MovieChat Forums > Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) Discussion > dates and alternate release

dates and alternate release

posted 18 years ago by seafire
4 replies | jump to latest

The IMDB board lists this film having been released in April 1939.
The body of the film deals with events such that that date looks to be accurate.
Particularily interesting though is the ending. Holland, Belgium, Norway and Denmark were attacked 1 year later in April and May of 1940. Germany and the Soviet Union attacked Poland in September 1939. The Soviet Union was then allied with Germany and shows them being despicable for attacking Finland. September 1939 is considered the start of war in Europe. Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June of 1941. We entered the war in December of 1941. Two and one half years after the listed release date. The ending must have been tacked on sometime in 1941 as it lists Italy and Japan as Germany's allies, and not the Soviet Union. Yet it is sympathetic toward Finland which would not have been shown if the ending was added after our entry into WW II. Any idea when the alternate version came out?

Seafire

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

The film must have been re-released, or at least updated, around May, 1940. The voice-over of the prosecutor (over maps of western Europe) seems clearly to have been inserted well after the main film was completed (even the sound track sounds different). His statements refer to the invasion of Denmark and Norway (April 9, 1940), and of the Low Countries and France a month later. He does not mention the French surrender (June '40), but a newspaper carries a headline about fifth columnists being rounded up in Britain. It's obvious the film had to be updated after its initial release in 1939, and from what is mentioned (and what isn't), late spring 1940 looks to be the time. That should indicate that a re-release was put out to theaters at that time. But I never heard of such a date, nor have I ever seen or heard of the "original" print without the 1940 updates. My guess is it doesn't exist anymore.

[–] wtl471629 16 years ago

No doubt update footages were added but this movie was one that was ahead of it's time. WW2 hadn't started in Europe and we wanted to stay out of the war until Japan forced us into it in late 1941.

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 15 years ago

The copy of it I have says it was made in 1942. Go figure.

Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.

[–] franklinlj 15 years ago

Spring 1940, just before the fall of France. Italy and Germany had signed an alliance on May 22, 1939 the 'Pact of Steel'. Japan had come to an unofficial understanding with Germany by Spring 1940, as well, formalized in the Tripartite Pact between those two powers and Italy later in September of that year.