The Man I Married

A seldom-known aspect of US history that most Americans don't know is that a law was enacted in the 1930s that made it illegal--YES, illegal for the studios to favor one side or the other in the European conflict that became WWII. Studios were forbidden to get involved and these companies all followed along with the law--seeing neutrality as a patriotic ideal. Part of it, I am sure, is that neutrality could insure that US films would STILL be rented in Europe (regardless who wins--neutrality guarantees the studios will deal with the victor). However, by late 1938 and into 1939, some brave studio execs started to balk at this. After all, the Nazis had proved themselves to be monsters--and the studios were beginning to take sides--law or not! While "The Man I Married" is not among the first of these anti-Nazi films from the US, it is one of the better ones and holds up well today.

Carol and Eric Hoffman (Joan Bennett and Francis Lederer) are living in the States when the movie begins. Eric was born in Germany but has lived in America a decade. Carol is an American--born and raised. The Hoffmans take their son to Germany for a visit and soon Mrs. Hoffman is aghast at the hate and viciousness she sees. What's worse...over time, she sees her husband buying into the Nazi rhetoric more and more. Pretty soon she's worried...can she even get out of Germany. And, more importantly, can she do so with her young son?

This movie doesn't pull punches. It talks about Dachau, prisoners being murdered in the camps and chalking it up to things like Apendicitis, Storm Troopers abusing non-Aryans and more. As I already said, though, it's not like any of this was much of a surprise to audiences, as by 1940 the war had been raging a year. Still, it's very well written and acted and holds up very well today. Nearly as good as contemporary films like "The Mortal Storm".