Address Unknown (1944 film)

Address Unknown is a 1944 American drama film directed by William Cameron Menzies based on Kathrine Taylors novel Address Unknown 1938. The film tells the story of two families caught up in the rise of Nazism in Germany prior to the start of World War II.

Two close friends, Martin Schulz and Max Eisenstein Morris Carnovsky, are German expatriate art dealers living in the United States. Martins son Heinrich Peter van Eyck and Maxs daughter Griselle K.T. Stevens are in love. However, she turns down his proposal of marriage for the time being, as she aspires to become an actress. When Martin and his wife return to Germany for business purposes, Griselle accompanies them to seek acting opportunities there. Max and Heinrich remain in San Francisco to run the art gallery, while Martin sends them paintings to sell. Martin sends a strange painting from an unknown artist to Max as a joke, the unknown artist being Pablo Picasso. A determined patron Mary Young insists on buying the painting, over Maxs wellintended protests.Martin meets the influential Baron von Friesche Carl Esmond, a dedicated Nazi, and joins the Nazi party, becoming an important official in the new regime. But Max is Jewish. Martin eventually insists they stop writing to each other, as his new associates would not approve of it. Suspecting that Martin is hiding his true feelings from Nazi censors who examine the mail, Max has an American friend personally deliver a letter to Martin. However, Martin coldly makes it clear that Max is mistaken his antisemitism is now genuine. ........

Source: Wikipedia