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Watch on the Rhine Movie Review

Watch on the Rhine is a 1943 drama film directed by Herman Shumlin and starring Paul Lukas, Bette Davis and Lucile Watson. It’s a very well made, but uneven picture.

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“I do what must be done.

That is what I know how to do“

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A German-born engineer, his American wife and their children travel from Mexico to the United States to visit her family but their plans are complicated by a Romanian count. On paper, this script sounds great. It also sounds as if it’s going to be a thrilling spy movie, but unfortunately the end result was anything but thrilling.

This was another propaganda piece from Hollywood that was made to make Americans aware of the dire situation in Europe, but by the modern standpoint, it’s rather muted in its effect. It is overly talkative and never as suspenseful as it could and should have been. Admittedly, its dialogue is often excellent and very layered, but it can also be too preachy at times, which got on my nerves very quickly.

The performances made this film as solid as it is. Without these great performers, it would have been totally forgettable. Bette Davis is excellent as always in a role that was somewhat different for her, meaning that it’s more subdued and more down to earth. She killed it nonetheless, proving her greatness once again.

I also found Lucile Watson to be outstanding. Admittedly, she plays a typically overbearing, talkative and obnoxious mother figure, but Watson is so terrific, charismatic and genuinely funny in the role that she undoubtedly deserved her Oscar nomination. Yes, the stretches with her character are overlong, but they were still quite amusing.

As for Paul Lukas, he is one of the more forgotten Best Actor winners, but he was phenomenal as this likable man in peril. Some of his scenes were so well acted and written that they came across as genuinely heartbreaking. He is the heart and soul of the picture for sure.

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Watch on the Rhine did not deserve its writing nod as the screenplay here is too literal and the movie is too stagey and stuffy. This is why it holds very little appeal to modern audiences. The technical aspects are also nothing to write home about as the movie is never as cinematic as many of its counterparts were. It relied way too heavily on the acting and the dialogue to carry it through the finish line.

Watch on the Rhine is this overly talkative, far from cinematic WWII drama that was elevated by solid dialogue and tremendous acting performances from everybody involved. Bette Davis was excellent in an unexpectedly down to earth role for her, Lucile Watson was very amusing in a rather comedic role and Paul Lukas was terrific in a highly moving Oscar-winning performance. But other than the actors and some of the memorable dialogue, the film failed to engage me due to its slow pace and a story that lacked in the suspense department despite its promising espionage premise.

My Rating – 3.5