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Hold Back the Dawn

Released Sep 26, 1941 1h 55m Romance List
100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 78% Audience Score 500+ Ratings
Impressionable teacher Emmy (Olivia de Havilland) is swept off her feet when she meets Georges (Charles Boyer) in a Mexican border town. Unaware that Georges is a gigolo looking for a woman who will unwittingly help him get a green card, Emmy marries him after only a few days. While carrying out the charade, Georges begins to fall for Emmy, angering his girlfriend, Anita (Paulette Goddard). As his scheme is jeopardized, Georges learns keeping Emmy may be more important than his green card. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Bosley Crowther New York Times You will enjoy it as a straight-away romance, crowded with most engaging characters and smoking with Mr. Boyer's charm. Rated: 4/5 Feb 3, 2012 Full Review Variety Staff Variety While Hold Back the Dawn is basically another European refugee yarn, scenarists Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder exercised some ingenuity and imagination and Ketty Frings' original emerges as fine celluloidia. Feb 3, 2012 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out This romantic weepie is both moving and effectively stylish. Feb 3, 2012 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A top-drawer melodrama that's only hampered by a rocky start and a rushed finale. Rated: 3/4 Jul 20, 2019 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A wonderful film which confounds expectations again and again. Jul 11, 2019 Full Review TV Guide A touching and memorable film, this brilliant romance offers evocative performances by Boyer and de Havilland. Rated: 4/4 Feb 3, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (25) audience reviews
david l Hold Back the Dawn needed better direction, pacing and script as the storyline is predictable. Still, Charles Boyer and Olivia de Havilland both excelled in the main roles and that central relationship was very well developed and quite charming. The entire movie is sweet and polished while also being quite romantic, but it is never exceptional at anything that it did. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Billy Wilder was a genius, and Olivia deHavilland was 1 of the best actresses of all-time. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review steve d Passable because of the cast. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Director: Mitchell Leisen Stars:Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel, Rosemary DeCamp. First-rate soapy drama with Billy Wilder,Charles Brackett script of gigolo Boyer marrying spinsterish Olivia to get into U.S. Hold Back The Dawn plays just like a Wilder movie, and if this had been his directorial debut I'm sure it would be much more famous. That's director Leisen in the Hollywood soundstage sequence, directing Veronica Lake and Brian Donlevy in I WANTED WINGS. Featuring an Oscar nominated Screenplay by Billy Wilder & Charles Brackett . The film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Best Actress in a Leading Role Olivia de Havilland . B&W Cinematography, Art Direction-Interior Decoration and Score. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review kevin w An involving script drives this still timely work about immigration and the lengths people would go to to enter the United States. Charles Boyer is aptly our would be slimy immigrant lead, and Olivia DeHavilland his pure-as-the-driven-snow mark, his target, his ticket into the country. While I first disliked the premise, I was eventually won over by the work of the leads. Not bad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Hold Back the Dawn

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Hold Back the Dawn

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Movie Info

Synopsis Impressionable teacher Emmy (Olivia de Havilland) is swept off her feet when she meets Georges (Charles Boyer) in a Mexican border town. Unaware that Georges is a gigolo looking for a woman who will unwittingly help him get a green card, Emmy marries him after only a few days. While carrying out the charade, Georges begins to fall for Emmy, angering his girlfriend, Anita (Paulette Goddard). As his scheme is jeopardized, Georges learns keeping Emmy may be more important than his green card.
Director
Mitch Leisen
Producer
Arthur Hornblow Jr.
Screenwriter
Ketti Frings
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 26, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2020
Runtime
1h 55m