I’d never heard of HOLD BACK THE DAWN until this new release
from Arrow Video came out. I’d never heard of the director of the film Mitchell
Leisen before either though in looking through his resume on imdb I found I was
familiar with several of his films. In watching the extras with this release
they discuss his importance in film and the amount of respect he garnered and
yet I still wonder how many would recognize the name or his films.
With HOLD BACK THE DAWN Leisen and writers Charles Brackett
and Billy Wilder (yes that Billy Wilder) have brought to life a compelling
story of change in a man with a location and tale that is seldom used. Made in
1941 the film revolves around European refugees attempting to enter the United
States through Mexico. How strange that a movie made all those years ago
revolves around a situation that continues to this day.
The film opens with Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer)
finding his way onto the Paramount Studios lot in search of director Dwight
Saxon, a man he met years ago in Europe. He’s come searching for him with the
hopes of selling him a story for $500, money he needs for a reason that can’t
be explained without telling him that story.
Iscovescu found years ago when leaving Europe that he
couldn’t come directly into the US. Making his way to Mexico in the hopes of an
easy crossing into the country, he’s told that it will take 5-8 years due to
the number of refugees coming from his home. He finds accommodations in a hotel
near the border where he sits and waits for his time, hoping that his money
doesn’t run out.
While waiting he sees a familiar face, Anita Dixon (Paulette
Goddard). The two were a professional dancing couple when they were together in
Europe. They spend some time together and Anita tells him there is a way to
circumvent the wait to enter the country, one that she employed: find someone
to marry and once across the border seek a divorce.
Iscovescu agrees to use this method and begins searching for
a woman to romance and lure into his plan with the intent of rejoining Dixon
once he’s in the US. After a few failed attempts he sets his sights on Miss
Emmy Brown (Olivia de Havilland), a school teacher on holiday with some of her
young students for the Fourth of July. In no time at all she falls for his
romantic tactics and they get married before she heads back home. Returning
with the children it will take a few months for Iscovescu’s papers to be
processed and then they will be reunited.
With things going as planned now all he has to do is wait.
Dixon returns and the couple room next door to one another getting cozy without
fear of being recognized as a pair. But immigration Inspector Hammock (Walter
Abel) knows the methods Dixon used in the past and is suspicious. When Emmy
returns for an unexpected visit, Iscovescu sneaks her out of town for a
romantic getaway.
During this trip the couple find themselves lost and ending
up in a quaint village where the townspeople are celebrating an upcoming
marriage. As Iscovescu watches Emmy he begins to develop a fondness for her.
The slow change of Iscovescu from roguish gigolo to a man quite possibly in
love makes for the most fascinating portion of the film.
But with the potential for happiness comes the matter of conflict
in the story. As Iscovescu has fallen for Emmy his partner Dixon only seeks
what is good for her. An inevitable clash between characters is set in motion
and the end result is not quite what you would expect.
In a world where the topic of the southern border between
the US and Mexico is in the daily news to find a movie made all those years ago
discussing the same topic is interesting. The refugees on display here are
coming not for jobs but for the freedoms that they hold up as something to be treasured.
Their willingness to wait for the opportunity is a far cry from the flooding of
the border today.
In addition to that the story here while focused around the
three main characters is surrounded by the other cast members as well as the
location the story takes place in. The various guests in the hotel Iscovescu is
staying in round out the story and make it more believable. Their tale is just
as important as his. It all comes together to make an interesting film that
will hold your attention from start to finish.
Once more Arrow Video has done an amazing job of
resurrecting a film that might otherwise have been lost. It’s presented in a
1080p from original film elements and includes a number of extras as well.
Those include a new audio commentary track by film scholar Adrian Martin, “Love
Knows No Borders” a newly filmed appreciation of the film by critic Geoff
Andrew, “The Guardian Lecture: Olivia de Havilland” a career spanning onstage
interview with Olivia de Havilland at the National Film Theater in 1971, a rare
hour long radio adaptation of HOLD BACK THE DAWN starring Charles Boyer,
Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward, a gallery of original stills and
promotional images, the original film trailer, a reversible sleeve with
original and newly commissioned artwork by Jennifer Dionisio, and for the first
pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing on the film
by writer and critic Farran Smith Nehme.
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