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Catalog/Drama/Decision Before Dawn
Decision Before Dawn poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 67.2 / 100
1951·Drama / War / Action·1h 59m

DECISION BEFORE DAWN

“A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!”

WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.

Above the Line
Anatole Litvak·DirectorPeter Viertel·ScreenplayGeorge Howe·NovelFranz Planer·Director of PhotographyFranz Waxman·Original Music ComposerDorothy Spencer·Editor
Cast
Richard Basehart·Lt. Dick RennickGary Merrill·Col. DevlinOskar Werner·Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka HappyHildegard Knef·HildeDominique Blanchar·MoniqueO.E. Hasse·Col. Oberst von EckerWilfried Seyferth·Heinz Scholtz, SS-MannHans Christian Blech·Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka TigerHelene Thimig·Fräulein SchneideGeorge Tyne·Sgt. Griffin
Full Crew
(13 credits)
Directing· 1
Anatole Litvak·Director
Writing· 2
Peter Viertel·ScreenplayGeorge Howe·Novel
Camera· 1
Franz Planer·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Dorothy Spencer·Editor
Sound & Music· 4
Franz Waxman·Original Music ComposerHarry M. Leonard·SoundLeonid Raab·ConductorAlfred Bruzlin·Sound
Art & Design· 1
Ludwig Reiber·Art Direction
Production· 2
Anatole Litvak·ProducerFrank McCarthy·Producer
Other Departments· 1
Gerd Oswald·Second Unit
By the Numbers
67.2
OF 100
Master Score
7.2
OF 10
IMDb
100%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
2 NOMS
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

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Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Decision Before Dawn's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#FFFFFF
#A52A2A
#000000
Mood
Serious, Tense
Composition
Centered
Era
1950s
Visual Style
Graphic Design

“The movie poster features a vertical red stripe running down the center, slightly torn at the edges, against an off-white background. At the top of the red stri”

Key Elements
SwastikaRiflesSoldiersMovie Title
Atmosphere
Gritty
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
None Visible
Design Score
7/10
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THREE WAYS DEEPER

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