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Ambassador Joseph Davies is sent by FDR to Russia to learn about the Soviet system and returns to America as an advocate of Stalinism.Ambassador Joseph Davies is sent by FDR to Russia to learn about the Soviet system and returns to America as an advocate of Stalinism.Ambassador Joseph Davies is sent by FDR to Russia to learn about the Soviet system and returns to America as an advocate of Stalinism.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was often mentioned during the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in its investigation of alleged Communist infiltration of the motion picture industry and was chiefly responsible for the blacklisting of screenwriter Howard Koch. Warner Bros. studio head Jack L. Warner defended the picture as being "made when our country was fighting for its existence, with Russia as one of our allies . . . The picture was made only to help a desperate war effort and not for posterity."
- GoofsAside from the issue of the fairness of the Moscow purge trials, or the truthfulness of the alleged confessions of the accused, the people shown standing trial together in the film in fact did not all stand trial at the same time. There were two such major show trials, one in 1937, the second in 1938, and the real life characters depicted in the film as being tried simultaneously were actually tried in separate groups at one of the two trials.
- Quotes
Ambassador Joseph E. Davies: Mr. Stalin, I believe history will record you as a great builder for the benefit of mankind.
- Crazy creditsOpens with a card reading: We have the honor to present the former Ambassador from the United States to the Soviet Union, the Honorable Joseph E. Davies, who will address you prior to the showing of the film made from his important book, "Mission to Moscow". In the picture itself, Mr. Walter Huston portrays Mr. Davies during those vital years encompassed in his now significant report to this nation. And now, Mr. Davies: [Mr. Davies gives a presentation on the actual events leading up to these events, and to this film.]
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood on Trial (1976)
- SoundtracksAmerica
(uncredited)
aka "My Country 'tis of Thee"
Music from "God Save the King"
Traditional
[In the score when Woodrow Wilson's bust is shown]
Featured review
A useful and entertaining antidote to the frequent anti-Soviet propaganda in the conservative American press.
Businessman Joseph Davies is sent to Stalin's Russia by FDR shortly before war breaks out. His assignment: assess the Soviet's war-making capabilities, the extent of their war-readiness and Stalin's reliability as a potential ally against Hitler. What he sees contradicts a good deal of the anti-Soviet reporting in the (Henry Luce) national press and elsewhere. The Soviets have organized a society of largely peasants and serfs into a first-class industrial power. The Stalin regime enjoys widespread popular support, and the Kremlin seems to be preparing for war with the Nazis. On the other hand, as Stalin warns half-way through the film, anti-Soviet feeling in the British and French governments may necessitate a temporary Soviet "truce" with Hitler to gain more time to prepare for war.
The film (by the director of "Casablanca" is frequently plodding and arcane. However, for war-time audiences, it offered an sure-footed defense of the Russian war effort at a time when the full capabilities of the Soviet Red Army were being dramatically made known (the film was released shortly after the seminal German surrender at Stalingrad, the most frightful battle of modern warfare). Too, much of the film suggests what recent historians have confirmed; Stalin's regime, while widely loathed in the West, precipitated an astonishing degree of devotion and loyalty at home, a point driven home by the outcome of a thousand battles from the Volga to Berlin.
It seems that just about every bit player in Hollywood appeared at least once in this movie. Watch especially for Glenn Strange in a three second appearance as a southern newspaper reporter. The fillm was a major part of the war effort half-way through that conflict, and appears to have succeeded admirably in its original purpose. Walter Huston, as Davies, is absolutely first rate as the droll, understated American capitalist who nevertheless comes to appreciate the war effort of a much maligned people and social system.
The film (by the director of "Casablanca" is frequently plodding and arcane. However, for war-time audiences, it offered an sure-footed defense of the Russian war effort at a time when the full capabilities of the Soviet Red Army were being dramatically made known (the film was released shortly after the seminal German surrender at Stalingrad, the most frightful battle of modern warfare). Too, much of the film suggests what recent historians have confirmed; Stalin's regime, while widely loathed in the West, precipitated an astonishing degree of devotion and loyalty at home, a point driven home by the outcome of a thousand battles from the Volga to Berlin.
It seems that just about every bit player in Hollywood appeared at least once in this movie. Watch especially for Glenn Strange in a three second appearance as a southern newspaper reporter. The fillm was a major part of the war effort half-way through that conflict, and appears to have succeeded admirably in its original purpose. Walter Huston, as Davies, is absolutely first rate as the droll, understated American capitalist who nevertheless comes to appreciate the war effort of a much maligned people and social system.
Helpful•1620
- louisgodena
- Jun 8, 2001
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- På uppdrag i Moskva
- Filming locations
- Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA(Lake that Joe and family set off in a dingy named after his wife Marjorie)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,516,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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