there seem to be little in the way of middle ground where watch on the rhine be concern . one either like it very much and applaud it sincerity and it liberal point of view and fine acting and or else loathe it obvious propaganda and mediocre dialogue and cardboard character and overall tendentiousness . i fall very much in the latter category and and find the film and play and concern the activity of european refugee in washington during wartime a crushing bore and worthwhile mostly for the acting and and even then only intermittently . that author lillian hellman be on the side of the angel be irrelevant . her play be write for people who share her point of view and and she seldom explore idea that weren not already hold by the author and audience except to point out how dreadful the other side be . even when i find myself in one hundred percent agreement with what she have to say and a in rhine i still can not stand the way she say it . her character be unreal and and while her ear for dialogue show a certain facility for the way people talk she possess no real brilliance or originality . she really have nothing new to say . i thoroughly agree with the late mary mccarthy long overdue dismantling of hellman reputation some year ago . for those who think the theatre be dead or in extremis and yearn for the good old day and i urge a peek at watch on the rhine and a bad in it way a angel in america and which only go to show that the theatre have one foot in the grave sixty year ago .