Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 19, 2019

You might think a film about a “caravan” (of sorts, anyway) of hopeful immigrants holed up in Mexico waiting for entrance into the United States might be a “ripped from the headlines” offering rushed into production to take advantage of certain currents in our contemporary news cycles, and yet, here’s Hold Back the Dawn, a film with that very premise, and a film that appeared way back in “the Dark Ages” of 1941. Kind of interestingly, given how almost eerily Hold Back the Dawn addresses some of today’s zeitgeist, the film was marketed at the time of its original release as a so-called “women’s picture”, with an emphasis on a kind of star-crossed romantic triangle. That said, it’s the film’s political subtext which may resonate most strongly for 21st century viewers. Scripted by the perhaps unexpected pair of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, from a novel by Ketti Frengs, who would later win the Pulitzer Prize for her stage adaptation of Look Homeward, Angel, Hold Back the Dawn has one of the more unusual openings from the apex of the Golden Era of Hollywood, one that is presaged in a way by an interesting charcoal drawing that resides in back of the opening credits sequence. It’s a drawing of the legendary “Paramount gate”, and as soon as the credits end, a couple of quick text elements inform the viewer that the film supposedly saw its genesis “last August” when a stranger walked on to the Paramount lot. That stranger is Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer), who harangues a front office guy (played by future Adventures of Superman Perry White, John Hamilton) about seeing a supposedly famous Paramount director named Saxon (played by this film’s actual director, Mitchell Liesen — are you keeping track of the meta elements?). Iscovescu claims to have met Leisen, er, Saxon in Europe in the previous year, but the clerk is having none of it and tells him to write a letter instead. Iscovescu overhears a tour group getting started (evidently Universal Studios had nothing on the Paramount of the 1940s), and Iscovescu of course just kind of gloms on to the aggregation, ultimately breaking away to find the soundstage where Saxon is undertaking a scene with Veronica Lake. The production breaks for lunch, and Iscovescu reminds Saxon of their meeting while also trying to pitch a story idea for the sum of $500, which Iscoveu insists he needs immediately. When Iscovescu also mentions that “the federal police” are on the hunt to arrest him (was ICE a thing back then?), the previously reticent Saxon becomes interested, and the two sit down for what amounts to a long flashback detailing Iscovescu’s “adventures” as a would be newly minted resident of the United States of America.

The main part of the story does indeed take place in Mexico, where an obviously ironically named Hotel Esperanza hold a motley crew of people, yes, hoping to gain entry to the United States on what is described in the film itself as a quota system (the more things change, etc.). Unfortunately for Iscovescu, he's Romanian, and that means his wait to gain entry could be quite long, as in eight years, as an immigration official kind of blandly informs him. Iscovescu still continues to, yes, hope, despite the fact that a room in the Hotel Esperanza becomes available only after another guy commits suicide after having had to wait too long to bear. As commentator Adrian Martin mentions in his analysis of the film, Hold Back the Dawn introduces an almost comical number of supporting characters in its opening scenes, and Martin also takes note of the fact that Wilder especially liked to slip characters who later become important into the mix kind of unannounced, so as to not (as Martin quotes Wilder as having said) "underline" their ultimate place in the story. In that regard, it's perhaps a very minor spoiler to point out that two of Iscovescu's neighbors are Berta (Rosemary DeCamp) and Josef Kurz (Eric Feldary), whose story does refract into the main plot, in a way that I'm personally not so sure was actually really necessary.

That main part of the plot involves Iscovescu kind of simultaneously meeting a demure American named Emmy Brown (Olivia deHavilland), who is shepherding a bunch of badly behaved school students on a tour, and, then, Iscovescu's prior dancing partner (whatever that means), Anita Dixon (Paulette Goddard), who is also in this otherwise tiny Mexican border town. Iscovescu discovers that a quick way to gain American entry is to marry an American, and so he starts courting Emmy, but Anita may have other ideas, since she's evidently always carried a torch for Iscovescu. It's the stuff of potentially lurid melodrama, or at least soap opera, and it's handled here with the requisite tug at the hearstrings, though, perhaps due to the involvement of Wilder and Brackett, there's a curiously tart underpinning to a lot of the film, along with some sporadic (and again not really necessary) stabs at comedy (as with one of Emmy's charges, a little boy with a penchant for playing with firecrackers).

Hold Back the Dawn remains one of Mitchell Leisen’s better remembered films, and it’s certainly an interesting, even unusual, basic premise kind of shoehorned into a more traditional romantic drama format. Some of the “extraneous” material here is arguably unnecessary, since the film basically boils down to a kind of weird take on what amounts to a ménage à trois. Performances are sincere, in that glossy, big studio 1940s manner, and Leisen keeps things moving at a brisk pace, despite the sometimes large number of people wafting in and out of any given scene. Current day would be newly minted residents of the United States of America might take, yes, hope from the fact that despite a number of intervening obstacles, Iscovescu finds out that true love and American citizenship may not be mutually exclusive aims.

Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hold Back the Dawn is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. Arrow's insert booklet has the following information on the restoration:

Hold Back the Dawn has been exclusively restored by Arrow FIlms and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 [sic] with mono audio. A safety duplicate 35mm negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a Arriscan at NBC Universal. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negatives at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood. All materials for this restoration were made available by NBC Universal.

With an understanding of the source element utilized, this is another very nice looking transfer from Arrow. Clarity and sharpness aren't arguably always at optimal levels, as perhaps can be made out in the screenshots accompanying this review (see screenshot 4 for just one example), but contrast is excellent and gray scale well modulated. Fine detail can perk up considerably in close-ups, with elements like the fine lace on a veil that plays an important (if kind of silly) part in the climax looking precise. While perhaps a bit on the fuzzy side at times, especially in some midrange shots, the transfer boasts a nicely organic appearance with a well resolved grain field that encounters no compression issues. Age related wear and tear is absolutely minimal.

Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hold Back the Dawn features an LPCM Mono mix which can't quite escape the somewhat boxy sound of its era, but which supports the film's dialogue (along with occasional narration or voiceover), and its Oscar nominated score by Victor Young. There's a tiny bit of background hiss at times, but no real damage of any major import.

Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Adrian Martin


• Love Knows No Borders (1080p; 22:15) is an interesting appreciation of both Mitchell Leisen in general and Hold Back the Dawn in particular by Geoff Andrew.


• The John Player Lecture: Olivia de Havilland is an audio interview with de Havilland moderated by John Kobal in 1970 which plays as the "soundtrack" to a screening of the film. This lasts until around the 1:27:00 mark, and does exhibit some age related issues as well as inherent problems, like some feedback and hum.


• Lux Radio Theater: Hold Back the Dawn is a 1941 radio broadcast which Arrow once again offers as the "soundtrack" as the film plays. This lasts until around the 59:40 mark. The cast includes Charles Boyer, Paulette Goddard, and Susan Hayward (kind of surprisingly listed as "Haywood" on the disc menu).


• Image Gallery (1080p; 3:10)

Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet with stills, writing and information on the transfer.

Hold Back the Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hold Back the Dawn was quite the hit in its day, ultimately racking up a bevy of Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, but in some ways the romantic angle of the film hasn't aged half as well as the underlying conceit of desperate emigres hoping against hope to gain entry into the United States. This is a "three hankie weeper" in a way, but it has a rather astringent undertone that makes it unusually compelling. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplementary package extremely enjoyable. Recommended.