Movies - Confessions of a Nazi Spy

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	Movies - Confessions of a Nazi Spy

Confessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 spy thriller and the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to World War II. The film stars Edward G. Robinson, George Sanders, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had immigrated from their country after the rise of Adolf Hitler. Though the film can rightfully be seen as propaganda, it was based on the articles of former FBI agent Leon G. Turrou, who had been active in investigating Nazi spy rings in the United States prior to the war.

Despite its controversial subject, the film was a major worldwide box office hit for Warner Bros. and won the year's National Board of Review award for Best Film. Confessions of a Nazi Spy was banned in Germany, Japan, and many Latin American countries.

Plot

Dr. Karl Kassel (Paul Lukas) comes to American to rally support for the Nazi cause among German-Americans. He instructs his audience at a German restaurant the the fuhrer has declared war on the evils of democracy and that as Germans, they should carry out his wishes. Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), an unemployed professor, joins the cause and is eventually becomes a spy for the group. A letter written by Schneider to a liaison in Scotland is intercepted by a British Military Intelligence officer (James Stephenson), leading to the ring's downfall.

FBI agent Ed Renard (Edward G. Robinson) is assigned to the case, and is able to capture Schneider and extract a confession. Through Schneider, Renard is led to Hilda Kleinhaure (Dorothy Tree), then Kassel's mistress Erika Wolff (Lya Lys), and eventually the ring leader himself. While the FBI manage to capture many members of the ring and their accomplices, several, including Hilda, manage to escape, but ultimately face prosecution overseas.

Cast

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