I think Robert Taylor was a really good looking guy and it's pretty obvious why he did so many roles in his day. I'm willing to bet his acting ability wasn't high on the list cause he sure doesn't do very well in this one.
Basically, a son goes to Germany to see his mother cause she has disappeared and he wants to find out what happened to her. He tries his best to get some information around town but everyone is afraid to talk. A few finally come around and he finds out she has been imprisoned by the police for some minor crime that can bring the death penalty. In this he meets Norma Shearer who happens to be an American who married a German a long time ago and still lives there. She seems more interested in her life and staying out of politics to consider his plea for help for his mother. She's one of those who knows what goes on but doesn't wanna see it. The rest is to try and get her out of jail.
I think my main issue with this film is Robert Taylor. I just never thought he was that great an actor. In this he goes from bar to hotel yelling at why they cant help him. I mean he had to have known, even in 1936, that Germany was not exactly a place of free speech so him talking to anyone at that volume would certainly be heard by informants or what not. He just struts through this film loud and proud. My guess is that in reality he would have been jailed early on but in this film, we get the good looking Robert Taylor trying to be dramatic. Norma Shearer is fine but this is easily not one of her memorable roles. She's her usual self but with this unremarkable material, she really had no chance to shine. Look for small roles played by Conrad Veidt and Bonita Granville. They both stand out in this but not enough to save it.
If your looking for a decent pre-WWII drama then you might wanna try something else. I mean this film works OK but I sure wasn't even remotely impressed with the outcome. I expected a lot from the reviews but I didn't get it.
Basically, a son goes to Germany to see his mother cause she has disappeared and he wants to find out what happened to her. He tries his best to get some information around town but everyone is afraid to talk. A few finally come around and he finds out she has been imprisoned by the police for some minor crime that can bring the death penalty. In this he meets Norma Shearer who happens to be an American who married a German a long time ago and still lives there. She seems more interested in her life and staying out of politics to consider his plea for help for his mother. She's one of those who knows what goes on but doesn't wanna see it. The rest is to try and get her out of jail.
I think my main issue with this film is Robert Taylor. I just never thought he was that great an actor. In this he goes from bar to hotel yelling at why they cant help him. I mean he had to have known, even in 1936, that Germany was not exactly a place of free speech so him talking to anyone at that volume would certainly be heard by informants or what not. He just struts through this film loud and proud. My guess is that in reality he would have been jailed early on but in this film, we get the good looking Robert Taylor trying to be dramatic. Norma Shearer is fine but this is easily not one of her memorable roles. She's her usual self but with this unremarkable material, she really had no chance to shine. Look for small roles played by Conrad Veidt and Bonita Granville. They both stand out in this but not enough to save it.
If your looking for a decent pre-WWII drama then you might wanna try something else. I mean this film works OK but I sure wasn't even remotely impressed with the outcome. I expected a lot from the reviews but I didn't get it.