First Comes Courage

One of the users said s/he almost gave this film an 8. That was my exact opinion, until I watched "The Mortal Storm". In my opinion, this is a better film with an equally impressive and handsome hero and a more impressive (albeit more glamorous looking) heroine - less romance, more sacrifices, which seemingly best suited during wartime.

Merle Oberon and Brian Aherne star in First Comes Courage," a 1943 film directed by Dorothy Arzner.

Oberon plays Nicole Larsen, a Norwegian who is seen by the other townspeople as a traitor because she's dating a Nazi (Carl Esmond). In truth, she's using him to get information to the underground. When a British beau is smuggled into the country, he is later captured, and she has to get him away from the Nazis.

Merle Oberon was underrated as an actress. She does a terrific job here (as she often did elsewhere), especially in a big, dramatic scene toward the end.

"First Comes Courage" is one of many propaganda films released during the war, and one of several that dealt with the presence of the Nazis in Norway, where politician Quisling helped the Nazis conquer his own country.

Not great, but okay.

The film is so much better than the book. You can better understand the motivations and limitations of the characters. This movie has been quite a favorite of mine.

Dismissed by the late David Shipman as 'idiotic' and given short shrift by the eminent female critic C. A. Lejeune, 'First Comes Courage' is familiar today largely as the final title in Dorothy Arzner's filmography. Seemingly marking a striking departure with the romantic dramas she was associated with during the twenties & thirties since it comprises one of the fast-growing genre of dramas depicting the resistance in Europe, it's not quite the radical break with her earlier work it might initially seem since Arzner subsequently made training films for the Womens Army Corps before leaving Hollywood for good.

Those studying this film for evidence of female empowerment will be gratified to notice that it was edited like many of her previous films by a woman, while Merle Oberon's dismissal of Nazis as "All of you are weak, cowardly, little people!" evokes the scene where Maureen O'Hara turns on the men in her audience in 'Dance, Girl, Dance'. An interesting subtext is further provided by the presence of Isobel Elsom as a doctor also shown as connected to the resistance; while the disapproving looks Oberon receives from other Norwegian women eloquently demonstrates what the locals thought of horizontal collaboration.

There were several "Norwegian fishing village" movies made in the thick of WWII, to show American audiences why we needed to help the world and inspire us to be as courageous as the peasants in the movies. First Comes Courage is one such movie, and while I appreciated Merle Oberon's performance, it's not my favorite of the subgenre.

Merle fans will love her in this, playing a strong secret spy who has to withstand the entire town turning against her. She's pretending to be the faithful mistress of Carl Esmond, one of the top Nazi officers occupying the town, but secretly she's working with the underground resistance and passing along pillow talk secrets. There are some very tense situations where her cover threatens to be exposed, but she's got one strong backbone!

Where does Brian Aherne come in? He also works for the resistance, and he comes to town on a special mission. Will he mind that Merle's been cozying up to Carl, or will he realize it's all in the line of duty? If you've never seen one of these movies before, you'll probably really like it. I've seen Edge of Darkness, however, and have been spoiled by the best!