Seven men escape from a concentration camp in pre-WW2 Nazi Germany. The Nazis place seven crosses in the courtyard of the camp, with orders that each captured escapee be put to death on them. One by one the men are captured, save one. That man (Spencer Tracy) must try and find help so he can escape the country, though his experiences have made him cynical that there are good people left in Germany.Fascinating film with a nice script, fine acting, and beautiful cinematography by the great Karl Freund. Interesting technique of having Ray Collins' character narrate the movie postmortem, years before the more famous Sunset Boulevard did it. Spencer Tracy gives a terrific performance even though his character really doesn't speak much, especially in the first hour. The supporting cast is excellent, with Hume Cronyn a standout. It's a little overlong but worth your time.

For a movie directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Spencer Tracy, I must say I was disappointed by the underwhelming effect of THE SEVENTH CROSS.First of all, the opening narration is by a dead man (Ray Collins) who was one of the unfortunate escapees from a Nazi concentration camp. His voice over continues for most of the early portion of the story, leaving Spencer Tracy mute and bearing a painfully somber expression amid a one-note performance. Given that the overall story is a depressing one, it becomes tedious to watch Tracy do nothing but brood for two hours.Secondly, the romantic angle provided by Signe Hasso comes into the story very late, at least an hour and 23 minutes into the caper. And it never really clicks or seems at all probable. It's as though the writers decided to brighten up the gloom for a half-hour or so to give the story a more hopeful outlook.While the cast is a strong one, all of the supporting cast have been put to better use in many other films. Worth mentioning are Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy as an unsuspecting married couple who are naive enough to get caught up in Tracy's predicament.Fred Zinnemann doesn't give the picture enough tension throughout to keep the suspense taut and tight. Instead, he allows the many sub-plots to ramble on and on and ends with an abrupt and weak final scene for an unsatisfying conclusion.Tracy's fans will probably forgive the film's flaws, but he has done much better work elsewhere too. Signe Hasso is wasted in a very small role.

This one caught me by surprise. It seemed rather formulaic at first, straightforward propaganda to inspire the people back home in the last years of WWII. But as it progressed it became much more, a portrait of German society on the eve of the aggression that started it all. Some elements tended to the melodramatic, especially the romance between Tracy and Hasso. I mean come on, they're confessing their love for each other after barely spending a few minutes together? Frankly Tracy has never been a favorite of mine in his earlier roles. He always tended toward the self-righteous, the arrogant, the visionary with no human frailties.The narration from Ray Collins, the first escapee to be caught and killed was also on the corny side. Remember he was the first to die yet he's narrating much of the story. That may have worked in 1944 but today that's pretty dated. There are more effective ways to accomplish the same thing. Moreover the pathos in his voice was also a little over the top.The standout performances here were from Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy as a couple from the working class who are enjoying the benefits of National Socialist largess. Their situation perfectly illustrated how the Nazi social programs kept the German workers happy with subsidies and tax advantages. I'm impressed that a film from 1944 dealt with that in an honest and straightforward manner. In my opinion the standout scene is when the Cronyn returns home after being questioned by the Gestapo and finds Tandy sitting at the table in their apartment. She looks up at him and the look on her face goes from surprise to amazement to joy and then she releases all her pent-up emotions and breaks down in uncontrollable sobs as Cronyn tries to comfort her. What a moving moment and what a treat!

I saw this movie for the first time at the tender age of 10; at the time I obsessed over the concept of WW2 and the reasons behind it. Even at 10, I understood the impact that this movie must have had on so many people around the world. The movie was actually banned in Germany because of its terrifying portrayal of the Nazis and their regime. With its controversial content, one might wonder why the movie was even made to begin with. As an adult, I appreciate this movie so much more than I did when I was young, mostly for its honesty and its hopeful message. Even though the movie contains a lot of violence and graphic depictions (at least from a 1940's perspective), I think the movie is fine for children to watch. In fact, the events in the movie are quite accurate; therefore, the movie might be a nice history lesson. Watch and you'll see! The seventh cross will hold a place in your heart for years to come.