Freedom Comes High
Encyclopedia
Freedom Comes High is a 1943
dramatic short film commissioned by the United States
Government during World War II
and directed by Lewis Allen
.
The point of the film was to communicate to the American people that many of their sons and husbands who were going overseas, would not be coming back, and that they would have to understand they would be sacrificing their loved ones to secure freedom. Given the extraordinary sensitivity of the subject matter, the government short is notable both as propaganda and as a meditation on what has to be sacrificed for the maintenance of freedom.
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
dramatic short film commissioned by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and directed by Lewis Allen
Lewis Allen (director)
Lewis Allen was an English film and television director. Allen worked mainly in the United States, directing 18 feature films between 1944 and 1959...
.
Synopsis
The playlet involves a young woman coming home, tired, after a busy day at a war plant. Each time she comes in there is a letter from her husband overseas, and she remembers their conversations before he went off to war. She was concerned about him, because she felt it was a "young man's war" and he should stay home with her and the baby. However he was insistent that his country needed him. The plot then turns to the husband trying to manage his ship while it is being attacked by a submarine. The next day, the woman receives another letter from her husband, who is shown in double exposure, reminding her that freedom comes high, often at the price of human lives. The door bell rings, and it is a Western Union telegram, saying that her husband died.The point of the film was to communicate to the American people that many of their sons and husbands who were going overseas, would not be coming back, and that they would have to understand they would be sacrificing their loved ones to secure freedom. Given the extraordinary sensitivity of the subject matter, the government short is notable both as propaganda and as a meditation on what has to be sacrificed for the maintenance of freedom.
Cast
- James CraigJames Craig (actor)James Craig was an American actor.After graduating from the Rice Institute, Craig began appearing in films in 1937, most often in B-movies and serials...
as Steve Blanding - Barbara BrittonBarbara BrittonBarbara Britton was an American film and television actress.She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television on the pilot program, Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show with the role taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film...
as Ellen Blanding - Donald CookDonald Cook (actor)Donald Cook was an American stage and film actor.Born in Portland, Oregon, he originally studied farming but later started business with a lumber company. He joined the Kansas Community Players and through this received an offer of stage work...
as The Captain - Cecil KellawayCecil KellawayCecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
as Father - Mabel PaigeMabel PaigeMabel Paige was an American film actress. She began acting at age 4 and went on to appear in over 50 films between 1914 and 1953...
as Rhoda - Charles QuigleyCharles QuigleyCharles Quigley , was an American actor.- Career :Born in New Britain, Connecticut, USA, Quigley He starred in many serial and movies: "Speed to Spare" - "The Shadow" - "Convicted" and "Special Inspector" with Rita Hayworth - Secret Evidence - A Woman's Face - "The Crimson Ghost" you best film....
as Jacobs