IMDb
6.2 /10
40 votes

War · Drama · 1935 · 1h 20min
Veille d'armes
Before the Battle is the English-language title of this espionage melodrama. The first half of the film takes place aboard a French cruising ship, steaming through dangerous waters during WWI. Among the passengers is heroine Jeanne (Annabella), who was once in love with first-officer D'Artelles (Robert Vidalin) but he now seems strangely preoccupied. It turns out that the ship is on a secret mission, which ultimately dooms the vessel to a Lusitania-like death. After the sinking, Captain De Corlaix (Victor Francen) faces a court-martial, and it is at this point that the film clarifies several baffling plot points. Despite its complexity, the story is fairly believable, with the exception of the grafted-on romantic subplot.
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IMDb
6.2 /10
40 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
The tomato isn't ripe
Metacritic took the day off
TMDB
8.0 /10
1 votes
Letterboxd
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Weighted average
7.0/10