The Moon Is Down (1943)

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In this downbeat drama based on a novel by John Steinbeck (which was also adapted for the stage), German troops invade Norway during WWII, and Nazi forces occupy a small town. Col. Lanser (Cedric Hardwicke), the officer in charge of the occupation, believes that reason and the illusion of… More In this downbeat drama based on a novel by John Steinbeck (which was also adapted for the stage), German troops invade Norway during WWII, and Nazi forces occupy a small town. Col. Lanser (Cedric Hardwicke), the officer in charge of the occupation, believes that reason and the illusion of cooperation will achieve more than open hostility against the townspeople, and he tries to persuade the city fathers to work with him. However, an anti-Nazi resistance force soon springs into action, and they begin sabotaging German installations and materiel and assassinating Axis officers. Mayor Orden (Henry Travers) gently but stubbornly refuses to assist Lanser in any way, as he tacitly aids the resistance movement. Eventually, Lanser is forced to respond to the continuing anti-Nazi actions with a series of arrests and executions, but the Norwegians bravely remain steadfast against the enemies to the end. One of the children in the village is played by Natalie Wood, who was a mere five years old at the time (it was her second film, following a small role in Happy Land). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Irving Pichel
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Mar 14, 1943 Wide

Critic Reviews

Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
The film's main problem is that it achieves one of the things it sets out to do: it makes the Norwegians faceless and anonymous.

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Cast

            Cedric Hardwicke as Col. Lanser

            Henry Travers as Mayor Orden

            Lee J Cobb as Dr. Winter

            Peter van Eyck as Lt. Tonder

            Doris Bowden as Molly Morden

            Margaret Wycherly as Mme. Orden

            Henry Rowland as Capt. Loft

            E.J. Ballantine as George Corell

            Irving Pichel as Inn Keeper

            Violette Wilson as Peder's Wife

            Hans Schumm as Capt. Bentick

            Ernst Dorian as Major Hunter

            John Banner as Lt. Prackle

            Helene Thimig as Annie

            Ian Wolfe as Joseph

            Kurt Kreuger as Orderly

            Jeff Corey as Albert

            Louis V. Arco as Schumann

            Ernst Hausman as Moeller

            Charles McGraw as Ole

            Trevor Bardette as Foreman

            John Mylong as Staff Officer

            Otto Reichow as Sergeant

            Sven Hugo Borg as Sergeant

            Dorothy Peterson as Mother

            Ernst Deutsch as Maj. Hunter

            William Post Jr. as Alex Morden

            William Prince
            
See full cast

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