edwagreen Excellent 1944 film with a greatly subdued, but still superior Ida Lupino, finding love in Poland with a count-wonderfully played by Paul Henried.What makes this film so good is that it shows the class distinctions among the Polish-from peasants to aristocracy, the latter unwilling to give up their status even as war beckons.Had this been a comedy, Mary Boland would have stolen the show. The gifted actress, with her high-pitched voice, was wonderful as the woman who takes Lupino to Poland in the former's search to buy antiques.Victor Francen is the embodiment of the aristocracy unwilling to change its ways. I thought by the end that he would have Nazi sympathies, given the type of person he generally played in films.A wonderful patriotic movie filled with commitment, duty and love.

Stormy_Autumn Just finished a movie with Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid called "In Our Time" (1944). I enjoyed it. It concerns Jennifer Whittredge (Ida) the secretary to a bonbon eating British antique buyer. On a trip to Poland, Jenny meets Count Stephen Orvid (Paul). He mistakes her for the antique shop girl. She tries to help him in his purchase. This leads to a a piano to hear Composer Chopin, then the ballet, dinner out, a tour of Warsaw and LOVE.Stephen asks her to marry him. His family doesn't react well. Nobility marries Nobility. Only Uncle Leopold sees her strength. But Jenny sees Stephen and his family's dependence on rich Uncle Pavel's money. Jenny is independent. She leaves, Stephen chases after her and defies his Uncle and family. Uncle with cash doesn't appreciate defiance. He blames Jenny. He feels Stephen would never willingly leave his noble standing and comfortable surroundings without encouragement. Well? Right??? Wrong??? Indifferent? Soon we'll learn what kind of mettle flows through the veins of this young couple. They start building up the family estate. OK, that sounds good. The peasants are happy in their work. They are getting a return on their labor. As long as life's good Stephen is happy.But then the Nazi army invades Poland killing and bombing everything that gets in their way. The Polish people are asked to destroy anything that will aid the invading army. The realization hits hard that the estate must be burned. That means the house, barns (equipment) and fields. Will they stay strong or will one run? I found this movie interesting because it is set in Poland. It reminded me that many countries were invaded by Hitler. Many people showed their true colors at the moment the enemy crossed their boarders. Each member of the Orvid Family did.I, also, found it interesting because Ida Lupino often played the hard-bitten dame. She pulled off the never faltering Jenny beautifully. Too bad not everyone was like her.

whpratt1 Ida Lupino gave an outstanding performance as Jennifer Whittredge who is a young British lady who is a companion for a rich lady who loves to eat candy all day long and looks like it. Jennifer visits Poland in 1939 with her employer and go to visit various antique shops in order to bring back items to sell in London. Jennifer meets Paul Henreid, (Count Stephen Orvid) who is from a Royal Family in Poland and immediately is charmed by Jennifer's sweet looks and innocence. Count Stephen is a ladies man and enjoys dating many women, but Jeffinfer catches his eye and then his heart strings and they both fall deeply in love. This royal family become very upset when Stephen and Jennifer tell them they are going to get married, however these two love birds stand firm against the family and start to change their old ways and customs. Hitler is starting his war campaign in 1939 and double talks the Polish Government to believe he will sign a pack of peace with the Polish nation and then attacks their country and burns Warsaw to the ground. This is when the story gets interesting and it shows how the Polish nation fights back against the Nazi Dictator. Great film, great acting and Lupino and Henreid gave outstanding performances and a very good story.

dglink Vincent Sherman's "In Our Time" tries to do for Poland what "Mrs. Miniver" did for England: raise American awareness to the plight of a European nation besieged by the Nazis. Unfortunately, the film wanders all over the hack-writing map from romance to propaganda to social issues and loses its focus early on. Even the style of the film shifts from intimate drama to semi-documentary with voice-over narration to stirring morale booster complete with back-lit clouds and beams of inspirational light. Despite the varied styles, the movie seems to linger on far too long despite a running time of less than two hours. By the time that the requisite patriotic speech has been made, the music has risen to stirring proportions, and the march towards the sunset has begun, many viewers may already have tuned out.The unconvincing story begins in an antique shop where Ida Lupino, the young companion of Mary Boland, an English antiques buyer, meets Paul Henreid, a Polish nobleman. Only those who have never seen a Hollywood film from the Golden Age will be surprised by the Romeo-and-Juliet romance that develops or by the obstacles that stand between the couple and eternal bliss. Class-conscious family, impending war, and stubborn peasants are only some of the roadblocks to those inspirational beams that beckon on the horizon.Unfortunately, some first-class talent has been lavished on this less-than-classic film. Ida Lupino is the shy companion to an overbearing employer. Within two hours, she blossoms into an assertive woman who fully supports and inspires her husband in his idealistic pursuits. Paul Henreid, whose seductive eyes and voice won Bette Davis and Ingrid Bergman, works his magic on Lupino. Like his role in "Casablanca," Henreid's character is caught up in patriotic fervor and self-sacrifice. Both leads are excellent although they cannot overcome the messy script. Silent film star Alla Nazimova offers especially fine support as Henreid's aristocratic mother. However, while the cast often rises above the writing, "In Our Time" remains dated in its message. Considering what Poland endured under Communism after World War II, many of the film's inspirational lines about fighting for the future ring with irony. Despite the length, lapses, and inconsistencies, Lupino, Henreid, and Nazimova make "In Our Time" worth a viewing, but the film is hardly a repeatable experience.