Women in the Night
Curse of the Teenage Nazi / When Men are Beasts

USA 1948
produced by
Louis K. Ansell
directed by William Rowland
starring Tala Birell, William Henry, Richard Loo, Virginia Christine, Bernadene Hayes, Gordon Richards, Frances Chung, Jean Brooks, Kathy Fry, Helen Mowery, Benson Fong, Helen Brown, Frederick Giermann, Philip Ahn, Arno Frey, Beal Wong, Iris Flores, Frederic Brunn, Harry Hays Morgan, Paula Allen, Joy Gwynell, William Yetter sr, Noel Cravat, Wolfgang Zilzer (as Paul Ander)
story by William Rowland, adaptation by Maude Emily Glass, screenplay by Ali Ipar, Robert St.Claire, Edvin V.Westrate, additional dialogue by Louis K.Ansell, Arthur V.Jones, music by Raúl Lavista

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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Shanghai 1945, immediately after the Allied Forces dropped the second atom bomb on Nagasaki: The town is still held by the Japanese, and even a group of Nazis holds out - even if Nazi Germany has surrendered to the Nazis way before then. Anyways, the Germans have developed a death ray formula which equals the power of a thousand atom bombs, and have offered it to the Japanese, their allies in World War II. But seeing the Japanese defeated, they now have second thoughts, and Colonel von Mayer (Gordon Richards) tries to stall a Japanese delegation anxious to get their hands on the death ray using the female charms of a group of his prisoners as his secret weapon (?).

Among the prisoners, who are kept in line by dyke-like warden Frau Thaler (Bernadene Hayes) are underground fighters like American Claire Adams (Virginia Christine) - whose hubby Philip (William Henry) incidently poses as a German scientist, von Arnheim - and Li Ling (Frances Chung) - who has established contact to the resistance via delivery boy Chang (Benson Fong) -, as well as showgirl and seeming turncoat Yvette (Tala Birell) and official traitor Maya (Jean Brooks).

Eventually, Claire and Li Ling kill Professor Kuniochi (Philip Ahn), head scientist of the Japanese delegation, but since the Germans wanted to get rid of him anyways, they hush up his death and make him appear to be a traitor to the Japanese cause, which puts the Germans at odds with the Japanese, and puts Claire, Li Ling and Philip on the safe side, especially after Yvette - who turns out to be the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold - gives them alibis.

In the end though, Philip is found out to be an American spy, but he, Claire and Li Ling can flee while - locked in mortal combat with Maya - Yvette blows up the German headquarters, even at the cost of her own life.

What more can I say than enjoyable trash. Of course this film has very little to do with the actual last days of World War II, and the whole death ray-MacGuffin is obviously the invention of a writer with a not too vivid imagination, and the film's high dramna either misfires or reveals itself to be cheap sensationalism ... that said though, the film also offers that certain form of entertainment only this kind of cheap exploitation flicks can give you: You know it's dead silly, but you just can't help loving it - at least in a certain way.

The only thing I can't understand about this film is its alternative (reissue) title Curse of the Teenage Nazi - all of the Nazis in this film are visibly past their teens and do not pretend to be teenagers. It's a nice title though ...

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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