IMDb > Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

Hold Back the Dawn (1941) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   489 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 15% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

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

View company contact information for Hold Back the Dawn on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

26 September 1941 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama | Romance more

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. more

User Comments:

They Don't Make 'em like this any more! more (13 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

116 min | USA:125 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

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


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The original script included an early scene where Charles Boyer talks to a cockroach in his room. Boyer dismissed the scene as idiotic and convinced director Mitchell Leisen to delete it; screenwriters Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett were so incensed at Leisen for giving in they resolved to direct and produce their own movies from then on. more

Quotes:

Anita Dixon: All those years with all the others, I've shut my eyes and thought of you. more

Movie Connections:

References I Wanted Wings (1941) more

Soundtrack:

Hold Back the Dawn more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
They Don't Make 'em like this any more!, 22 July 2004
9/10
Author: dougandwin from Adelaide Australia

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.

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