rickscafe419
Very enjoyable indeed. I always enjoyed the stoic acting of Paul Henreid anyway and to see the very attractive and talented Ida Lupino at age 26 was a treat.The important idea of a beau, either male or female, not being good enough for the family into which he or she's becoming a part of through marriage, is ancient. I know that here in the USA, it reigns galore but of course from studying history, I had learned that the "quality" of the beau in aristocratic Europe families was intense. Like for instance, here in the USA, family crests and all that jazz are meaningless but not so in Europe. There, lineage, pomp and ceremony are of supreme importance.This is why Ida Lupino's entrance into the family of Count Orvid's of Poland is fascinating. It was like pitting the old Brooklyn Dodgers against the mighty New York Yankees in so many World Series games. Obviously in the film, Dodger Lupino didn't stand a chance except for uncle Leopold Baruta's warm understanding of why aristocracy shouldn't destroy love.In the meantime, this enchanting love story is set in the backdrop of maniac Hitler's preparations for invading Poland. The film therefore has tension cleverly wound within the fabric of the entire film. And what will happen to the love affair and marriage of Ida and Paul once Hitler attacks? See for yourself--it's a good movie on Turner Classics.
Alex da Silva
Jennifer (Ida Lupino) visits Poland with her boss Mrs Bromley (Mary Boland) to buy antiques. She meets Stefan (Paul Henreid) and they fall in love. We follow the story of how this couple go against Stefan's family values as Poland is on the verge of being invaded by Germany. The war begins and each member of Stefan's family must choose whether to stay and fight or escape to safety.This film starts well with Mrs Bromley very funny as she eats chocolates on a train while Jennifer reads to her about Poland. However, the pace seems to slow down with the arrival of Stefan. I sat through each sequence thinking "right, things are going to pick up now" but they never did. The film just crawls along at a drawn-out pace.The cast are all good and Ida Lupino, Victor Francen who plays the wealthy Count, and Alla Nazimova who plays Stefan's mother all provide scenes with genuine dramatic dialogue. The film is a bit preachy and there just aren't many memorable scenes. The only one that stands out for me is at the harvest party when the bombing starts.Even though I have given this film 5/10, my girlfriend rated it as a 7/10. So my conclusion is that you will enjoy this film more if you are a girl......but listen guys, don't go having an expensive operation just for this....
Casablanca3784
A bit slow moving but nonetheless interesting. The only thing missing is Maria Ouspenskaya stirring a boiling cauldron.Paul Henried and Ida Lupino fall in love near Warsaw. She's a British commoner employed by a fancy English antique collector. Paul and Ida meet by accident in an antique shop. After they do some innocent and tender kanoodling for a while, Paul decides to bring Ida home to meet the Fockers...oops...I mean the royal Orvid family.Only philosophical uncle Leopold Baruta likes Ida. Paul's sister,Janina, hates her while the rest of the Orvids think she's not good enough for Paul. In the meantime, we encounter a guy who's supporting them all-- Count Pavel. The reason why he's a Count is because everyone watches him count his money to then disperse to them as monthly stipends.Count Pavel is also a representative of Poland to Nazi Germany and he's convinced that, after Czechoslovakia, Hitler had no more territorial designs on Europe so it would be a good idea to give him the Polish Corridor so as not to tick him off into attacking Poland. Ida begins to dislike the whole Orvid family and especially Paul's reliance on Pavel for dough. So she's about to hop a train to get her back to England when Paul promises to become independent and she buys into it. So they marry, start teaching the peasants how to till the land while Pavel seethes because this is no way for Polish nobility to act.On Sept,1.1939, the Nazis invade Poland and begin bombing Warsaw. Paul puts on his military uniform and heads for battle. Ida is left home and somehow, she rallies the peasants into fighting the Germans which history proves to be an absurdity. She teaches them the "scorched earth" policy which history teaches was anachronistic because it was the Russians who employed it against the Nazis after 6/22/41. However despite its flaws,it all makes for an interesting anti-Nazi, morale boosting film for us at home.
The-Lonely-Londoner
As an actress, Ida Lupino achieved success in the 40's acting alongside Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. For me, she was a totally average actress. As a director, she had more substance to offer in the 50's and 60's, but I guess she was just paying the bills with this film.
