Before Winter Comes
Before Winter Comes

Before Winter Comes

1969Movie103 minEnglish

Drama/Comedy set in a refugee camp in occupied Austria after World War II. A shrewd multi-lingual interpreter who mediates between Russian and British military brass enters into a friendly rivalry with British Major Giles Burnside, who is in charge of assigning the displaced persons into either the American or Russian zones.

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Insights

IMDb6.3/10
Director: J. Lee ThompsonGenres: War, Drama

Plot Summary

In a remote Romanian village during World War II, a British POW, Major Hays, finds himself in a peculiar situation. He is taken in by the local village mayor, a former Jew named Ben, who secretly harbors him and tries to protect him from the approaching Nazi forces. Hays must navigate the complex and dangerous political landscape while grappling with his own moral obligations and the growing threat of the war.

Critical Reception

Before Winter Comes received a mixed reception from critics. While some praised its ambitious themes and the performances of its lead actors, particularly Topol, others found the plot convoluted and the pacing uneven. The film attempted to explore the complexities of war and human morality in a unique setting, but its execution was not universally lauded.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its unique premise and the compelling performance of Topol as the village mayor.
  • Criticized for a somewhat disjointed narrative and occasionally slow pacing.
  • Appreciated for its attempt to tackle complex moral issues within a wartime setting.

Google audience: Audience reviews for 'Before Winter Comes' are not widely available. Those that exist often mention the film's interesting premise and the strong presence of Topol, but some viewers found the story to be less engaging than anticipated.

Fun Fact

The film was shot on location in Yugoslavia, which stood in for the war-torn Romanian setting.

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TMDB Reviews

1 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

David Niven stars in this rather unremarkable post-war comedy drama set in an Austrian camp that sorts out and repatriates displaced people. He leads the British contingent with Ori Levy ("Capt. Kamenev") his Russian counterpart with whom h...