Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- melodramatic
- romantic
- propulsive
- wartime thriller night
- romantic drama evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as implausible, overblown, and an inferior adaptation that sacrificed much of the novel’s humor and character development.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Linda Voss’s fluency in German enables her transition from secretary and translator to an operative behind enemy lines.
Linda’s relationship with Ed Leland develops alongside suspicions about his intelligence work and her own undercover mission.
The film combines Nazi-era infiltration, secret identities, romance, and overtly dramatic peril in a strongly melodramatic register.
Linda is explicitly of Irish and Jewish-German parentage, making heritage central to her wartime position and motivations.
Films like Shining Through, and why
The House on 92nd Street
shares wartime espionage, undercover danger, romantic stakes, and heightened melodrama
Charlotte Gray
shares World War II spycraft, romance, and glamorous international intrigue
The English Patient
shares wartime romance, espionage, and emotionally heightened adventure
Where Eagles Dare
shares undercover identity, Nazi-era danger, and romantic thriller conventions
Movie Details
- Director
- David Seltzer
- Release Date
- 1992-01-31
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (235)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Melanie Griffith
- Liam Neeson
- Joely Richardson
- John Gielgud
- Hansi Jochmann
- Mathieu Carrière
- Thomas Kretschmann
- Constanze Engelbrecht
- Hans Martin Stier
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shining Through about?
- A movie-loving New York secretary turns her German fluency and romantic courage into a dangerous undercover mission behind Nazi lines.
- What is Shining Through like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shining Through as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Shining Through violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Shining Through as moderate.
- What did critics think of Shining Through?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as implausible, overblown, and an inferior adaptation that sacrificed much of the novel’s humor and character development.
- Which films are like Shining Through?
- Films with a similar feel include The House on 92nd Street, Charlotte Gray, The English Patient, and Where Eagles Dare.
- How long is Shining Through?
- Shining Through runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shining Through?
- In United States, Shining Through is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
