Overview
A family's journey through perilous times reveals the true cost of freedom and loyalty.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serious
- morally urgent
- tense
- classic film night
- wartime history viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a powerful, sincere, and skillfully acted anti-Nazi drama whose dialogue-driven staging is offset by strong tension and emotional conviction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kurt Müller is a German-born engineer secretly working against the Nazi regime while visiting his American in-laws.
The Farrelly household becomes the central setting where Kurt's resistance, family loyalties, and the count's intimidation collide.
Much of the dramatic pressure unfolds through tense exchanges in the American home rather than action sequences.
Adapted from Lillian Hellman's play by Dashiell Hammett, the film relies on concentrated interiors and carefully articulated speeches.
Films like Watch on the Rhine, and why
Casablanca
anti-fascist political drama centered on moral courage, family sacrifice, and resistance during wartime
To Be or Not to Be
serious wartime drama using personal relationships to dramatize resistance to fascism
The Mortal Storm
1940s political thriller about ordinary people confronting authoritarian danger through courage and sacrifice
The Ox-Bow Incident
literary, dialogue-driven drama about ideological conflict and moral responsibility in a historical crisis
Movie Details
- Director
- Herman Shumlin
- Release Date
- 1943-08-27
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (56)
Cast
- Bette Davis
- Paul Lukas
- Geraldine Fitzgerald
- Lucile Watson
- Beulah Bondi
- George Coulouris
- Donald Woods
- Henry Daniell
- Eric Roberts
- Donald Buka
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Watch on the Rhine about?
- A German resistance fighter's visit to his American in-laws turns a family gathering into a tense moral confrontation with fascism.
- What is Watch on the Rhine like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Watch on the Rhine as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Watch on the Rhine violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Watch on the Rhine as mild.
- What did critics think of Watch on the Rhine?
- Critics broadly regard it as a powerful, sincere, and skillfully acted anti-Nazi drama whose dialogue-driven staging is offset by strong tension and emotional conviction.
- Which films are like Watch on the Rhine?
- Films with a similar feel include Casablanca, To Be or Not to Be, The Mortal Storm, and The Ox-Bow Incident.
- How long is Watch on the Rhine?
- Watch on the Rhine runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Watch on the Rhine?
- In United States, Watch on the Rhine streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel.
