Paris After Dark

This is not a great war film, and today it is hopelessly outdated. The credits of the film is that the actors (almost all escaped from France during the occupation) act with absolute sincerity and conviction, giving the film a character of genuine honesty as an effort to communicate how life was in Paris for Parisians during the occupation. The documentary character is missing, however, being replaced by a rather uncouth sentimentality, as if it was contaminated by Hollywood, which it apparently was. It was made for the Americans to show them how hard life was in Europe for civilians under the German occupation, and the excellent acting by Philip Dorn, Brenda Marshall and George Sanders add to the credibility. So if you can forget the sentimental smear over it all, you will find it a most valuable and realistic account of life in the resistance. One warning: there are no human Germans here.