This Land Is Mine

When Nazi troops seize his town, timid schoolmaster Albert Lory (Charles Laughton) submits to his new masters, although he cannot help but be inspired by the defiance of many of his fellow citizens. Then Albert is hauled before a tribunal, falsely accused of murder. Standing alone against the power of the Third Reich, this seemingly weak man then reveals an invincible soul. Three of cinema's most acclaimed talents Laughton, director Jean Renoir (Grand Illusion) and screenwriter Dudley Nichols (Stagecoach) - unite for this moving portrait of the heroism of everyday men and women. The stellar cast includes Maureen O'Hara (Laughton's protégé and his the Hunchback of Notre Dame costar) as the colleague he secretly loves, George Sanders as a covert collaborator, and Walter Slezak as a wily Nazi officer who holds Albert's fate in his hands. A courageous film a story cleanly and maturely told (Bosley Crowther, the New York Times).