many of the criticism on this thread seem to pick a comparison of this film with the mortal storm or casablanca . everyone be entitle to compare film they choose and but the similarity of the mortal storm and watch on the rhine be clearly the problem of refugee threaten by the nazi juggernaut and while the main comparative point bring out with casablanca be the seem unjust treatment of humphrey bogart in 1943 by the academy of motion picture art and science and because they choose paul lukas instead for the best actor oscar . it do not strike me a totally wrong . lukas have a good career in film ( both here and in england he be the villain in the lady vanishes ) and and this performance be his best one . bogart have more great performance in him than rick blaine ( for instance and he be ignore for sam spade in the maltese falcon and roy earle in high sierra two year earlier and both of which be first rate performance and and he would not get an oscar for his great performance a fred c. dobbs in the treasure of sierra madres and the writer or murder suspect in in a lonely place and and captain philip francis queeg in the caine mutiny afterward he get it for charley in the african queen ) . i think that bogie should have get it for the role of dobbs and but it do not happen . but lukas be lucky he get it on the define performance of his less career . few can claim that . to me the film to look at with watch on the rhine be base on another play or script by hellman and the searching wind . they both look at america spirit of isolationism in the 1920s and 1930s . the search wind be really look at the whole inter war period and while watch on the rhine and set in the year just proceed our entry into world war ii and deal with a few week of time . therefore it be well construct a a play and and more meaningful for it impact . the film have many good performance and lead by lukas a the exhausted but determine anti nazi fighter or courier and davis a his loyal wife ( wisely keep her character a low key a possible due to lukas be the center of the play activity ) and coulouris a the selfish and conniving and but ultimately foolish and ineffective teck and lucille watson a the mother of davis and geraldine fitzgerald ( a coulouris wiser and sadder and feed up wife ) and and kurt katch and who deliver a devastating critique ( a the local embassy gestapo chief ) about coulouris and others who would deal with the nazi . it have dialog with bite in it . and what it say be quite true . it also have moment of near poetry . witness the scene and towards the end and when coulouris be leave alone with lukas and davis and and say and the new world have leave the scene to the old world . hellman could write very well at time . give the strength of the film script and performance i would rate this film highly among world war ii film .