Reunion in France

This is not one of Crawford's better known films, but I was glad I caught it on TCM recently. I think Joan's character feels very believable. She starts out as a spoiled, entitled rich French girl who isn't really concerned about the world around her. The war changes her for the better and opens her eyes. But her background as a wealthy woman makes her believable when standing up to the Nazis. In her home, for instance, she never backs down - by gosh it's her freaking house! I like her spunk and it feels real because nothing really bad has every happened to her so she's not afraid of the Nazi intruders. She's more annoyed by them.

I liked it. Crawford it always entertaining to watch.

John Wayne plays an American airforce pilot shot down over war-torn France, taken in by the enchanting Joan Crawford who conceals his identity posing him as her chauffeur until she can arrange for his passage to safety. Her boyfriend however appears to be conspiring with the Boche, and so an elaborate plan is devised to spirit both Wayne and Crawford (who have formed a romantic connection) out of Paris and to Lisbon with the aid of resistance fighters and British intelligence.

Great performances showcases Crawford's acting talents and dark beauty, outshining the burly exterior of Wayne (which it must be said, is more subdued than usual) while John Carradine has a key supporting role as an unwelcome Gestapo agent later in the film. If you look carefully, you'll also spot Ava Gardner in a small role as a sales girl.

While there's some jingoist sentiments to this film (made during WWII, the fade-out shot has the word "courage" beamed across the screen), there's sufficient dramatic plot twists and thrills to entertain for the lengthy duration. I personally found the movie to be a watchable B-grade war intrigue, with an almost film noir characteristic in Crawford's enigmatic heroine.

Crawford is excellent as a rich French bitch who discovers her patriotism and a slightly softer side to her character when Hitler invades France. John Wayne is the American flyer she gets involved with. The movie is "Reunion in France", a very early Jules Dassin, and it's a good one even if it does fall short of classic status. The plot involves Crawford's suspicions that her fiancée Philip Dorn is a Nazi collaborator, while at the same time helping Wayne escape from the Gestapo and Dassin rings a good deal of suspense from it. The first-rate supporting cast includes John Carradine, Albert Basserman, Henry Daniel, Reginald Owen and in a small and uncredited part of a salesgirl, an up-and-coming starlet called Ava Gardener.

Wearing a stunning array of gowns by Irene and photographed with glossy MGM care, Joan Crawford is a French woman (with a cultured American accent) who doesn't think France has to worry about the occupation of her country by Hitler's Nazis until they take over her home while she's vacationing elsewhere.

With the reality of war, comes the realization that her husband (Philip Dorn) might be collaborating with the Nazis. She loves him dearly but is beginning to despise his affiliation with so many Nazi friends. Then along comes an American pilot (John Wayne), whom she hides in her apartment until she can get him safely out of the country. That's the set-up in this basically suspenseful melodrama which, while unconvincing and full of twists and turns in the plot, is played by a competent team of actors, all of varying accents, who keep the story moving toward a not too surprising climax.

Among the good supporting players are Reginald Owen, Albert Basserman, Natalie Schaefer, John Carradine, Howard DaSilva, Henry Daniell and J. Edward Bromberg.

And yet, the whole film has the air of a minor B-film despite such extravagant settings and Crawford's never-ending wardrobe changes. It also has the air of artificiality which works against sustaining the sort of suspenseful atmosphere it seeks to gain throughout.

Philip Dorn rates special mention as Joan's true love. He gives a colorful, nuanced performance that is interesting to watch.

With a storyline that feels like it was adapted from a sprawling novel, "Reunion in France" is a surprising film. Released during wartime, it details the hubris of the French nation, then the traitorous dealings of certain members of French society. The depressing storyline is contrasted with the unbreakable allegiance of Michele (Joan Crawford), a French socialite who never wavers in her love of France.

She meets an American (John Wayne) who is on the run from German authorities. Clearly, this is a predictable film of romantic intrigue set against the backdrop of Nazi occupation, not unlike "Casablanca".

But the impressive score by Franz Waxman, the fashions by Irene, and the script---with each line layered in double and triple meanings---imply something more. In the end, the film delivers a powerful message that audiences of 1942 would have embraced.

Strong performances abound in this film, including John Carradine, who slithers through every scene as a Gestapo officer. Watch for Howard Da Silva as Anton Stregel, Ava Gardner as a salesgirl, and Natalie Schafer (Gilligan's Mrs. Howell) as a self-absorbed opportunist.

I nearly stopped watching after the first fifteen minutes, but there is a reward for endurance.