''In Our Time'' is a 1944 American romantic drama film set in the days leading up to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. It stars
Ida Lupino and
Paul Henreid.
Plot
In March 1939, English antiques dealer Mrs. Bromley and her assistant Jennifer "Jenny" Whittredge travel through
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
making purchases. In
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
, Jenny meets Count Stefan Orwid and, after a whirlwind courtship, he asks her to marry him.
However, Stefan's aristocratic family is less than welcoming to the English commoner, particularly his sister Janina and his wealthy, diplomat uncle Count Pawel Orwid. His mother Zofyia merely wants to keep peace in the family. Only his other uncle, ineffectual Leopold Baruta, welcomes her. Nonetheless, the wedding takes place.
Afterwards, Jenny encourages Stefan to break his family's dependence on Count Pawel's financial aid by persuading his peasant tenants to adopt more modern and efficient farming methods. It works; the harvest is bountiful, and Stefan accepts Jenny's suggestion that they invite the workers to a celebration party in his mansion. Count Pawel makes a surprise visit to express his strong disapproval of Jenny's democratic ideas. However, they are interrupted by the
bombing of nearby Warsaw. War has broken out, despite Count Pawel's desperate attempts to placate
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
Stefan joins his
Polish Army cavalry regiment, leaving Jenny to supervise the rest of the harvest. Days go by with conflicting radio reports. Finally, a dazed, wounded Stefan returns to the estate. His regiment was wiped out after charging
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
tanks. He gathers the peasants and asks them to burn the crop and anything else that could be of use to the invaders. They patriotically agree. Count Pawel shows up to take the family to Romania. Stefan, Jenny, and Leopold remain behind to fight.
Cast
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Ida Lupino as Jennifer Whittredge
*
Paul Henreid as Count Stefan Orwid
*
Nancy Coleman as Janina Orwid
*
Mary Boland as Mrs. Bromley
*
Victor Francen
Victor Francen (born Victor Franssens, 5 August 1888 – 18 November 1977) was a Belgian-born actor with a long career in French cinema and in Hollywood.
Biography
Francen was born in 1888 in Tienen, the son of a chief of police.
According ...
as Count Pawel Orwid
*
Alla Nazimova
Alla Nazimova (Russian: Алла Назимова; born Marem-Ides Leventon, Russian: Марем-Идес Левентон; June 3 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._May_22.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O ...
as Zofia Orwid (as Nazimova)
*
Michael Chekhov
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew ...
as Uncle Leopold Baruta
*
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer.
After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...
as Ballerina
See also
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List of American films of 1944
Below is a list of American films released in 1944. ''Going My Way'' won Best Picture at the 17th Academy Awards. The remaining four nominees were ''Double Indemnity'', ''Gaslight'', ''Since You Went Away'' and '' Wilson''.
A
B
C
D
E-F
...
References
External links
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1944 romantic drama films
1944 films
American World War II propaganda films
American romantic drama films
American black-and-white films
Films scored by Franz Waxman
Films directed by Vincent Sherman
Warner Bros. films
Films set in 1939
Eastern Front of World War II films
Films about nobility
Films set in Poland
Films set in Warsaw
1940s English-language films
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