| Confessions of a Nazi Spy | |
|---|---|
 1939 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Screenplay by | Milton Krims John Wexley |
| Based on | Nazi Spies in America 1939 book by Leon G. Turrou[1] |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis Jack L. Warner Robert Lord |
| Starring | Edward G. Robinson Francis Lederer George Sanders Paul Lukas |
| Narrated by | John Deering |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito Ernest Haller (uncredited) |
| Edited by | Owen Marks |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 Million |
Confessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 American spy political thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. It was the first explicitly anti-Nazi film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio,[2] being released in May 1939, four months before the beginning of World War II (at least in Europe; it had been raging in Asia since 1937), and two and a half years before the United States' official entry into the war.
The film stars Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders, Paul Lukas, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated from their country after the rise of Adolf Hitler. Many of the German actors who appeared in the film changed their names for fear of reprisals against relatives still living in Germany.[3] Harry, Albert, and Jack Warner, who then owned Warner Bros, were Jewish.[4]
The film's story is based on a series of articles by FBI officer Leon G. Turrou, recounting his investigation of Nazi spy rings in the United States. Parts of the film are drawn from the Rumrich spy case, the first major international espionage case in American history.
- ^ "How a New York Post series helped Hollywood take on Hitler". April 3, 2015.
- ^ D'Onofrio, Joseph. "Confessions of a Nazi Spy". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2006.
- ^ "Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939): Trivia". IMDb.[better source needed]
- ^ Maddow, Rachel (2023). Prequel (1st ed.). Crown. pp. 144. ISBN 978-0-593-44451-1.