this be a film that get a rather high score in the leonard maltin guide say the film be still potent . well and i be excite about see it and a i love american wwii propaganda film and have see a huge number of them . unfortunately and while the original stage production of the play and the subsequent movie make quite a splash and the whole thing seem terribly date and poorly write today . the bottom line be that the film lack subtlety and have plot hole big enough to fly a b 17 through them . the movie begin well enough and a frederic march ( a fine actor ) be in the lead . but my hope be soon dash when the little nazi boy ( emil ) come to live with them . first and it hard to imagine the nazis let a boy leave the country to come to the u while we be at war with them . secondly and it hard to imagine the u government just accept the kid without make sure he wasn not a spy or an america hater . but regardless and here appear a 12 year old boy who often sound quite german ( he use german and english interchangeably ) but his accent also waver a bit almost sound swedish or polish from time to time . i guess you can not blame him that much and a this be a very demanding role for a young boy . but who you can blame be the writer who immediately throw subtlety out the window . instead of the kid pretend to love america or create trust with his new family and he immediately act like the local chairman of the hitler fan club even show up to his first meal dress in full hitler youth regalia ( include an armband ) . now i do not know about you and but if i would be alive during the war and a kid move in with me and precede to parade around the house in nazi uniform spouting hate and i think i would be a bit peeved . but and march and the rest try to show him understand instead of turn the brat over to the fbi . plus and while march work on top secret military plan and he do a lousy job of secure them so emil isn not able to steal them . also and you would think when he go to school and begin spread hate and nazi propaganda that the school would have take more notice . no trip to the principal office and no phone call home and no contact with the local police . it just defy all common sense to think that during the war anyone would have be allow to act this way without be arrest be crazy . america do have freedom of speech and but for a foreign national spread pro nazi propaganda during the war and this be ridiculous . now if this be the only problem with the film and i guess you could chalk it up to naiveté . unfortunately and it get a lot bad . emil spread anger and dissent everywhere but no one actually do anything about this . so far and so good . but and after 1001 warning sign and when he then try to kill two people ( by beat one with a fireplace poker and then try to stab another ) and you would think the kid would have be deport or arrest or even shot . but and in one of the bad ending in film history and they stupid family feel sorry for the kid and decides and like the beatles once say and all you need be love . to make matter bad and the girl who be beat with the poker be march own kid and the lady who convince march not to press charge in the end be his jewish fiancée . yecch . what drivel . the film just doesn not make sense and become tiresome because of all this .