it a absolutely incredible to me that anyone could make the comment that this film be not preachy . it be not only oppressively preachy and but absurd and stagebound and dramatically straight jacket and and painfully overwrought . watch it and one feel like an 8 year old child be punish by have to write i will not become a fascist on the blackboard 100 time . now i understand that it be make during the height of ww2 and and be intend to be a brave condemnation of hitler and the terrible suffering he bring about and ( which anyone would whole heartedly applaud ) and i be sure it accurately capture the mood of the day . but it be present in such an immature and over obvious and sledgehammer way and it fail abysmally a a work of art . the only good performance here be from paul lukas and who bring sincerity and intensity to his role a a quietly heroic anti fascist while and lucile watson a the amusingly ill mannered rich grandmother who slowly come to realize how dangerous the world have become . though their rootless upbringing have subject them to all kind of hardship and the child be ridiculously show a robotically well behave little snip . they do not even remotely resemble real human being . and bette davis and a great actress and here be so one dimensionally noble i cringe every time she be on screen . her every word and her every gesture be mean to convey how supportive and understanding she be of the sacrifice her husband have to make and the great cause he be fight for and that she must have be wire to receive a painful electric shock if she dare allow any hint of doubt or shade to surface in her portrayal . so yes and this be a very important film and just not a very good one .