Wir waren uns fremd

The part of a fiery revolutionary in 1933 Cuba seems tailor made for John Garfield. Both his politics and screen persona mesh nicely in the role of Nick Fenner for him in We Were Strangers. As for his lack of Hispanic accent, we are told that he is of mixed Cuban and American parentage. I'm glad Garfield didn't try an accent, he looked downright silly doing one as Porfirio Diaz in Juarez.

John Huston directed We Were Strangers and even second drawer Huston is better than first drawer of most directors. The film is about a really far out plot for a Coup d'etat against President Gerardo Machado of Cuba in 1933. Garfield has sold them one a plan to assassinate the president and his entire cabinet by means of a bomb at a funeral internment. As it happens Jennifer Jones's house is located across from Havana's main cemetery. The idea is to first kill a right-wing Senator and then when the funeral takes place and the deceased is interred at the family mausoleum, to blow up the place as the president and a lot of top bigwigs are sure to attend.

The scheme involves tunneling from Jen's house to the mausoleum and We Were Strangers starts to resemble The Great Escape at this point. Jen's cooperative because her brother was killed by Machado's secret police, but something terribly unforeseen spoils things and the assassins are forced to flee.

In fact the something that is unforeseen should have been foreseen and Garfield should have come up with a better idea. But the drama of this film is the tension of these conspirators working together in close quarters and we the audience getting to know them. We Were Strangers at first, but they all become comrades during the shared experience of conspiracy. Besides John Garfield and Jennifer Jones, the other in the plot are Gilbert Roland, Wally Cassell, and David Bond.

Best performance in the film by far though is that of Pedro Armendariz as the secret police lieutenant. Huston might have seen Armendariz in a similar role in John Ford's The Fugitive which was set in Mexico. It was a good stroke of typecasting then because Armendariz is a truly hateful figure.

I looked up Gerardo Machado who was the president of Cuba at the time and he was overthrown in 1933 but not by these guys. Wikipedia describes him as an equal opportunity tyrant who had all factions hating him by 1933. He started out as a fighter and youngest general in the Cuban war for independence against Spain in the 1890s. But last year's freedom fighter has a way of turning into today's tyrant.

We Were Strangers in the Huston career comes between Key Largo and The Asphalt Jungle, both better films, but this one while the assassination plot is far fetched is carried along by the skilled direction of a fine group of players.

Dealing with Cuban revolutionaries a few years before Castro, the story line is tough, thoughtful, ironic. Jones(especially good as China Valdez) and Garfield are well teamed. Roland provides humor and bravado in a performance(one of his best)that balances the pace of the film's drama and action. The Mexican and American supporting players are all on the mark, a pleasure to watch. Huston directs with a consistent, steady hand; with knowledge and empathy in canvassing territory not easily accessed by the war weary now grown complacent audiences of 1949.

Stars China Valdés (Jennifer Jones), a young woman who works in an American bank in Havana, is generally non-political. However, she decides to join the revolutionary forces to avenge the murder of her activist brother. Another of the revolutionaries, an American entertainment promoter named Tony Fenner (John Garfield), convinces her to hold off on her assassination, as he believes he has come up with a plan that can wipe out all the major government leaders in one fell swoop. Along with China and Tony, the Chief of the revolutionaries joins a team of four non-related men - Guillermo (Gilbert Roland) , Miguel (Wally Cassell) , Ramón Sánchez (David Bond) and Toto (José Pérez). However, the Cuban Secret Police chief (Pedro Armendariz) and the dictator's military complicate the plan's execution. The group schemes a plan to kill the President but the Cuban Secret Police chief is behind them. With a band of dedicated revolutionaries, they begin digging an underground tunnel. China Valdes...a woman of violent hates and fierce loves. Tony Fenner...a tough guy with a conscience..

A thriller with dramatic elements, including intrigue, tension and romance. This is one of John Huston's main films , though very obscure, a model of his kind , definitely a must see if you are fan to this great filmmaker. A decent flick in which the intrigue is entertaining on its own , this is one of John Huston's best films , a model of his kind , definitely a must see if you are aficionado to intense dramas. Resulting to be an offbeat story with revolutionary content, about a matter subject not very common in Hollywood, the overthrow of an entire South American government by violent means, nothing less than a strong explosion that eliminates the country's main ministers. Huston broke a new ground with this movie , providing exciting scenes and unforgettable dialogs. The fim depicts a large number of physical challenges facing the team, especially , the digging of a tunnel from China's cellar, across the street to the cemetery so that the bomb can be transported undetected. Describing throughout the emotional challenges which provide the biggest hurdles in carrying out the plan successfully, and usually harassed and pursued by a nasty Cuban Secret Police chief.

It contains atmospheric cinematography in black and white by cameraman Russell Metty, shot on location in La Havana, Cuba and in Columbia studios . Notable production design and art direction with evocative sets . As well as rousing and lively soundtrack by composer George Antheil. This film flopped at the box office and was withdrawn from theaters shortly after it was released. It suffered from the many reviews pointing out its pro-Marxist and communist politics. The movie was well directed by the great John Huston at his best , its tense filmmaking makes this crackerjack entertainment. The flick was made in a good time when Huston made some masterpieces . Later on , he directed other good pictures, such as ¨The Red Badge of Courage¨(1951), ¨The unforgiven¨ and ¨Night of Iguana¨ (1964) , they were for the most part , well-regarded but certainly not close to the level of his earlier revered work . He also experimented behind-the-camera with colour effects and approached topics that most others would not even broach , including thoughtful and provoking themes and psychoanalysis . He subsequently directed other successes. Huston had good time of the 60s , 70s and 80s when Huston resurged as a director of quality films with Fat City, (1972), The man who would be king (1975) and Wise blood (1979). He ended his career on a high note with ¨Under volcano¨ (1984), ¨Honor of Prizzi¨ (1985) and ¨Dublineses¨ (1987) . Essential and indispensable watching for Jennifer Jones and John Garfield fans. A real must see for John Huston enthusiasts. Rating We Were Strangers(1949) : 6.5/10, above average , worthwhile seeing. A major movie achievement by any standard.

Can anyone tell me where I can find a copy of this? I haven't seen it in thirty years, and if it is half as good as I remember, this is a must-see! What's up with Columbia holding back their classics? The Reckless Moment, made the same year (1949) by Columbia is also unavailable. These are major films directed by, respectively, John Huston and Max Ophuls, starring the likes of Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Gilbert Roland, Joan Bennett, and James Mason. The Reckless Moment was recently remade decently as The Deep End, but it still doesn't compare. If anyone knows where I can get We Were Strangers, please post it here. Thanks, movie lovers!

This has to be the most radical, left wing film ever made in Hollywood. It is amazing that Huston and some of the other principals were not blacklisted afterwords; the McCarthy era was well underway in 1949 when the film was released. (Garfield was blacklisted, but not as a result of this particular film.)

This is a taut, suspenseful, exciting movie. But what stands out for me is that the central theme and focus of the story is the "need" to dedicate one's life to the overthrow of a dictatorship by whatever means necessary. I've never seen an American film so uncompromisingly pro-revolutionary. The heros of the film are guerrilla warriors planning a bombing that will kill dozens or hundreds of innocents along with lots of deserving government officials.

One significant drawback to this film is it's very extensive use of process photography, shooting the principal actors against background film shot on location. Whole scenes are shot this way and it's distracting.