The Seventh Cross

(Fred Zinneman, US 1944, 112 min., 35mm)

Reinventing Hollywood. Spencer Tracy is George Heisler, one of seven prisoners who escape from a German concentration camp in 1936. The commandant of the camp is determined to track them down and vows that each one he recovers will be put on a cross to die. One by one, the men are captured until only one cross remains empty. The final escapee will need to not only think on his feet, but also have faith in humanity—particularly difficult in a Germany on the verge of war. A unique voice-over narration is only one of the techniques that distinguish this film. 

Also showing: Tuesday, October 16