Dangerous Moonlight – 1940 | 94 mins | Romance, War | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Slushy romantic melodrama about the love between an American journalist and an angst-ridden Polish airman-pianist who is torn between success in America and joining the Polish Squadron of the RAF to fight in the skies above a beleaguered Britain. Brian Desmond Hurst conjures up a satisfying concoction of fantasy and propaganda from the implausible story. The film drama made Richard Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto soundtrack immensely popular during World War Two.

Polish pilot and famous concert pianist, Stefan Radetzky (Anton Walbrook), is hospitalised in England through injuries sustained while in combat, having lost his memory. As Radetzky plays the piano in a trance-like state, the story moves back in time to war-torn Warsaw. During an air-raid, Radetzky meets American journalist Carole (Sally Gray), and there is a mutual attraction. Following the fall of Poland, Radetzky and Irish pilot, Mike (Derrick De Marney), who had been fighting with the Polish Air Force, escape to Rumania and then on to America. Radetzky continues his musical career in America and meets up again with Carole, shortly after which they get married. However, when he hears of the formation of Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force in Britain he longs to join them, much against Carole’s protestations.

Mike goes to England, but Carole holds Stefan back, saying his music is more important. With the fall of France, Stefan can no longer stay in America and he tells Carole he must go. She replies that if he does go, it will be the end for them both. Stefan leaves anyway. During the Battle of Britain, Mike is killed in action, Stefan partly blaming himself for this as they had argued over Stefan refusing to answer Carole’s letters just prior to Mike taking off to intercept German bombers. In a following aerial action, Stefan’s guns malfunction and he rams a bomber with his fighter. It was following this incident that he was hospitalised with amnesia, but his doctor (Cecil Parker) hopes that by reuniting him with a piano and his wife, Stefan will regain his memory.