Main Cast: Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland, Dennis O'Keefe, Dick Purcell, George Zucco
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
Plot
A serious journalist is sent to France and forced to write fashion fluff pieces. Tiring of this, she decides to sneak off to find an elusive notorious rebel and write a hard-new first-hand-account of the Spanish Civil War. This lively romantic comedy chronicles her adventures after she finds him and saves him from prison by pretending he is her husband. After the break-out, they fly to France in a stolen plane. At first she only cares about her story and resists the advances of the amorous renegade. As soon as her tale hits the front page, she accepts an assignment in Berlin. She boards a train and takes off. She meets her "hubby" once again when the train accidentally runs into his car. At this point she realizes that she loves him. The two decide to hole up for a few days in a nearby French inn. While they tryst, WW II begins and she misses the scoop. That's okay, because all she and he care about now is each other. Their attitudes change dramatically when their New York-bound ship is torpedoed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Notable for it's interventionist message, it tells the love story of a pilot and lady journalist who meet in the latter days of the Spanish Civil War and follows them through the early days of World War II. Filming began in June of 1940 and the script was continuously updated to incorporate actual events, such as the signing of the armistice between France and Germany in the Compiegne Forest. The character of Augusta Nash was, seemingly, based on that of Martha Gellhorn.
