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Decision Before Dawn

Decision Before Dawn
Original movie poster for the film Decision Before Dawn.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anatole Litvak
Produced by Anatole Litvak
Frank McCarthy
Screenplay by Peter Viertel
Based on Call It Treason
1939 novel
by George Howe
Starring Richard Basehart
Gary Merrill
Oskar Werner
Hildegard Knef
Narrated by Richard Basehart
Music by Franz Waxman
Cinematography Franz Planer
Edited by Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox
Release date
  • December 21, 1951 (1951-12-21)
Running time
119 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $1.55 million (US rentals)

Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. The film was adapted by Jack Rollens (uncredited) and Peter Viertel from the novel Call It Treason by George Howe.

It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Picture.

The cities of Wurzburg, Nuremberg, and Mannheim where some of the picture was shot, were warned via newspaper and radio announcements when battle scenes, some of which were overseen by the U.S. Air Force, were to be filmed.

By late 1944, it is obvious that the Germans will lose the war. American Colonel Devlin (Gary Merrill) leads a military intelligence unit that recruits German prisoners of war to spy on their former comrades. "Tiger" (Hans Christian Blech), a cynical older thief and ex-circus worker, is willing to work for the winning side. On the other hand, "Happy" (Oskar Werner) is a young idealist who volunteers to spy after his friend is killed by fanatical fellow prisoners for voicing doubts about the war's outcome. Monique (Dominique Blanchar) trains Happy and the others in espionage techniques; she takes a liking to the young man, despite her hatred for Germans.

One day, Devlin receives word that a German general is willing to negotiate the surrender of his entire corps. Naturally, this is given top priority; because of the importance of the mission, an American officer has to go along. Devlin selects Lieutenant Rennick (Richard Basehart), a newcomer who distrusts the German turncoats. Tiger is chosen because he is the only one who knows the area, but he is under suspicion after returning from his last mission without his teammate. Happy is assigned the related task of locating the 11th Panzer Corps, which might oppose the wholesale defection. They parachute out of the same plane into Germany, then split up.


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