The Red Danube (1949)

Lack of good storyline.

Am I Missing Something?

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

During WWII, the Hollywood propaganda machine went into full gear making tons of war films intended to drum up support for the fight against the Axis. Part of this included some extremely pro-Soviet films. After all, they'd been America's enemies for decades and now they were in an alliance to beat the new enemy. Nearly all of these films (such as "The North Star") are pretty terrible--idealizing the Russian people ridiculously. They all were happy, dedicated and, inexplicably, seemingly free.By the time "The Red Danube" came out, however, the war had ended and relations with the Soviets had soured...badly. Now the Soviets had revealed their plan for 'a new world order'...and it included setting up puppet states all over Eastern Europe. And, the Russian people went from sweet and happy to ruthless and conniving!!This film shows the transition. When the story begins, the Soviets are still allies...overseeing the administration of a portion of the conquered city of Vienna (much like with Berlin). Colonel Nicobar (Walter Pidgeon) is a Canadian officer in the British Army and he's just been transferred to Vienna with his staff. He is to cooperate with the Soviets with repatriating civilians. In other words, a lot of folks were displaced by the war and now they were being forced to go back to their original homeland. The Russians really want their citizens returned to them and at first Nicobar has no problem doing this, as it's part of his official duties. Over time, however, he has a crisis of conscience and realizes these displace people are likely being sent to gulags or death!In some ways, I liked the cast and in others it was terrible...just terrible. Walter Pidgeon really was a Canadian and his staff (Peter Lawford and Angela Lansbury) were real Brits. BUT, as for the rest...well, it was just sad. Ethel Barrymore is cast as the Reverend Mother and seems about as Austrian as Betty Boop. But even worse is Janet Leigh, who sounds about as Russian as Mantan Moreland!! Inexplicably, she played a Soviet officer several years later in the god-awful "Jet Pilot"...with zero trace of an accent and all the acting skills of a mannequin! As for the story, it was enjoyable and worth your time. Overall, the film is a very interesting curio that COULD have been a great one had the casting been better.

"The Red Danube" is a strong 1949 film about post-war Europe, starring Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh, and Ethel Barrymore.There are several levels to this film. One is the agreement among the Allies to repatriate people to their native countries after the war. This film deals with the British sector, led by Pidgeon and his team, who are charged with aiding in the repatriation. Another level is the spiritual aspect - the Pidgeon character, "Hooky" Nicobar, has begun to doubt the existence of any entity that could allow such horror to happen in the world, including his own personal tragedy. And there's the love story between Maria (Janet Leigh), a Soviet ballerina, and Major 'Twingo' McPhimister.When displaced Russians would rather commit suicide than return to Russia, Hooky begins to doubt what Colonel Piniev (Louis Calhern) is telling him about what awaits these people back in the homeland. But he has to follow orders, so in spite of protests, he turns over ballerina Maria to the Soviets.MGM made a film later on, "Never Let Me Go" about a ballerina trying to get out of Russia; here a ballerina tries to keep from going back. This film has much more depth than "Never Let Me Go," and is more gritty, showing the old and weak DPs, unusable for slave labor, that the Russians foist upon the British sector toward the end of the film.The spiritual angle in this film is interesting - has God failed man, the nun (Ethel Barrymore) asks, or has man failed God? Is "following orders" when you know you're sending people to certain death sufficient? "The Red Danube" is well acted. Discovered by Norma Shearer, Janet Leigh had only been in films two years when she made this, but she had already racked up some experience. She's fresh-faced, sympathetic, and sweet as Maria Buhlen. Peter Lawford doesn't have much to do; Angela Lansbury is delightful as part of the team, and Walter Pidgeon does an excellent job as the troubled colonel. As the Mother Superior where Audrey Quail, the colonel, and Twingo are billeted, Ethel Barrymore gives a superb performance as a woman of implacable faith who tries to help Hooky with his crisis and aid Maria.I thought this was a very good film, thought-provoking, with good direction by George Sidney.

I liked this movie very much; it resonated clearly. I grew up during the 2nd WW, and the aftermath was often a mystery; this relates to that time vis-a-vis Russia and her ex-patriots. This is not a formula movie; we care about the main characters and it really reaches to the heart. The points the script made about our choices in life were well made, and the reference to religion was fair. I'm going to use the metaphoric model of the painter, paint, ladder and ceiling in my own work. The actors were wonderful, and the camera work was exceptional at getting to the feelings that shine through the face. The lighting was part of that effect. I knew something was up when I saw the close-ups with artistic lighting, but I didn't know how strongly they would tie to later scenes and evoke emotions. This added to our caring about the sweet innocent Janet Leigh, and the young, idealistic Peter Lawford. I didn't agree with all the philosophy, but it certainly was mostly a tribute to listening to the conscience.

A solid film, which it is strange to see people calling controversial, since one would think that there would be little doubt any more about the nature of Soviet Communism, and the horrors perpetrated by Stalin. The cruelty of the allies turning over innocent expatriates to the Gulag and worse is rather convincingly portrayed. The moral dilemmas are decently examined, there are outbreaks of actual Christian faith and, of course there is a love story, because western audiences could hardly handle a movie without one. Barrymore is pungent, Leigh is beautiful, Lawford is sentimental, and Pigeon is as stiff as you could want a Brit to be. And Angela Lansbury makes a charming supportive appearance. Not a great movie, but a reasonably honest one which has nothing to do with McCarthyism and is definitely worth a viewing.