''Tonight We Raid Calais'' is a 1943 American film directed by

John Brahm John Brahm (August 17, 1893 – October 12, 1982) was a German film and television director. His films include ''The Undying Monster'' (1942), ''The Lodger (1944 film), The Lodger'' (1944), ''Hangover Square (film), Hangover Square'' (1945), ''Th ...

and starring John Sutton, Lee J. Cobb, and

Annabella Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I *Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...

Plot

Geoffrey Carter ( John Sutton), a young British

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

officer, is sent into

Nazi-occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

as a one-man raid to help the RAF destroying a munitions factory with help from a patriotic farmer, M. Bonnard ( Lee J. Cobb). Carter is selected because of his ability to speak French fluently. After landing in France, Carter makes contact with Bonnard at his farm. Bonnard’s daughter Odette (

) hates the British and Germans equally since her brother was killed in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. She is concerned that harbouring a commando puts the family in danger. Bonnard invents an idea to tell the people in the village that Carter is his missing son, Pierre, who has returned from fighting for the German army. Bonnard gathers the local farmers in the village to tell them about Carter's plan to set their crops alight in the fields that surround the munitions factory to act as a beacon for an RAF bombing raid. Most of the farmers agree because of their hatred of the occupation, but Grandet (

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

) refuses saying that burning their crops would bring more problems and would only result in them having less food. German Sgt. Block ( Howard Da Silva), who is attracted to Odette, becomes suspicious when he hears that Pierre has returned to the village without registering or showing his papers. He visits Mme. Bonnard (

Beulah Bondi Beulah Bondi (born Beulah Bondy; May 3, 1888 – January 11, 1981) According to the State of California. ''California Death Index, 1940–1997''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At ...

) and confirms his suspicions by asking to see a photograph of her son. He immediately has Carter and the Bonnard family, with the exception of Odette, arrested and taken into custody. Block tells his captain (

Richard Derr Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked with stage, movie, and television drama, performing in both supporting and main roles. Early years Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Derr graduated from Norristown Hi ...

) that Odette is a supporter of the German occupation, which the captain exploits by telling her to find out what Carter was planning or her family will be executed. Odette finds Grandet, who is drinking alone in a local café, to ask him what he knows about Carter's mission. He reveals the objective is to destroy the munitions factory, but for fear of being overheard they part company before he's able to reveal details of the bombing raid. Odette rushes back to the prison and finds her family lined up in front of a firing squad. She tells the captain what she knows, but he gives the order to fire and Odette sees her family executed. The captain issues arrest orders for anyone in the village suspected to be part of the plot. He then takes a group of soldiers to the factory in an attempt to stop the plot from happening, still not knowing it will be bombed in an air raid. All the women farmers from the village become suspects and are arrested and imprisoned. Traumatised and feeling vengeful, Odette plays along as a German sympathiser and visits the jail where Carter and the locals are being held. She stabs Block with a shard of glass from a broken mirror when they are alone, takes his keys and releases the other prisoners. Carter, Odette and the farmers escape and make their way to the fields surrounding the munitions factory and successfully set fire to the crops just in time for the RAF bombers to find their target and destroy the factory. Carter heads off on the river out of the village back to Calais in a small boat and offers to take the baby Odette is raising, who is Pierre’s son, with him back to England and look after him until the end of the war when Odette will come to get him.

Cast

as Odette Bonnard * John Sutton as Geoffrey Carter * Lee J. Cobb as Bonnard *

as Mme. Bonnard *

Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka; June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway deb ...

as Widow Grelieu * Howard Da Silva as Sgt. Block *

as Jaques Grandet * Ann Codee as Mme. Grandet *

as German Captain (unbilled) *

Eula Morgan Eula Moulder Morgan was an American opera singer and actress in films and theater from the 1930s through the 1950s. A professional pianist during her childhood, she practiced studying opera as a career in her adult years, performing in theatres a ...

as Daughter (unbilled) * other unbilled players include

Sven Hugo Borg Sven Hugo Borg (July 26, 1896 - February 19, 1981) was a Swedish-American character actor. Biography Sven Hugo Borg was born in Vinslöv, Skåne län, Sweden. Early in his career, Borg was a secretary with the Swedish Consulate in Los Angeles. ...

Reception

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

picked ''Tonight We Raid Calais'' as one of his five favorite

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

films. It was one of the films he discovered while doing research for his own World War II film, ''

Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...

''.

References

External links

* * * {{John Brahm 1943 films 1940s war films 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films American war films Films about the French Resistance Films directed by John Brahm Films scored by Cyril J. Mockridge Films scored by Emil Newman Films with screenplays by Waldo Salt World War II films made in wartime American spy films 1940s English-language films English-language war films