Hitler's Children (1943)

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Emmet Lavery (screenplay)
Gregor Ziemer (book)

Release Date:

6 January 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

SHOCK To hear a woman cry "Let me be the mother of a soldier for Hitler! SHOCK To know how they make sure that women will bear the "right kind" of children...or none at all!

Plot:

This lurid exposé of the Hitler Youth follows the woes of an American girl declared legally German by the Nazi government.

Plot Keywords:

School | German | Nazi | Illicit Love | Trial

Cast

Tim Holt	...	Lieutenant Karl Bruner
Bonita Granville	...	Anna Miller
Kent Smith	...	Professor Nichols
Otto Kruger	...	Colonel Henkel
H.B. Warner	...	The Bishop
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Franz Erhart
Erford Gage	...	Dr. Schmidt
Hans Conried	...	Dr. Graf
Gavin Muir	...	Nazi Major
Nancy Gates	...	Brenda
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter van Eyck	...	Arresting Sergeant (as Goetz Van Eyck)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (2005) | USA:Approved (PCA #8878) | Australia:PG

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Following the excellent box office returns both director Edward Dmytryk and writer Emmet Lavery were given $5,000 bonuses for their work.

Quotes:

Dr. Schmidt: To the boys of Adolf Hitler, this hour can have but one meaning. At this hour when the Earth is closest to the Sun, when it is consecrating itself to the Sun, we have only one thought: we too must be close to our Sun. We too must consecrate our lives to our Sun, and the Sun that shines for us is Adolf Hitler. Attention! You will repeat after me the oath of allegiance to our Fuehrer! "I consecrate my life to Hitler."
[Boys repeat]
Dr. Schmidt: "I am ready to sacrifice my life for Hitler."
[Boys repeat]
Dr. Schmidt: "I am ready to die for Hitler."
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Education for Death (1943)

Soundtrack:

Fur Elise

It Is What It Is.

War time propaganda films must be viewed in the context of the times in which they were made. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate a film because of the framework of propaganda. This film, made at the beginning of the war with Germany, attempts to depict what was happening in that country and the threat it posed to the world. It may be somewhat simplified but it gets the point across.

Bonita Granville, an appealing actress who began her career as a child star, does a fine job as the German/American young woman who is caught up in the maelstrom of Nazism. Tim Holt, as the German officer, seems miscast somehow.....I still see him searching for the Treasure of Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart but maybe that's just my problem. Kent Smith, a yeoman actor, whose face was everywhere during the 40's, is his usual bland self. The coup of casting is Otto Kruger as Tim Holt's mentor.....he was an underrated actor, who always gave good performances.....see him in "Murder My Sweet" as the sleazy Anthor to really appreciate his talents. Hans Conreid, usually thought of as a comic actor, plays against type here and it works well enough. Since hindsight is 20/20, we notice that some of the major atrocities of the Nazi regime, such as concentration camps (mentioned briefly) and the "Jewish question" are not addressed. View this film for what it is....propaganda....an attempt to show the audience that other world, where terrible things were happening and why America was fighting to preserve freedom. It's a piece of history that is worth watching.