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Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. The film was adapted by Jack Rollens (uncredited) and Peter Viertel from the novel Call It Treason by George Howe. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Picture.
Original Release
12/21/1951
US Release
12/21/1951
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Richard Basehart | Lt. Dick Rennick |
Gary Merrill | Col. Devlin |
Oskar Werner | Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy |
Hildegard Knef | Hilde |
Dominique Blanchar | Monique |
O.E. Hasse | Col. Oberst von Ecker |
Wilfried Seyferth | Heinz Scholtz - SS Man / Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann |
Hans Christian Blech | Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger |
Helene Thimig | Fräulein Paula Schneider / Fräulein Schneide |
Robert Freitag | Sgt. Paul Richter |
Directors
Writers
Peter Viertel, George Howe, Jack Rollens, Carl Zuckmayer
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Richard Basehart | Lt. Dick Rennick |
Gary Merrill | Col. Devlin |
Oskar Werner | Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy |
Hildegard Knef | Hilde |
Dominique Blanchar | Monique |
O.E. Hasse | Col. Oberst von Ecker |
Wilfried Seyferth | Heinz Scholtz - SS Man / Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann |
Hans Christian Blech | Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger |
Helene Thimig | Fräulein Paula Schneider / Fräulein Schneide |
Robert Freitag | Sgt. Paul Richter |
George Tyne | Sgt. Griffin |
C.A. Amos | Self |
Harold Benedict | Lt. Pete Gevers |
H.W. Briggs | Self |
D.G. Devine | Lt. Rennick's Driver |
L.E. Dixon | Self |
B.L. Hendrickson | Self |
D. Kogel | Self |
S.I. Rice | Self |
F. Slaman | Self |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Anatole Litvak | Producer |
Frank McCarthy | Producer |
Editors
Year | Type | Category | Won |
---|
1952 | Oscar | Best Picture | Nominated |
1952 | Oscar | Best Film Editing | Nominated |
1952 | Golden Globe | Best Cinematography - Black and White | Nominated |