Fearful refugees are flooding into Paris. Spain is about to fall. German refugee Dr. Ravic (Charles Boyer) survived Nazi torture. He helps other refugees despite not having any papers. He spots hated Nazi officer Herr von Haake (Charles Laughton) in civilian clothing for unknown reasons with war on the horizon. Von Haake had killed his beloved while torturing him. He encounters dispirited Joan Madou (Ingrid Bergman) on a bridge in a rainy night. They fall in love but he is arrested by the police. When he returns, she has become the mistress of a wealthy man.
This wants to be Casablanca but it's not quite the same. I like the dark tone and a realistic refugee situation. It might be too dark for its time. Maybe the audience is looking for something brighter after the war. Anyways, the story meanders a lot. I kinda want the story to stay much more closely with the Ravic Joan pairing. It doesn't get more dark gothic than a first meeting in the rain on a Paris bridge. I like parts of this but parts of this loses me. It feels like a long story being chopped up a little and squeezed into two hours.
This wants to be Casablanca but it's not quite the same. I like the dark tone and a realistic refugee situation. It might be too dark for its time. Maybe the audience is looking for something brighter after the war. Anyways, the story meanders a lot. I kinda want the story to stay much more closely with the Ravic Joan pairing. It doesn't get more dark gothic than a first meeting in the rain on a Paris bridge. I like parts of this but parts of this loses me. It feels like a long story being chopped up a little and squeezed into two hours.