Hitler's Children

1943
Approved
1h 22m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Bonita Granville in Hitler's Children (1943)

This lurid exposé of the Hitler Youth follows the woes of an American girl declared legally German by the Nazi government.This lurid exposé of the Hitler Youth follows the woes of an American girl declared legally German by the Nazi government.This lurid exposé of the Hitler Youth follows the woes of an American girl declared legally German by the Nazi government.

Directors
- Edward Dmytryk
- Irving Reis
Writers
- Emmet Lavery
- Gregor Ziemer
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Edward Dmytryk
- Irving Reis
Writers
- Emmet Lavery
- Gregor Ziemer
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos23

+ 17

Top cast54

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Tim Holt

Karl Bruner

Bonita Granville

Anna Müller

Kent Smith

Professor Nichols

Otto Kruger

Colonel Henkel

H.B. Warner

The Bishop

Lloyd Corrigan

Franz Erhart

Erford Gage

Dr. Schmidt

Hans Conried

Dr. Graf

Gavin Muir

Nazi Major

Nancy Gates

Brenda

Carla Boehm

Magda
(uncredited)

Egon Brecher

Mr. Müller
(uncredited)

Billy Brow

Boy
(uncredited)

Frances Brown

Bill Burrud

Prof. Nichols' Student
(uncredited)

Bruce Cameron

Storm Trooper
(uncredited)

Paula Corday

Young Matron
(uncredited)

Yvonne Cross

Bit
(uncredited)

Directors
- Edward Dmytryk
- Irving Reis
Writers
- Emmet Lavery
- Gregor Ziemer
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Edward Dmytryk in his autobiography 'It's a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living', states: "A friend of mine, Irving Reis, had prepared and actually started shooting a film called 'Hitler's Children', an exploitation B. Irving was rather headstrong and somewhat touchy - a bad combination in Hollywood. After a few days, he got into a fight with producer Doc Golden [Robert Golden]. Getting his back up, he quit the film, expecting, so he told me later, to win a quick apology and a free hand. Instead, the studio said, 'As you wish,' and asked me to take over the direction. He gave me his blessing, asking only that his name be completely removed from the film's credits. The studio was willing and I went to work. I finished on schedule, cut and dubbed it, and turned it over to the distribution department. None of us at the studio was sure of what we had."

Goofs
Karl Bruner is wearing the four pips and strip on his uniform collar of an SS Obersturmbanfuhrer, or Lieutenant Colonel, when Colonel Henkel said he would be promoted to Captain (or Hauptsturmfuhrer) and should be wearing a collar tab with three pips (diagonally) and two stripes. Colonel Henkel's insignia is also incorrect. He is wearing the three oak leaves of a Brigadefuhrer (Brigadier General) when he should have only one leaf of a Standartanfuhrer (Colonel).

Quotes
The Bishop: [to the Nazi Major] No wonder you take away the breath of life so readily. The breath of death is already upon you.

Crazy credits
During opening credits, the camera zooms in on a German book burning, and the book on top of the pile is "Education for Death" by Gregor Ziemer. That was another book by the same author of the novel on which this film is based.

Alternate versions
There is an Italian DVD edition of this movie, distributed by DNA Srl. The movie was re-edited with the contribution of the film history scholar Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available in streaming on some platforms.

Connections
Featured in Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story: Dark Victory (1987)

Soundtracks
Fur Elise
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (1810)

User reviews33

Review

Featured review

7/10

A girl, a boy, and the Fuehrer

The very much critically acclaimed Hitler's Children is still quite a powerful film today. Potential lovers Tim Holt and Bonita Granville can never quite get together because of the Nazi ideology that Tim espouses.

The film has certain similarities to MGM's The Mortal Storm though without the A list cast of that one. The two go to different schools across the street from each other. Bonita is German born, but a naturalize American living with her grandparents while she attends the American school run by Kent Smith. Tim goes to the German all boys school for the new Hitler Youth and it was new when this film's action starts in 1933.

It's no accident that this was a boys school for the German youth. The Nazi ideology was firmly patriarchal and eloquently expressed the fact that women were child bearing vessels and nurturers of future Nazis and nothing more. No accident when you see Nazi rally newsreels for the young and old it's an all male cast. Hitler's Children explores that issue far more than most wartime films made by the Allies.

Kent Smith has the Nick Carroway narrative part in the story, we see it through his eyes up to the moment he departs for Paris and knowing full well the Nazis will be there shortly.

Holt and Granville are an attractive pair. Hitler's Children has aged far better than most American war films of the World War II era.