In 1945, after hearing of the death of Mussolini, an American career diplomat and his family reflect on his mistakes he made during the interwar years.[3]
Hellman's play debuted on Broadway in 1944 and ran for 318 performances. Montgomery Clift was in the original cast which was directed by Herman Shumlin.[4]
Hellman later said it was "The nearest thing to a political play" she had written "which is probably why I don't like it much any more. But even there I meant only to write about nice, well born people who, with good intentions, helped to sell out a world."[5]
Hal Wallis bought the screen rights for $100,000. Wallis had made a film of Hellman's Watch on the Rhine while head of Warner Bros. Hellman did the script. It was one of the first films Wallis made as a producer at Paramount.[6]
Richards' casting was announced in September 1944. Joseph Cotten turned down the male lead.[7][8]
Variety thought the film "isn't likely to hold the run-of-the-miiie entertaiument-goer looking for escapist stuff" and "should earn back its coin... for though well-mounted, it nevertheless doesn't appear too heavily budgeted. The film is an improvement on the Broadway play... because it is more coherent, and better acted."[10]
^"ANNRICHARDS IN BIG ROLE". News. Vol. 43, no. 6, 604. South Australia. 28 September 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"THE SCREEN Goes Escapist". The Mercury. Vol. CLXII, no. 23, 362. Tasmania, Australia. 20 October 1945. p. 11. Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.