It is curious how times change. More than 60 years ago, people fleeing Europe went to Mexico to try to gain access to the United States. Today, instead of going the legal route, they would probably hire a coyote to take them to the other side of the border! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
This film is interesting because of the screen play by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, although the IMDB only lists the latter one as the writer. It is a mistake to bypass the great Billy Wilder, when we see his imprint everywhere in the movie.
The movie begins with a disheveled Charles Boyer going to the Paramount lot to talk to the director, Mitchell Leisen. Boyer's character, George Iscovescu, has met the director in the Riviera and comes to beg for a loan of $500, a tidy sum in those days. From there the story unfolds.
George quickly learns after arriving in the border town, that because being Rumanian he must wait about 8 years to enter the United States because of immigration quotas. He quickly learns the only way to make it across the border is if he would marry an American woman, and voila!, Emmy Brown, just happens to come to spend the 4th of July holiday with her students, thus his chance to make it in a legal way.
The cast of the film is excellent. Charles Boyer, in spite of not being upfront with the naive Emmy, doesn't make us hate him. He redeems himself at the end. Olivia de Havilland was perfect for the immature Emmy. She falls in love with a man that is trying to use her as his ticket to the promised land. Paulette Goddard, as Anita was very good. Walter Abel is the despised Inspector Hammock, the immigration officer everyone in town hates.
Don't miss it either on tape or DVD format.
Hold Back the Dawn
1941
Action / Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Romanian gigolo Georges Iscovescu is trying to get into the United States to become a citizen, it the land of opportunity even in his line of work. Because of the visa requirement, he instead travels to Tijuana, Mexico to cross into the States via the land border, not realizing that this situation has its own obstacles, namely the quota system per country, and Romanians have up to an eight year wait. In joining the queue in Tijuana, he ends up at the Hotel Esperanza, which houses many of those in his similar situation, some of those others who have their own story in trying to become American citizens. In running into an old colleague he met in Europe, the former Polish-Australian Anita Dixon now divorced US citizen Mrs. Shaughnessy - she a female version of him - he decides to do what she did to become a US citizen: get married to an American, Mr. Shaughnessy whom she quickly divorced after getting her citizenship. After a few missteps in finding an American to marry, Georges sets his sights on schoolteacher Emmy Brown, a woman naive in the affairs of the heart, she in Mexico with her class on a field trip. What happens between Georges and Emmy is affected by: the presence of Mr. Hammock, a US immigration inspector who is trying to clamp down on marriages of convenience, which are illegal in terms of gaining US citizenship; the presence of Mrs. Shaughnessy, who will do whatever is required to ply her trade with him, the two of them together whom she sees as the perfect match in being the same; and Georges' own ideas of what best to with Emmy.
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Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer) walks onto the Paramount lot and tells his story to the director for cash. He was a refugee stuck in Mexico waiting to immigrate to the United States. After some months, he's out of money and hope. His former flame Anita Dixon is marrying to get her citizenship and a quickie divorce soon afterwards. He intends to do the same and starts pursuing visiting American teacher Emmy Brown (Olivia de Havilland).
De Havilland is always luminous. I'm not sure Boyer is a great match. The character's initial motive is awkward for a romance. It does turn much better as it approaches the ending. This romance concerned me at first but it did grow on me. It's fine melodrama.
Charles Boyer....at his Pepe le Pew best!
The summary is NOT meant as a criticism. The Looney Tunes character, Pepe le Pew, was obviously based on Charles Boyer and in the film "Hold Back the Dawn" Boyer is at his le Pew best--pouring on the charm as he very aggressively courts a young lady!
When the film begins, George (Boyer) insists on talking to an American film director (actually, the film's real director, Mitchell Leisen). He wants to tell him his story...as perhaps it will make a great film. The story then jumps to Mexico. George is a Hungarian refugee...and like so many refugees during WWII, he's trying desperately to get into the States. However, there was a quota system...with entry quotas for every nation decided by Congress. And, the Hungarian quota's already been met...meaning he will have to wait years in Mexico before he can legally immigrate! However, later he meets up with an old friend, Anita (Paulette Goddard) and she tells him that he could easily bypass the quota if he could just find some American sucker to marry! So, George goes in search of such a woman and after a day of searching, he hits upon a lonely American school teacher, Emmy (Olivia de Havilland) who has taken her young students to Mexico for a field trip. Their romance is whirlwind to save the least and the wicked George plans to dump her as soon as he can and connect up with Anita! But, fortunately, things don't quite work out this way. See the film to see what follows.
The film presented a couple questions to me. Why cast a great French actor as a Hungarian? Why not have him play a Frenchman? Also, what sort of an insane school and school teacher would think of taking elementary school-age kids to Mexico for a field trip?! The logistics of it are a problem...plus it IS another country! Weird, huh?!
Despite these minor problems, I did love this film. Boyer was simply at his best and the script is very compelling. In fact, it's a near perfect film and one that would make a great date night trip.