None Shall Escape

It's War Tribunal in Poland after WW2 - which means the film is staggeringly ahead itself to say the least: a Nazi officer is rightly getting a death penalty, through the testimony of his former lover (Marsha Hunt), priest (Henry Travers) and his own leftist brother (Erik Rolf)... A superb film by all accounts, and my kindest regards to Mrs Hunt - still alive at 104.

Judgment at Nuremburg was a very successful film of the early 1960s which brought the atrocities of the Nazis into clearer focus for millions. It won an Oscar for Maxmillan Schell, who did a very good job in the film. However, that film was executed with grand intellectual examination; a great deal of emotional dialogue, and a few illustrations of the hideous actions of the Third Reich. This film, None Shall Escape, is also fueled by a great performance by Alexander Knox as Grimm, but avoids the intellectualism of Judgment at Nuremburg. Instead, it focuses on the personal and visceral actions of those involved in the Polish occupation. Made some 20 years before the Schell film, and though a bit dated, it captures the visceral aspect of the inhumanity of the Nazis better than its successor. A highly underrated film.

Not only because this movie was made almost 70 years ago (at the time of writing/watching it the first time), but also because of the structure of the movie. It may feel a bit dated (no pun intended) and the effects certainly are, but the story is what counts and that is pretty strong indeed. The acting is more than good, though you can see where it does lead to most of the time. So while there won't be too many surprises, hopefully the drama itself and maybe a bit of the back-story of this movie will entice you. Don't be appalled by the court aspect of the movie, because very little of it actually plays in it.