I ESCAPED FROM THE GESTAPO

US, 1943, 75 minutes, Black-and-white.
Dean Jagger, John Carradine, Mary Brian, William Henry, Sidney Blackmer, Ian Keith.
Directed by Harold Young.

The title is not quite exact and the film was also released with the alternate title, No Escape.

This is a small-budget war propaganda film from 1943. As with all of these films, they are interesting to look at in retrospect, wondering about their impact at the time, and what the American public knew about Germany and the fifth column. An animated octopus appears early in the film and its tentacles extend from Berlin to the United States.

Dean Jagger plays an escapee from prison, a forger, who is wanted by the fifth column to design and produce various notes and other documents. The cover for this work is at a fun fair. John Carradine is in charge and Sidney Blackmer betrays a particularly sadistic assistant.

Jagger tries to ring the police at one stage but is bound and beaten. He continues to work but with a defiant attitude. Some sailors are also rescued from a submarine and brought into the US with false papers. One of them, William Henry, is commissioned to keep an eye on Jagger. He is taunted by Jagger about his brutal past, taken out to the fun fair where they meet Helen (Mary Brian) and the young man’s attitude begins to change, Jagger urging him to escape with some of the money and hide in Seattle.

It does not quite work out that way, the young man falls off the train by accident, a passenger takes the money, begins to spend it – providing leads for the American authorities to track down the operation. This leads, of course, to quite a climax in a refinery, especially Jagger pursuing Carradine on a very high ladder.

Forgotten now – but, for those interested in cinema and the impact of these propaganda films at the time, quite interesting.

1. The title? Expectations? A film of 1943? American World War II audiences? Knowledge of Germany? The fifth column in the United States? Spies and sabotage?

2. The focus on the map of Europe, Germany, the animated octopus, tentacles to the US?

3. The message, the language, the translation, wanting Lane to escape from prison, the attempt, the prisoner shot and dying, Lane and the officials, spies in disguise, the change of clothes, the hobo and his death on the railway line, the blindfold, Lane taken to the headquarters, the encounter with the fifth column authorities?

4. Lane and his reputation, design, forgery? His imprisonment? His mother? The spies and their hold over the mother, her nurse?

5. Mr Martin, in charge, sinister, the contrast with Bergen, vicious? The fun fair, as a disguise for the operatives? Lane, his room, locked, expectations? Illustrating his expertise? The forgeries, printing, the formula, the refinery? The bringing of the sailors from the submarine to the US?

6. The fair, Helen, the recordings for the soldiers, the group getting the information from the records? Helen unaware? The first encounter with Lane, the sketch, her being insulted, turning it around, the attraction? Lane bringing Gordon out, the attraction to Helen, his going dancing with her? Lane trying to warn her about the spies, Helen tearing up the paper?

7. The American authorities, the meetings, following leads?

8. Gordon, Lane talking with him, Gordon and his supervision, Lane referring to him as a butcher, his loyalty to the Third Reich, going out to the fair, the different perspective on the US, Helen, the dancing, the Mendelssohn music? His orders from Martin, to take the money and deliver it? Lane tempting him otherwise, to go to Seattle?

9. Gordon, the flashbacks to his war behaviour and atrocities? In the train, the passenger seeing the money, going to the back of the train, his falling off? The man stealing the money, spending it, the circulation, coming to the attention of the authorities? The information about Willow Creek? And the fair? The search, narrowing it down?

10. Lane, his attempt to call the police, Bergen beating him? His continuing the work? Yet his continued defiant attitude?

11. Taking Lane and Helen, tying them up? Bergen setting the fumes? The arrival of the police, Martin and the henchman escaping, their being tracked to the refinery? Bergen taken, escaping, shot? The putting out of the fumes?

12. Lane accompanying the police, Martin and the head of the refinery, intruding into the meeting, the arrests, the pursuits? Lane pursuing Martin, climbing, Martin’s fall?

13. A happy ending – and the propaganda tone?