Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Ketti Frings (story)
Charles Brackett (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Stopped in Mexico by U.S. Immigration, Georges Iscovescu hopes to get into the country by marrying a citizen.

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Love | American | Gigolo | Jealousy

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars.

Cast

Charles Boyer	...	Georges Iscovescu
Olivia de Havilland	...	Emmy Brown
Paulette Goddard	...	Anita Dixon
Victor Francen	...	Van Den Luecken
Walter Abel	...	Inspector Hammock
Curt Bois	...	Bonbois
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Berta Kurz
Eric Feldary	...	Josef Kurz
Nestor Paiva	...	Fred Flores
Eva Puig	...	Lupita
Micheline Cheirel	...	Christine
Madeleine Lebeau	...	Anni
Billy Lee	...	Tony
Mikhail Rasumny	...	Mechanic
Charles Arnt	...	Mr. John MacAdams

Also Known As:

Memo to a Movie Director (USA) (original script title)
The Golden Door (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min | USA:125 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #7139) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center - 1200 N. State Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The hotel in Tijuana where the immigrants wait anxiously for U.S. visas is the Hotel Esperanza. Esperanza is Spanish for "hope."

Quotes:

Georges Iscovescu: [to Emmy] You needn't be afraid, Miss Brown. Not a bit. You see, we are like ... two trains, halted for a moment at the same station. But we're going in different directions. We can't change our course, any more than we can hold back the dawn.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Soundtrack:

A Sinner Kissed an Angel

They Don't Make 'em like this any more!

It is a sad reflection that many of the movies made so long ago still compare brilliantly with the best of today. "Hold Back the Dawn" is one of those - superbly put together by Billy Wilder & Charles Brackett, and with some of the finest acting of 1941. Outtanding are Charles Boyer, in what I feel is his best acting, and Olivia de Havilland who apparently had to go to Paramount to be appreciated (her two Oscar films were made there, and she was nominated also for this one!) is a standout. Paulette Goddard in a role almost written for her was very good, and the supporting cast was excellent. Migrants trying to get into the United States has always been a hot topic, but here it is treated sympathetically in a very informative way. I have to say the ending was not well done, and one gets the feeling all was not well somewhere.