Anti-fascist or anti-Nazi movies released before 1942
A list of English-language dramas and comedies that warned of the dangers of fascism, primarily regarding the rise of Nazis in Germany or Northern America (but not limited to just Nazis). Or at least saw Nazis as an enemy. These are from 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 and 1941 - all had finished production before the USA entered WWII, and one was done that had nothing to do with WWII or Germany. Suggestions for additions are welcomed.
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- DirectorArchie MayoMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartAnn SheridanDick ForanA hard-working machinist loses a promotion to a Polish-born worker, he's seduced into joining the secretive Black Legion, which intimidates foreigners through violence.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsRobert TaylorMargaret SullavanFranchot ToneThe close friendship of three German soldiers is strengthened by their shared love for the same woman, who is dying of tuberculosis.
- DirectorAnatole LitvakStarsEdward G. RobinsonGeorge SandersFrancis LedererFBI agent Ed Renard investigates the pre-war espionage activities of the German-American Bund.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJoel McCreaBrenda MarshallJeffrey LynnAfter Barry Corvall discovers that his new bride is a possible enemy agent, he resigns from the diplomatic service to go undercover to root out an espionage ring planning to destroy American industrial capability.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsMargaret SullavanJames StewartRobert YoungThe Roth family leads a quiet life in a small village in the German Alps during the early 1930s. After the Nazis come to power, the family is divided and Martin Breitner, a family friend, is caught up in the turmoil.
- DirectorIrving PichelStarsJoan BennettFrancis LedererLloyd NolanAnti-Nazi tract laced with 1938 newsreel footage finds American girl (Bennett) married to a German (Lederer) gradually learning he is a Nazi, trying to get their son to America.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJoel McCreaLaraine DayHerbert MarshallOn the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsMargaret LockwoodRex HarrisonPaul HenreidAfter Germany invades Czechoslovakia, the German and the British intelligence services try to capture Czech scientist Dr. Axel Bomasch (James Harcourt), inventor of a new type of armor-plating.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardJack OakieDictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsNorma ShearerRobert TaylorConrad VeidtIn 1936, a young man arrives in Hitler's Germany, frantically seeking information about his missing German mother, and finds she is pending execution at a concentration camp.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsWalter PidgeonJoan BennettGeorge SandersBritish hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsGary CooperBarbara StanwyckEdward ArnoldA penniless drifter is recruited by an ambitious columnist to impersonate a non-existent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a social movement begins.
- DirectorMichael PowellStarsLeslie HowardLaurence OlivierRichard GeorgeA World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsFredric MarchMargaret SullavanFrances DeeStory about three German refugees during World War II who are always hiding, always in fear of deportation.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsJeffrey LynnPhilip DornKaren VerneA World War II Hollywood propaganda film detailing the dark underside of Nazism and the Third Reich set between two brothers, Kurt and Erik Franken, who are SS officers in the Nazi party. Kurt learns and exposes the evils of the system to Erik and tries to convince him of the immoral stance that marches under the symbol of the swastika.
- DirectorLeslie HowardStarsLeslie HowardFrancis L. SullivanAllan JeayesProfessor Horatio Smith, while seeming very unassuming, rescues victims of Nazi persecution during World War II.
- DirectorRobert FloreyStarsJohn GarfieldNancy ColemanRaymond MasseyAfter a traffic accident involving a taxi in New York City, the Jane Doe passenger is brought into the hospital She is physically all right but is suffering from retrograde amnesia from the accident. She is assigned under the care of Dr. Michael Lewis, an intern at the hospital, as he is doing research on such amnesia cases. It isn't until a Mr. Goodwin comes to the hospital, claiming that she is his daughter Jane, that she remembers who she is and the situation: Jane Greystone working for British Intelligence. She was in the process of being kidnapped by the taxi driver as she has information on the location of British war ships that the Nazis are trying to obtain. She figures the taxi driver and Mr. Goodwin are working for the Nazis. She has to try and convince Mike of who she is and that both their lives are in danger, especially as she requires his help in getting out of this predicament. Mike is torn in believing her and thinking she has an overactive imagination due to the trauma, which is only complicated when Goodwin brings in his own medical specialist, Dr. Ingersoll, who just happens to be Mike's former mentor, but who is working for the Nazis. Mike's primary concern is Jane's well-being, especially as he starts to fall for her, as they get into greater danger at the hands of, among others, Dr. Ingersoll.