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Decision Before Dawn

A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!

  • Movie
  • 1951
  • NR
  • 1h 59m

Directed by Anatole Litvak

6.8

TMDB audience rating
6.8 out of 10 from 50 votes

Where to watch Trailer

Overview

WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.

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Trailer

Play trailer: Decision Before Dawn - Trailer

Official video hosted on YouTube. The player loads only when you press play.

Cast and crew

  • Richard Basehart

    Richard BasehartLt. Dick Rennick

  • Gary Merrill

    Gary MerrillCol. Devlin

  • Oskar Werner

    Oskar WernerCpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy

  • Hildegard Knef

    Hildegard KnefHilde

  • Dominique Blanchar

    Dominique BlancharMonique

  • O.E. Hasse

    O.E. HasseCol. Oberst von Ecker

  • Wilfried Seyferth

    Wilfried SeyferthHeinz Scholtz, SS-Mann

  • Hans Christian Blech

    Hans Christian BlechSgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger

  • Helene Thimig

    Helene ThimigFräulein Schneide

  • George Tyne

    George TyneSgt. Griffin

  • Robert Freitag

    Robert FreitagSgt. Paul Richter

  • Harold BenedictLt. Pete Gevers

  • Arno Assmann

    Arno AssmannErnst Brandenbacher (uncredited)

  • Heinrich Berg(uncredited)

  • Bert BrandtGerman NCO (uncredited)

  • Jochen Diestelmann

    Jochen Diestelmann(uncredited)

  • Ulrich FolkmarPrisoner (uncredited)

  • Otto FriebelClerk (uncredited)

Director
Anatole Litvak
Writer
George Howe and Peter Viertel
Music
Franz Waxman
Cinematography
Franz Planer