''So Ends Our Night'' is a 1941 drama directed by John Cromwell and starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

, Margaret Sullavan and

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

. The screenplay was adapted by

Talbot Jennings Talbot Lanham Jennings (August 25, 1894 – May 30, 1985) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received two Academy Award nominations for co-writing the screenplays for ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) and '' Anna and the King of Siam' ...

from the novel ''

Flotsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the rema ...

'' by German exile

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (, ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German-born novelist. His landmark novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World ...

, who rose to international fame for his first novel, '' All Quiet on the Western Front''.

Plot

In 1937 Austria, Josef Steiner, a middle-aged German veteran who escaped from a concentration camp two years ago, and Ludwig Kern, a 19-year-old German from a prosperous family with Jewish blood, are picked up by the police. Lacking passports, they face deportation. Brenner, a German agent whom Steiner knows, offers him a passport in exchange for the names of the friends who helped him escape the camp, but Steiner demurs. Steiner and Kern share a jail cell with other prisoners, including the Chicken, the Pole and a professional gambler/pickpocket who is proud of his "full rights of citizenship." Steiner studies the gambler's card tricks and also befriends the miserable Kern. Deported together, they part at the border, Kern to search for his parents in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, Steiner to live by his wits in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The characters struggle to find normalcy in a Europe that is heading for a cataclysmic war. Steiner pines for the wife whom he had left behind and whom his politics have endangered. In Prague, Ludwig meets lovely Jewish exile Ruth Holland, but she is hesitant to enter into a new relationship. In a flashback, her German fiancé insults and abandons her when her Jewish identity threatens his career. Ludwig follows Ruth to Vienna and visits Steiner, now working as a

carnival barker A barker, often a carnival barker, is a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events, such as a circus or funfair, by exhorting passing members of the public, announcing attractions of show, and emphasizing variety, novelty, beau ...

, who helps Ludwig secure a job with the carnival. Ruth is unable to continue her studies because she has no passport and seeks out Ludwig, who is thrilled to see her again. Ludwig is beaten by a suspicious carnival customer and then again by the police. He is incarcerated with the same prisoners as in the previous jail stay, and they teach him how to fight. Lilo, a beautiful carnie with a crush on Steiner, tells Ludwig that Ruth has been deported to

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

, so Ludwig heads there upon his release and finds Ruth staying in the home of a wealthy school friend. Ruth begs to accompany him to Paris, the location of his next plan for survival. Steiner watches in horror as the Nazis annex Austria during the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

. No longer safe in Vienna, he is chased by dogs at the border before plunging into a river to escape. Ruth and Ludwig traverse the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

to reach the French border. After a Swiss Nazi spy has Ludwig arrested, the local gendarme allows him to escape and a friendly doctor visits ailing Ruth in their hideout and orders her to the hospital. Ludwig is once again thrown into jail when he stands outside her hospital window, but he is freed, Ruth recovers and they continue to France. In Paris, they encounter Ruth's former professor, also an exile, who informs them that Paris is flooded with Austrian refugees and that without work permits, they will not find jobs. Steiner, the Chicken and the Pole reappear and they all celebrate. Ludwig learns that university professor Durant loves Ruth and would marry her, which would solve her passport problem. Ludwig tries to convince Ruth to marry Durant, but she refuses because she loves Ludwig. The exiles are able to take jobs at a construction site. Steiner learns that his wife is in the hospital with only a few days to live. Over Ludwig's objections, Steiner uses his fake Austrian passport to return to see her one last time. As soon as Steiner heads to Germany, Ludwig is caught and sent to a prison on the border, from where he will once again be deported. He writes Ruth to marry Durant, but Ruth again refuses and concocts an idea to save Ludwig: by threatening to marry Durant, scandal will befall his family unless his influential uncle helps arrange for Ludwig's release. After crossing the border, Steiner is instantly detained by a group of

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

and interrogated. He promises to divulge names if he is permitted to see his wife. He says goodbye at her deathbed, then grabs the leader of the Gestapo group and leaps to his death, rather than informing on his friends. Steiner has left the young couple all of his money, and now they can each have passports. They mourn Steiner's sacrifice on the train that is taking them to freedom.

Cast

as Josef Steiner * Margaret Sullavan as Ruth Holland *

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film '' An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known for starring in the 1943 ...

as Marie Steiner *

as Ludwig Kern * Anna Sten as Lilo * Erich von Stroheim as Brenner * Allan Brett as Leo Marrill *

Joseph Cawthorn Joseph Bridger Cawthorn (March 29, 1868 – January 21, 1949) was an American stage and film comic actor. Biography Born on March 29, 1868, in New York City to a minstrel-show family, Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debu ...

as Leopold Potzloch *

Leonid Kinskey Leonid Kinskey (1893/1894 – September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born American film and television actor, best known for his role as "Sascha" in the film ''Casablanca'' (1942). His last name was sometimes spelled Kinsky. Life and career Kinskey ...

