Set in a brutal World War II concentration camp, Tay Garnett’s The Cross of Lorraine boasts an all-star cast, stunning cinematography, and a strong nationalist sentiment. The film follows two Frenchmen, the young lawyer Paul (Jean-Pierre Aumont) and Victor, a taxi driver (Gene Kelly in one of his most dramatic roles), who surrender to the Germans after the fall of France in 1940. The men are subsequently shipped to a concentration camp, where they are treated with unjust cruelty and recognize their immediate need to escape. They are able to flee, and then take on Nazi soldiers in a remarkable battle. Peter Lorre contributes to The Cross of Lorraine in an unlikely characterization: that of a despicable, sadistic Nazi soldier.