Joan Of Paris (1942)

Set during WWII, five British airmen are stranded in Nazi occupied France. The leader (Paul Henreid) of the squadron makes contact with a priest (Thomas Mitchell) who helps them hide. The squadron leader falls in love with a barmaid (Michele Morgan) who will play an integral part of their escape. Directed by Robert Stevenson (THE LOVE BUG), this was the Hollywood debut of both the French actress Michele Morgan (who would eventually return to France) and the Austrian actor Paul Henreid (who remained a Hollywood staple). It's yet another WWII propaganda film, this time with a heroine who has more in common with Joan Of Arc than just their names. It's a decent enough film that pretty much connects all the dots on the way to its foregone conclusion. Being French, Morgan lends some authenticity to the film while the rest of the American cast like Thomas Mitchell and May Robson playing French stick out like a sore thumb, neither bothering with French accents. Alan Ladd plays one of the British airmen and he's quite bland (his death scene is emotionless) and you'd never guess that his star making role was right around the corner (THIS GUN FOR HIRE) where his aloofness was a perfect match for his character. With Laird Cregar in the film's best performance as the urbane Gestapo head, Alexander Granach and Hans Conreid.