Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Dalbert Pringle Let's face it - If you're a Nazi, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.This 1947, WW2 Drama (as told through the eyes of French film-maker, Rene Clement) was, in spite of its flaws and somewhat dry story-telling, at least worth one viewing.Certainly containing its fair share of Nazi stereotypes, The Damned (aka. Les Maudits) featured a truly despicable villain (former SS officer, Forster) who, before long, I just loved to hate.The Damned's story begins on April 18, 1945 (as WW2 was quickly coming to an end).A small group of wealthy Nazis (along with some tag-along French sympathizers) board a fully-crewed submarine just outside of Oslo, Norway. Their hopes are to, sooner or later, make a clear break all the way to South America. But, of course, a mission of this one's nature (especially with these particular passengers on board) could never, ever be expected to go exactly as planned.As predicted (pressed within the unbelievably cramped and crowded confines of the submarine) it doesn't take long for betrayals, double-crosses and flaring tempers to rise to the occasion.From Norway, to the North Sea, and along the English Channel, this jam-packed "sardine can" makes 2 unscheduled pit-stops on its way towards the Atlantic Ocean. And, as fate would have it, these brief stopovers prove to be the inevitable undoing of this particular mission.P.S. - After all was said and done in The Damned, I kind of wondered whatever happened to the cute, little black & white kitten who was also a passenger on this submarine. I hope that the good doctor was able to save it, 'cause I certainly don't think this putty-tat had any Nazi leanings.

Karl Ericsson I give this film five stars although I would rather have given it one star, because of the other reviews posted here. I cannot say for sure that this is René Clement's weakest film but it is by far not his best and it is the weakest I can remember to have seen. It contains the typical Nazi stereotypes that were maybe true, I don't know, but nevertheless boring. Had the Nazis all have been such idiots they could hardly have lasted six years in a war against practically the whole world. True, they were first supported by the west to scare off the Bolsheviks but later on they were pretty much alone against the whole world. When it came out maybe there were not that many films about Nazi stereotypes and so it must have seemed better thenö but I review the film from the impact it could have to day and in that lite it is at best vaguely interesting but on no account whatsoever comparable with Les yeux interdit, for example. I just went through the list of Clements films and of the ones I've seen, this is indeed his weakest.

writers_reign If there were such a position as Poet Laureate of the Second World War then Rene Clement would surely be a strong candidate for office. Beginning with La Bataille du rail at the very end of hostilities he returned to it in Le pere tranquil, Jeux Interdits and Paris, Brule-e-til. Les Maudits is arguably the star in his crown albeit he 'borrowed' the idea of hell as other people from Sartre and it's hardly new to use a small space as a microcosm of a larger society nevertheless - and without the use of major stars - he is able to rack up the tension like the master he is in this Henri Jeanson scripted tale of what might be called a Ship Of Foils, a mixed bag of Nazis, businessmen, mistresses etc all for one reason or another anxious to get to South America via submarine at the tail-end of the war. They make two stops en route, once to hijack a doctor after one of the passengers is injured and once in Africa where Marcel Dalio - the sole 'name' in the cast - has a warehouse. Clement skillfully builds the atmosphere and explores the conflicts that inevitably develop and offers no respite. It might be a typical Hollywood 'bomber-crew' movie but it is far from a Hollywood ending. Excellent.

dbdumonteil Among all René Clément 's movies dealing with WW2 ("jeux interdits" "la père tranquille" "Paris brûle-t-il?" ...) "les maudits" is simply the best.It might possibly be also Clement's best and I hope many comments will join mine soon.Nazis are escaping from Germany in 1945 now that the writing's on the wall.They will cross the sea in a submarine and take refuge in South America .Among them ,a general , a manufacturer and his wife (who's the general's lover),a scientist and his daughter,a French collaborator,a "Dritte Reich " die-hard and his minion .The woman is injured and they have no doctor.So,in Royan,they kidnap Guilbert who will be forced to share their desperate odyssey.Never maybe René Clément's direction has been so impressive:he uses with stunning results the enclosed atmosphere ,where the characters are prisoners:the audience like them is panting for breath.When the doctor enters the place ,the cinematography suggests a descent into hell.This submarine is really Hell's anteroom.Heightened sensibilities ,suppressed hatred,and reciprocal contempt show because of an unbearable lack of privacy .Guilbert ,the doctor (Vidal) understands that ,because he's not one of "them" ,his days are numbered ,and he's got to play cat and mouse to survive.So strong is the supporting cast that they overshadow the hero (Henri Vidal was a limited actor though).The strange homosexual couple ,Himmler's former henchman (Jo Dest) and his lover (Michel Auclair who gives the most fascinating performance of the whole movie;René Clément met him when he filmed "la Belle et le Bete" with Cocteau ,Auclair played la Belle's brother)are much more than secondary characters.It even includes SM (the nazi whips his minion).When we leave the submarine-coffin,all we find is the dark waters of an empty sea.And when we call at a harbor in South Africa,we find ourselves in Marcel Dalio's (who was part of "Casablanca" supporting cast!)office,the Venitian blinds of which are carefully lowered;or -in a scene so strong that it rivals the best of Hitchcock-,in the darkness of a coffee warehouse.This is a must-see movie,which was also remarkable for another reason:everyone speaks his language ,which was not that much obvious at the time,and it adds another suspenseful plus:the hero must not show he understands German.Henri Jeanson whose sense of humor is intact despite this thoroughly desperate noir story wrote astounding lines:"it looks like Noah's Ark,says the general at the beginning of the film,now all we need is the deluge".He will not be disappointed.You will not either if you try this Clément overlooked gem.