Western Front", for example, focuses on the Germans and does not include a single American character, and the only American in "A Farewell to Arms" is a volunteer serving with the Italian Army. "After Tonight" is another American World War I film without any American characters. Like the British-made "Secret Agent" and "The Spy in Black" it is a spy film, espionage being easier to portray on screen and affording more excitement than the war in the trenches.
The story is set on the Eastern Front between Russia and Austria-Hungary, a theatre of war which would have been unfamiliar to most Americans. Rudolph Ritter, an Austrian counter-intelligence officer, falls in love with a beautiful Army nurse named Karen Schöntag. (Or Schontag- the pronunciation varies according to which character is speaking). Unknown to him, Karen is really a Russian spy tasked with infiltrating the Austrian Army and discovering military secrets. Eventually, however, mounting evidence begins to indicate to Ritter that the woman he loves may be an enemy spy, in which case it will be his unpleasant duty to arrest her and have her executed. (The use of this unfamiliar setting was probably necessary to ensure that American audiences remained neutral between the lovers. Had Karen been an American spying on the Germans, she would have become the heroine and Ritter the villain, and vice versa had she been a German spying on the Allies).
The film was not a success when it was released in 1933, and lost $100,000 at the box office. The studio, RKO, apparently considered firing the leafing lady, Constance Bennett, although she is probably one of the better things about the film. Her leading man Gilbert Roland, however, is rather wooden, and with his Mexican accent it is difficult to accept him as an Austrian. (Bennett and Roland were later to marry). The film's main weaknesses, however, are its lame dialogue and its storyline, particularly the decision to substitute a contrived happy ending for the tragic one which the plot seemed to be leading up to. After 90 years this is not really a film that stands up well. 4/10.
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