"Surrender" was a film made during an era when many Allied nations were reassessing Germany and WWI. While Americans and the French once hated the Germans, in the late 20s and into the 30s attitudes changed. Now, movies like "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Grand Illusion" portrayed the 'enemy' as morally similar or even equivalent to soldiers from their own country. And, considering WWI was a war with no good guys nor bad, it was reasonable to see them in a different light in the decades after this war. Because of this change, a film like "Surrender" makes much more sense put into this context.
The film is set at a German prisoner of war camp located next to a castle owned by the Reichendorf family. Here, the French prisoners spend their time working like dogs to grow crops to feed the Germans. But it is NOT a fun prison camp...the rules and punishments are strict! Into this camp comes a new prisoner, Sergeant Dumaine (Warner Baxter) and he's different because he's a skilled electrical engineer and is soon drafted into providing electricity to the castle and camp. Because of this, he's able to spend time with the Germans and see them in ways other prisoners couldn't. In particular, he gets to know a pretty young lady and they eventually fall in love. But it's still wartime and Dumaine still has an obligation to escape...even if it might be his life.
The film has some things I appreciated, such as showing some of the cost of war. The commandant (Ralph Bellamy) is a physical mess due to injuries incurred in the war and the surviving Reichendorf son is obviously affected by PTSD. But the film also is a bit too sentimental and it's odd that the Germans and French pretty much look and sound like Americans! Worth seeing, but on balance, the French film, "Grand Illusion", is a much better film that covers much of the same material.
The film is set at a German prisoner of war camp located next to a castle owned by the Reichendorf family. Here, the French prisoners spend their time working like dogs to grow crops to feed the Germans. But it is NOT a fun prison camp...the rules and punishments are strict! Into this camp comes a new prisoner, Sergeant Dumaine (Warner Baxter) and he's different because he's a skilled electrical engineer and is soon drafted into providing electricity to the castle and camp. Because of this, he's able to spend time with the Germans and see them in ways other prisoners couldn't. In particular, he gets to know a pretty young lady and they eventually fall in love. But it's still wartime and Dumaine still has an obligation to escape...even if it might be his life.
The film has some things I appreciated, such as showing some of the cost of war. The commandant (Ralph Bellamy) is a physical mess due to injuries incurred in the war and the surviving Reichendorf son is obviously affected by PTSD. But the film also is a bit too sentimental and it's odd that the Germans and French pretty much look and sound like Americans! Worth seeing, but on balance, the French film, "Grand Illusion", is a much better film that covers much of the same material.
