This Land Is Mine (1943) review

Well-intentioned film about the German Occupation in France during World War II, and how some resisted their presence while others merely accepted it and did nothing about it. It works well for two acts at least, focusing mainly on Charles Laughton's 'cowardly' schoolteacher who has a crush on Maureen O'Hara (who happens to be engaged to German sympathizer George Sanders) and the daily bombing raids and censorship they endure (as educators). The last act is a disaster, however, turning to script contrivances and Big Important Speeches about freedom (Laughton's in-court speech goes on for five minutes). Una O'Connor, who plays Laughton's shrieking mother and protector, has to be one of the most overbearing Moms I've seen in the movies.