The Seventh Cross (1944)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Anna Seghers (novel)
Helen Deutsch (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 July 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport | War

Tagline:

Daringly Real . . . Startlingly Frank! The revealing novel of a hunted man's search for love!

Plot:

In Nazi Germany in 1936 seven men escape from a concentration camp. The camp commander puts up seven crosses and...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Concentration Camp | Gestapo | Nazi | Torture

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	George Heisler
Signe Hasso	...	Toni
Hume Cronyn	...	Paul Roeder
Jessica Tandy	...	Liesel Roeder
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mme. Marelli
Herbert Rudley	...	Franz Marnet
Felix Bressart	...	Poldi Schlamm
Ray Collins	...	Ernst Wallau
Alexander Granach	...	Zillich
Katherine Locke	...	Frau Hedy Sauer
George Macready	...	Bruno Sauer
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Fiedler
Steven Geray	...	Dr. Loewenstein
Kurt Katch	...	Leo Hermann
Kaaren Verne	...	Leni (as Karen Verne)

Also Known As:

The Seven Crosses

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film is set in 1936 but shows the Concentration Camp being run by the 'Storm troopers' (Sturmabteilung). The SA virtually ceased to exist following the 'night of the Long Knives'(Nacht der langen Messer), which occurred between June 30 and July 2, 1934. The SA did linger on after this but it was weakened and almost pointless, leaving the Schutzstaffel (SS) to take over most of its duties, including camp administration, etc.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Twenty Years After (1944)

A compelling story of the triumph of the human spirit

Although slow moving, as was typical of Hollywood dramas of that era, The Seventh Cross tells a compelling story of the human spirit overcoming the evils of totalitarianism, and the recovery of one's faith in mankind during the midst of a societal distrust. George Heisel, portrayed by Spencer Tracey (one of his classic performances), is a broken man who has lost his faith in humanity who has escaped from a Nazi concentration camp with six others in the early days of the Reich when not all Germans loved the Fuerer and still had decent intentions. The Nazi Commandant vows to capture all seven and hang them on crosses he has built inside the camp. Six are caught, but Heisel escapes to Mainz, leaving the seventh cross empty. In Mainz, he realizes that he can't go to his old girlfriend (who has married a Nazi) or his family (his younger brother has joined the SS); almost all his friends have turned Nazi or been captured or killed save one, Paul Roeder and his wife Liesel (played by longtime married actors Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy). The Roeder's help get him in touch with members of the underground (including Paul Guilfolye, father of the actor on CSI) who help him escape to Holland. As he leaves, he realizes he must pay back not those who hurt him and broke him, but those that healed him, those who restored his faith in the God-given decency inherent in all of us if given the chance to rise to the surface. Sometimes it can arise in the most unlikely of places, but it is there.

To be placed alongside The Hiding Place, Schindler's List and Swing Kids. A must see for anyone who loves freedom.