Main Cast: George Coulouris, Osa Massen, Stanley Ridges, Lloyd Bridges, Carl Esmond, Nancy Gates
Release Year: 1944
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
The Master Race argues persuasively that, although it appeared that the Nazis would lose WW2, it was foolish to assume that Hitler's legacy would not insinuate itself into the postwar era. Nazi bigwig Von Beck (George Coulouris) arrives in a small Belgian village on the eve of its liberation by the Allied troops. It is Von Beck's plan to foment disharmony and bigotry amongst the villagers, thereby laying the groundwork for a German victory in the next war. But Von Beck soon discovers that the populace isn't quite as gullible as the herrenvolk had been when Hitler rose to power. Still, the film ends with a warning: the only way to avoid future world conflict is to thoroughly crush the instigators of the present war. Ironically, after hostilities ceased, Herbert J. Biberman, cowriter-director of The Master Race, was castigated by the anti-Red brigades for being, among other things, a "premature anti-fascist." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Master Race has an interesting premise, but it doesn't build upon it in a sufficiently engaging or imaginative manner. Positing that elite Germans are going "undercover" in the waning days of World War II to sew dissent that will blossom in a third World War is a fine idea, but director/co-screenwriter Herbert Biberman fails to make it come alive. The resulting screenplay is overly complicated, trying to cover too many bases and so failing to cover any of them as satisfactorily as it might. The characterizations, which could have been rich and detailed, instead come out as fairly stereotypical, and the drama becomes melodrama. And while a few scenes do feature some powerful writing, there are others which are saddled with dialogue that is embarrassingly poor. The cast is game, but they're hampered by the script and by Biberman's middling direction. Osa Massen, as the woman bearing the stigma of a Nazi-fathered child, turns in the most fully realized performance. George Coulouris certainly has the evil villainy of his character down pat, but plays him too obviously: a more "sideways" approach to the role would have made his by-the-numbers machinations carry more weight. Master is watchable, but too propagandistic and too much of its period to be anything more than a curiosity. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Jack Okey - Art Director, Renie - Costume Designer, Sam Ruman - First Assistant Director, Herbert Biberman - Director, Ernie Leadlay - Editor, Edward A. Golden - Executive Producer, Roy Webb - Composer (Music Score), Constantin Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Russell Metty - Cinematographer, Robert Golden - Producer, Al Fields - Set Designer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Herbert Biberman - Screenwriter, Anne Froelick - Screenwriter, Rowland Leigh - Screenwriter
