SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

mark.waltz She's hated in her Norwegian town for being an alleged Nazi spy, but only a select few know the truth, that she's working for the underground to destroy them, not help them. Old friends curse at her in the streets, fellow dancers on the floor in a restaurant walk off the floor when she comes on with Nazi officer Carl Esmond. But for Merle Oberon, it's all in a days work, and she holds her head up high as she goes on with her mission. A British officer (Brian Aherne) falls in love with her while in a local hospital, and together, they fight the Nazi's with dignity and courage, willing to die for the cause of freedom. It's another "Edge of Darkness", the excellent Warner Brothers film of the same year that echoed with the words " Let them look to Norway" as the peace fighters of the world gathered together to fight against fascism. That Errol Flynn/Ann Sheridan movie was excellent in every detail, and while this is a good film, it can't hold a candle to "Edge of Darkness". Resistance films since "The Mortal Storm" have covered the same territory, and each one has its purpose, its high points, and a few its flaws. Oberon was so much more than a ravishing beauty; she was extremely talented as well, and is excellent here.Of the large supporting cast, I have to single out character actress Isobel Elsom as a nurse who risks her life to help Aherne. When she is confronted by the Nazi's, she momentarily gasps in horror, then regains her composure and smirks. As Aherne warns Oberon, a resistance worker has a length of six months before they are caught, but as Oberon reminds him, it's worth the risk. Oberon and Aherne have some very romantic moments, so while "Edge of Darkness" is stronger in detail, "First Comes Courage" is a reminder that freedoms of all kinds are at risk when mad men are allowed to control the world. The wedding scene between Oberon and Esmond is dramatically scored, giving the impression of the horror going through Oberon's mind.

deschreiber I was able to watch for only an hour before I gave up and walked away. It's really quite awful. Other commentators here are impressed by Merle Oberon's acting. Maybe it gets better in the last half hour, because in what I saw she wasn't called upon to do much. She was, however, stunning to look at, a real beauty, about the only thing that kept me watching for an hour.The rest of the film was worse than mediocre. Some of the sets looked like they belonged in a Little Theatre production. The music kept intruding with exaggerated emotion. The fight scene in the barn had that odd, speeded-up, Saturday morning serial look to it, with two guys tossing each other around in the most unconvincing way. But mostly the storyline could not be believed at all sorts of crucial moments. For example, the moment Oberon falls under suspicion. Why would she put herself under the spotlight? And why didn't he suspect her long before that moment? There was nothing special about that moment that he should suddenly suspect her for the first time. Her plan to get into the restricted area of the hospital is ridiculously complex, relying on so many things going precisely the way she hoped they would. The method the optometrist uses to convey secret information back to Britain is depicted at some length, unfortunately not in a way that is very clear--something about glasses, but how it all works was a mystery to me.It just wasn't worth watching. But Merle Oberon is an actress I will watch out for in the future. Maybe she can act, maybe she can't, but she can sure light up the screen.

blanche-2 Merle Oberon and Brian Aherne star in First Comes Courage," a 1943 film directed by Dorothy Arzner. Oberon plays Nicole Larsen, a Norwegian who is seen by the other townspeople as a traitor because she's dating a Nazi (Carl Esmond). In truth, she's using him to get information to the underground. When a British beau is smuggled into the country, he is later captured, and she has to get him away from the Nazis.Merle Oberon was underrated as an actress. She does a terrific job here (as she often did elsewhere), especially in a big, dramatic scene toward the end."First Comes Courage" is one of many propaganda films released during the war, and one of several that dealt with the presence of the Nazis in Norway, where politician Quisling helped the Nazis conquer his own country.Not great, but okay.

Eventuallyequalsalways If for no other reason, this incredible movie should be seen to enjoy the acting skill of Merle Oberon, especially in the scene where she finally reveals to her husband, the Nazi Major, that she loathes and despises him and that she has only been with him in order to spy on Nazi activities. Directed by Dorothy Arzner, a pioneer among women directors, the movie has an endearing ending in which Merle Oberon turns her back on her lover in order to carry on her underground activities. Made in the middle of World War II, this movie is evidence of the producers and writer's knowledge of the horror of the Nazi occupation in Norway, and it presented a powerful message to the moviegoers of the day that any sacrifice was necessary to defeat the German menace. The script for this movie was based on "The Commandos", a novel by Elliot Arnold.