Copyright 26 September 1941 by Paramount Pictures Inc. New York opening at the Paramount: 1 October 1941. U.S. release: 26 September 1941. Australian release: 30 October 1941. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 22 October 1941 (ran four weeks). 10,565 feet. 115 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: An illegal immigrant, Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer), tells his story in flashback to a Hollywood film director (Mitchell Leisen). Stranded in a Mexican border town and desperate to enter the U.S.A., Iscovescu romances an American schoolteacher (Olivia de Havilland), and with practiced ease quickly wins her heart. They are married. The schoolteacher thinks she has found true romance, but her illusions are shattered when Iscovescu's former dance partner (Paulette Goddard) tells her it was all a sham.
NOTES: Although nominated for no less than six Academy Awards, the film won none.
COMMENT: I remember when I first saw "Hold Back the Dawn", I was entranced with Charles Boyer. I loved the way he romanced the girl and was determined to adopt the same successful technique. For hours I rehearsed his little spiel-the one about how you can't stop romance and falling in love "any more than you can hold back the dawn"-until I had it off pat. But somehow it didn't work for me.
Anyway, seen fifty years later, the picture still comes over as an original, poignant and marvelously effective romantic drama. The seed, depressing atmosphere of the Mexican border town is drawn to realistic perfection, while the principals (Boyer, de Havilland and Goddard) bring the story across with remarkable verisimilitude.
Unfortunately, whilst the principals are perfect, the support players let us down (and that's a switch)! Walter Abel gives us a very peculiar account of the sneaky immigration inspector (though the writing is defective too), Curt Bois is allowed to ham up his part mightily, and even Nestor Paiva seems oddly ill at ease in a role he should have taken in a breeze.
However, we loved Mitch Leisen's impersonation of himself (plus the fleeting appearances of Lake and Donlevy whom Leisen was actually directing on the set of "I Wanted Wings").
All told, Hold Back the Dawn still holds the interest and packs a fair punch. It remains an interesting by-way of U.S. immigration history (actually based on Ketti Frings' own experience and her struggle to get her husband, Kurt, into the U.S. via Mexico), superbly photographed, set, and produced.
SYNOPSIS: An illegal immigrant, Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer), tells his story in flashback to a Hollywood film director (Mitchell Leisen). Stranded in a Mexican border town and desperate to enter the U.S.A., Iscovescu romances an American schoolteacher (Olivia de Havilland), and with practiced ease quickly wins her heart. They are married. The schoolteacher thinks she has found true romance, but her illusions are shattered when Iscovescu's former dance partner (Paulette Goddard) tells her it was all a sham.
NOTES: Although nominated for no less than six Academy Awards, the film won none.
COMMENT: I remember when I first saw "Hold Back the Dawn", I was entranced with Charles Boyer. I loved the way he romanced the girl and was determined to adopt the same successful technique. For hours I rehearsed his little spiel-the one about how you can't stop romance and falling in love "any more than you can hold back the dawn"-until I had it off pat. But somehow it didn't work for me.
Anyway, seen fifty years later, the picture still comes over as an original, poignant and marvelously effective romantic drama. The seed, depressing atmosphere of the Mexican border town is drawn to realistic perfection, while the principals (Boyer, de Havilland and Goddard) bring the story across with remarkable verisimilitude.
Unfortunately, whilst the principals are perfect, the support players let us down (and that's a switch)! Walter Abel gives us a very peculiar account of the sneaky immigration inspector (though the writing is defective too), Curt Bois is allowed to ham up his part mightily, and even Nestor Paiva seems oddly ill at ease in a role he should have taken in a breeze.
However, we loved Mitch Leisen's impersonation of himself (plus the fleeting appearances of Lake and Donlevy whom Leisen was actually directing on the set of "I Wanted Wings").
All told, Hold Back the Dawn still holds the interest and packs a fair punch. It remains an interesting by-way of U.S. immigration history (actually based on Ketti Frings' own experience and her struggle to get her husband, Kurt, into the U.S. via Mexico), superbly photographed, set, and produced.