Hold back the dawn
(Blu-ray)

Originally produced in the United States as a motion picture in 1941, digitally remastered in 2019.

Full screen (1.37:1).

Booklet (19 pages ; illustrations) featuring new writing on the film by writer and critic Farran Smith Nehme inserted in container.

Special features include: a new audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin ; Love Knows No Borders, a newly filmed video appreciation by film critic Geoff Andrew ; The Guardian Lecture: Olivia de Havilland, a career-spanning onstage audio interview with Olivia de Havilland recorded at the National Film Theatre in 1971 ; rare hour-long radio adaptation of Hold Back the Dawn from 1941 starring Charles Boyer, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward ; a gallery of original stills and promotional images ; an original trailer.

Region A; aspect ratio: 1.37:1; mono sound format ; requires Blu-ray player.

Director of photography, Leo Tover; editor, Doane Harrison; music, Victor Young.

Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel.

In this romantic story, Romanian immigrant George Ivonescu sneaks onto the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood to sell a story idea to director Saxon. Desperate for $500, George convinces Saxon to listen to the true story of George's life for the past year. At the outbreak of World War II, George flees from Europe to Mexico, from where he hopes to gain entry into the USA. Due to the quota system he is told he must wait five to eight years to immigrate. While in Mexico, George meets up with his former dance partner, Anita Dixon, who tells him that she got citizenship by marrying an American and leaving him shortly after.

George, a gigolo and con man, immediately proceeds to seduce one of the American tourists who have invaded the town for the public holiday. His prey is shy schoolteacher Emmy Brown whom he intends to marry and 'dump' quickly in order to resume his affair with Anita. In a prime example of Hollywood self-reference (which the Wilder-Brackett writing team would later turn into a masterpiece with 'Sunset Boulevard'), the story is told by actor Charles Boyer to director Mitchell Leisen on the film set where he has just shot a scene from 'I Wanted Wings'

MPAA rating: Not rated.

Blu-ray.

English dialogue; with optional English subtitles.