We have good reason to suspect that the inscrutable Ethel Vance counted upon Mr. Louis B. Mayer to read, and approve of, "Escape." The story of a woman's rescue from a Nazi concentration camp was bound to fit in beautifully with Hollywood's new taste for social significance; and filmed with the inimitable MGM touch of authenticity, it could not miss its mark. It did not, but neither did it displace "The Mortal Storm" as by far the most credible and exciting Nazi-blaster ever flashed across the American screen.

Those who still squirm under the political sermons of "Foreign Correspondent," "The Great Dictator," & Co. will distrust "Escape" for its subject matter alone. But with the exception of one outburst from anti-Nazi Nazimova ("whose tongue is her freedom"), there are no harangues on fascism in general; and the spectator is relied upon to hate the Nazis out of his own accord. In fact the rescuer of prisoner Nazimova is the uniformed concentration camp doctor, a Nazi and a lovable chap besides. As for the general, villain of the drama, he fills his part with such dignity and dapper looks that he elicits more admiration than hisses.

To some, Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer may appear an invincible argument against "Escape." But the Pomona College hot-dog has grown into a serious-minded actor of ability; and Norma Shearer, if not your dream girl, makes a very satisfactory countess from E. 57th St. The atmosphere is thick with Nazi ideology: uniforms, clicking heels, and subdued voices. The swastika is very photogenic and provides exciting plot material. Exciting, but perhaps too true to be good.