Serial Number: 20857 Title: Last Chance, The (1945) Add item to shopping cart   View your Shopping Cart
Country of Origin: US
Genre: Private Gallery - The 40's
Subject:
Size: 1 SHEET 27x41
Condition: VF
Card Number: N/A
Price: $NOT FOR SALE
Actors/Actresses: Luisa Rossi, John Hoy
Notes: Director: Leopold Lindtberg; Country of origin: Switzerland; Original title: Die letzte Chance; Plot: Northern Italy, September 1943. As Allies are invading from the south, a retreating German train transporting Allied P.O.W.’s northwards, is bombed. In the ensuing chaos, two allied soldiers, a Brit (Lt. Halliday) and an American (Sgt. Braddock), escape to the countryside. After a series of encounters and near recapture by Italian soldiers, they end up taking refuge in a church. The benevolent priest offers them shelter and introduces them to a third soldier he is harbouring, a British Major separated from his unit. Although armistice has meanwhile been called, the town is crawling with German soldiers, so the priest provides the three with civilian clothes. Under the cover of darkness, the priest brings the threesome to an inn. There they’re introduced to a local Italian guide who is going to lead them to safety, to Switzerland. The inn happens to also house temporarily a motley crew of civilians of all ages and various nationalities, described by the movie’s press release as “Jewish refugees”. They too are trying to reach Switzerland. For some it is not the first attempt, having failed previously. This is their last hope to escape the nazis. The three soldiers are considering their options. Should they try and reach local Italian partisans and eventually allied forces, as their military duty would dictate? Or follow their heart and moral obligation and lead the refugees to safety, who otherwise will face certain death? The good old priest convinces them to choose the latter. And so, they proceed on an arduous trek across the snowy Alps, at night, during a snowstorm. En route they evade a German platoon, by sheer luck, but don’t fare so well when they’re spotted a German ski patrol. The three soldiers leading the group, contemplate to have one of them make a run and create a diversion, thus allowing the rest to make a final dash for the Swiss border. However, one of the young refugees, Bernhard, Frau Wittles’ son, in a heroic act of self sacrifice, darts out from behind their cover to draw the fire away from the rest of his group. He dies, and Lt. Halliday is badly injured. The rest of the group make it to Switzerland, alas not all are allowed to enter. Lt. Halliday, laying on a stretcher, refuses to be taken to the doctor before given assurance that all the refugees be admitted into the country. Humanity prevails, all are allowed to safety, but Lt. Halliday succumbs to his wounds. In the final scene the whole surviving group attend his funeral in the snowy landscape.

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