as The Chicken *

Alexander Granach Alexander Granach (April 18, 1890 – March 14, 1945) was a German-Austrian actor in the 1920s and 1930s who emigrated to the United States in 1938. Life and career Granach was born Schaje Granoch in Werbowitz (Wierzbowce/Werbiwci) (Austri ...

as The Pole *

Roman Bohnen Roman Aloys Bohnen (November 24, 1901 – February 24, 1949) was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films ''Of Mice and Men'' (1939), '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), and ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (194 ...

as Mr. Kern *

Sig Ruman Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains i ...

as Ammers *

William Stack William Stack (March 5, 1882 – January 15, 1949) was an American actor who began his acting career in Great Britain. Over the course of his career he appeared in over 50 films in the U.S. and the U.K, including such notable films as Mary of S ...

as Professor Meyer *

Lionel Royce Lionel Royce (born Leon Moriz Reiss; March 30, 1891 – April 1, 1946) was an Austrian-American actor of stage and screen, also known during his European career as Leo Reuss. He began his career in theater in Vienna, Austria, in 1919, before ...

as Barnekrogg *

Ernst Deutsch Ernst Deutsch, also known as Ernest Dorian (16 September 1890 – 22 March 1969), was a Jewish Austrian actor. In 1916, his performance as the protagonist in the world première of Walter Hasenclever's Expressionist play '' The Son'' in Dresde ...

as Dr. Behr *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...

as Weiss * Gerta Rozan as Elvira * Wolfgang Zilzer as Vogt *

Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from '' B ...

as Jacqueline * Georgia Backus as Mrs. Kern * Hans Schumm as Kobel *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as Bachmann *

Edward Fielding Edward Fielding (March 19, 1875 – January 10, 1945) was an American stage and film actor. Career Edward Fielding appeared in nearly 40 Broadway productions between 1905 and 1939, often in leading roles. He played as a leading man with famous ...

as Durant * Frederik Vogeding as Gestapo Colonel * Kate MacKenna as Mrs. Ammers * Edit Angold as Mrs. Ammers' Sister * Adolph Milar as Black Pig Proprietor * Gisela Werbisek as The Harpy * Lisa Golm as The Pale Woman *

Spencer Charters Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles. Biography Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until ...

as Swiss Policeman *

Hermine Sterler Minna Stern (20 March 1894 – 25 May 1982), known professionally as Hermine Sterler, was a German-American actress whose career spanned both the silent and the talkie film eras on two continents. Career Sterler, who appeared in several Hol ...

as Berlin Nurse *

Paul Leyssac Paul Andri Jurgensen Leyssac (21 June 1881 – 20 August 1946) was a Danish writer, and stage and film actor. He played Abraham Lincoln in the 1937 British film '' Victoria the Great''. He also was a translator of the works of Hans Christian And ...

as Swiss Judge *

Wilhelm von Brincken Wilhelm von Brincken (May 27, 1881 – January 18, 1946), also known as Wilhelm L. von Brincken, William Vaughn, William von Brinken, and William Vaughan, was a German diplomat and spy during World War I, who went on to become an American charac ...

as German Official *

Brenda Fowler Eva Brenda Fowler (February 16, 1883 - October 27, 1942) was an American actress and writer. Early life Brenda Fowler was born on February 16, 1883, in Jamestown, North Dakota as Eva Brenda Fowler. Career In 1905, Fowler was a member of the N ...

as Woman in Prague

Reception

Glenn Ford's performance earned high honors and afforded him subsequent film offers and great popularity. To promote the film, Ford embarked on a publicity tour. The film premiered at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on February 27, 1941 and began screening at Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on March 19. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended a special screening of the film at the White House on January 30 and invited the cast to his annual birthday ball that night. In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

lauded the film as "told with great poignance and sympathy" but wrote: "It would indeed be gratifying to be able to say that it is told with great dramatic effectiveness, too. But it isn't. For the story ... follows too rigid and monotonous a narrative form: it documents rather than dramatizes the wretched lives of its characters. And although John Cromwell has drawn much pathos and affecting tenderness from individual scenes, his direction of the picture as a whole has been too slow, too solemn and much too tedious. ''So Ends Our Night'' continues for the seemingly interminable length of two hours." Critic Philip K. Scheuer of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' called ''So Ends Our Night'' "the most challenging of recent American releases" and wrote: " me of the scenes are gems. The memory of these scenes is what one carries away from the theater—poignant fragments of a whole rather than the whole itself... for this the producers have found too big for their medium."

Louis Gruenberg Louis Gruenberg ( ; June 10, 1964) was a Russian-born American pianist and prolific composer, especially of operas. An early champion of Schoenberg and other contemporary composers, he was also a highly respected Oscar-nominated film composer in Ho ...

's score earned the film's only

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination.

References

* ''The Films of Fredric March'', by Lawrence J. Quirk

External links

* * * * {{John Cromwell 1941 films 1941 drama films American black-and-white films American drama films Films about Nazi Germany Films based on German novels Films based on works by Erich Maria Remarque Films directed by John Cromwell Films produced by David L. Loew Films set in 1937 Films set in 1938 Films set in Paris Films set in Prague Films set in Switzerland Films set in Vienna United Artists films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films