Promise at Dawn

Promise at Dawn

An unforgettable Mercouri experience

PG 1970 · 102 min · ★ 5.5 · Drama

A single mother raises her son in impossible circumstances first in Leningrad, then Krakow, and then France, and is over-ambitious about him but never gives in.

Directed by Jules Dassin · Written by Jules Dassin

Your Rating

Cast

More from Jules DassinSee all →

RififiRififi · 1955
Rififi
7.81955
MovieCrimeThriller
Out of prison after a five-year stretch, jewel thief Tony turns down a quick job his friend Jo offers him, until he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has become the lover of local gangster Pierre Grutter during Tony's absence. Expanding a minor smash-and-grab into a full-scale jewel heist, Tony and his crew appear to get away clean, but their actions after the job is completed threaten the lives of everyone involved.
Crack in the MirrorCrack in the Mirror · 1960
Crack in the Mirror
7.51960
MovieCrimeDrama
Three stars appear in two separate but intertwined stories of romantic triangles gone wrong in this ambitious drama. In the first segment, Hagolin is a loutish construction worker with an unhappy wife, Eponine. The wife becomes involved with a swarthy working man, Larnier, and their passion knows no boundaries of caution or safety. Eventually, Eponine's and Larnier's lust drives them to madness, and they murder Hagolin. The second tale concerns an up-and-coming young lawyer, Claude, whose mentor is a highly successful veteran attorney, Lamerciere, with a beautiful young wife named Florence. Claude finds himself defending Larnier and Eponine, while Lamerciere dies of a heart attack after he discovers that Florence has been unfaithful to him with Claude.
Night and the CityNight and the City · 1950
Night and the City
7.51950
MovieDramaCrime
Londoner Harry Fabian is a second-rate con man looking for an angle. After years of putting up with Harry's schemes, his girlfriend, Mary, becomes fed up when he taps her for yet another loan.
Brute ForceBrute Force · 1947
Brute Force
7.31947
MovieCrimeDrama
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?
Thieves' HighwayThieves' Highway · 1949
Thieves' Highway
7.21949
MovieDramaCrime
Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.
The Naked CityThe Naked City · 1948
The Naked City
7.21948
MovieCrimeMystery
After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.
Never on SundayNever on Sunday · 1960
Never on Sunday
6.91960
MovieComedyRomance
An American scholar in Greece sets about improving the local prostitute with whom he is infatuated.
A Letter for EvieA Letter for Evie · 1946
A Letter for Evie
6.91946
MovieRomanceComedy
Evie's co-workers at the uniform shirt factory, and her almost-fiancée's inability to kiss, inspire her to slip a letter into a size sixteen-and-a-half shirt for some anonymous soldier. It's received by "Wolf" Larson, who immediately throws it away, but his sensitive, dreaming--and short--buddy John McPherson snags it, and begins a correspondence with Evie, pretending to be Wolf. But things get complicated when Evie wants to meet her tall, handsome soldier. And even more complicated when Wolf sees Evie and likes what he sees.
The Canterville GhostThe Canterville Ghost · 1944
The Canterville Ghost
6.91944
MovieComedyFantasy
The descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying courage when under duress.
UptightUptight · 1968
Uptight
6.81968
MovieDramaThriller
Set against the backdrop of a community mourning the recent MLK assassination, Black militants building up an arsenal of weapons in preparation for a race war are betrayed by one of their own.
Two Smart PeopleTwo Smart People · 1946
Two Smart People
6.61946
MovieRomanceDrama
Con woman Ricki Woodner and detective Bob Simms follow a prison-bound swindler Ace Connors on his five-day gourmet binge.
Nazi AgentNazi Agent · 1942
Nazi Agent
6.61942
MovieCrimeDrama
Humble stamp dealer Otto Becker has little to do with international politics, so when he receives a surprise visit from his estranged twin brother and Nazi spy, Baron Hugo von Detner, his world is thrown into turmoil. Threatening Becker with deportation, Hugo forces him to use his shop as a front for espionage.
The Tell-Tale HeartThe Tell-Tale Heart · 1941
The Tell-Tale Heart
6.61941
MovieCrimeHorror
In this classic Edgar Allan Poe story, a man commits a murder, but afterward the victim's beating heart torments the murderer's mind.
The Affairs of MarthaThe Affairs of Martha · 1942
The Affairs of Martha
6.61942
MovieRomanceComedy
Members of a well-to-do small community become worried when it is revealed that one of their maids is writing a telling exposé.
TopkapiTopkapi · 1964
Topkapi
6.51964
MovieComedyCrime
Arthur Simon Simpson is a small-time crook biding his time in Greece. One of his potential victims turns out to be a gentleman thief planning to steal the emerald-encrusted dagger of the Mehmed II from Istanbul's Topkapi Museum.
Reunion in FranceReunion in France · 1942
Reunion in France
6.41942
MovieDramaRomance
Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a downed American flyer, Pat Talbot, and attempts to get him safely out of the country.

More Like This

Murder on the Orient ExpressMurder on the Orient Express · 1974
Murder on the Orient Express
7.11974
MovieDramaThriller
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
The Sicilian ClanThe Sicilian Clan · 1969
The Sicilian Clan
7.61969
MovieCrimeDrama
An ambitious mobster plans an elaborate diamond heist while seducing the daughter-in-law of a ruthless mob patriarch as a determined police commissioner closes in on all of them.
Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility · 1995
Sense and Sensibility
7.41995
MovieDramaRomance
The Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, learn that their prospects of marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. After Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his estate must pass on by law to his son. These circumstances leave Mr. Dashwood's wife and daughters without a home and with barely enough money to live on. As Elinor and Marianne struggle to find romantic fulfillment in a society obsessed with financial and social status, they must learn to mix sense with sensibility in their dealings with both money and men.
The Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All Fears · 2002
The Sum of All Fears
6.42002
MovieThrillerAction
When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.
Read It and WeepRead It and Weep · 2006
Read It and Weep
5.82006
MovieFamilyComedy
A young girl turns into an A-List celebrity over night when her private journal is accidently published and becomes a best-seller.
Fabian: Going to the DogsFabian: Going to the Dogs · 2021
Fabian: Going to the Dogs
6.42021
MovieDramaRomance
In 1930s Berlin, Dr. Jakob Fabian, who works by day in advertising for a cigarette company and by night wanders the streets of the city, falls in love with an actress. As her career begins to blossom, prospects for his future begin to wane.
Gone Baby GoneGone Baby Gone · 2007
Gone Baby Gone
7.32007
MovieCrimeDrama
When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.
Les MisérablesLes Misérables · 1958
Les Misérables
7.21958
MovieDrama
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Les MisérablesLes Misérables · 1998
Les Misérables
7.21998
MovieCrimeDrama
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
CandyCandy · 2006
Candy
7.12006
MovieDramaRomance
A poet falls in love with an art student, who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle — and his love of heroin. Hooked as much on one another as they are on the drug, their relationship alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.
Jean de FloretteJean de Florette · 1986
Jean de Florette
7.71986
MovieDrama
In a rural French village, an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, and are dismayed to hear that the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they think only of getting the water.
Manon of the SpringManon of the Spring · 1986
Manon of the Spring
7.61986
MovieDrama
In this, the sequel to Jean de Florette, Manon has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She plots vengeance on the men who greedily conspired to acquire her father's land years earlier.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter