REUNION IN FRANCE (1942)

Under this blandly generic title is a fairly interesting propaganda-romance-thriller with a few CASABLANCA-like touches, set in 1940 Paris. Joan Crawford is a snooty fashion plate who is the mistress of governmant man Philip Dorn; she loves her life of parties, high fashion, and being snobbish to the women who work at the dress shop she frequents. While she's gone on vacation, the Nazis invade Paris; when she returns, her pampered life changes when she finds herself being treated as an unwelcome guest in her own house, which the Nazis have taken over, kicking her downstairs (as in, where the help stay). She also slowly comes to believe that Dorn is a Nazi collaborator. One night, Crawford helps an American RAF pilot (John Wayne) escape detection, and through him she winds up signing on to help the Resistance. She takes a job at the dress shop and passes on information and money; there's a nice scene where she tries to get some hidden money out of the padded shoulders of a coat that collaborationist rich bitch Natalie Schafer (Lovey from "Gilligan's Island) wants immediately. There are nice plot twists along the way as Crawford helps get Wayne out of the country.

There's a very effective moment when the camera pans up in a darknened room to show long tables, lit by candles, put together in the shape of a swastika. There's also a cafe (like CASABLANCA'S Rick's) with a black singer (Ira Buck Woods) performing "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You" with a barbed reference to Hitler that the listening Nazis don't get. Reginald Owen is a possible double agent; Albert Basserman, John Carradine, and Howard Da Silva are various Nazi functionaries. Wayne, though top billed with Crawford, winds up mostly as a supporting player. Crawford is quite good, and she gets to wear lots of fancy gowns. Even though she once claimed to hate this film, I think it's one of her better efforts for MGM. [TCM]