Movie #149 ........................."The Red Danube"

Movie #149 "The Red Danube" (1949)

Shortly after the end of World War II, British Colonel Michael 'Hooky' Nicobar (Walter Pidgeon) is assigned to a unit in the British Zone of Vienna. His duty is to aid the Soviet authorities to repatriate citizens of the Soviet Union, many of whom prefer not to return to their home country. Billeted in the convent run by Mother Auxilia (Ethel Barrymore) , Nicobar, and his military aides Major John 'Twingo' McPhimister (Peter Lawford) and Audrey Quail, (Angela Lansbury) become involved in the plight of a young ballerina (Janet Leigh) who is trying to avoid being returned to Moscow. Nicobar's sense of duty is tested as he sees first hand the plight of the people he is helping return to the Soviet Union; his lack of religious faith is also shaken by his contact with the Mother Superior.

The story of a Russian ballerina in Vienna in 1945 who is befriended by, and falls in love with, a British Major when they meet in the convent in which she is hiding from the Russian authorities. The British Colonel turns her over to the Russians when they present a trumped-up story but discovers the lie when he sees her on a DP (Displaced Persons) train later. The Mother Superior of the convent and the Colonel set about trying to get her freed.

I give it 3 stars. It was really intriguing the first hour, her hiding in the convent, falling in love with Peter Lawford, the back and forther quibbling between the nun and the Colonel; however, after that, the film got preachy and it was about 20 minutes or so too long. I DO like all the actors (they are very capable), and the look at what was happening to British soldiers during this time period (I had never read a book on the subject nor seen a movie on it). The religious discussion, not so much, but the military mind trying to wrap itself around what was really happening to these people was heartening to see.