Film Summary"Shining Through" is a 1992 American war drama directed by David Seltzer and including Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith in leading roles. An adaptation of the novel by Susan Isaacs, the movie is a significant spy thriller set against the background of World War II.
Plot SummaryThe film follows American secretary Linda Voss (Melanie Griffith) who is half-Jewish and Aaron Leland (Michael Douglas), a high-rank officer working for the American secret service. Linda Voss falls for her employer, Aaron although he is involved with an attractive socialite. Linda has exceptional German language abilities, gained from her German-Jewish dad.
Into EspionageThe story takes a significant turn when Linda discovers that Aaron works for the OSS (the predecessor to the CIA). She views this as an opportunity to assist with the war efforts and joins the agency in spite of Aaron's objections. After proving her worth, Linda is trained as a spy and sent on a "suicide mission" to Nazi Germany, with her primary objective to obtain a cookbooks including surprise military secrets from a high-ranking German officer.
Undercover in BerlinIn Germany, Linda goes undercover as a nanny, the unwilling housemaid to a powerful German army general. She uses her position to get important details about Nazi activities and begins to pass them on to the Allies. She also discovers the horrors of the Holocaust and makes it her mission to conserve the Jewish kids in the area.
As the suspicion grows around her, Linda must likewise handle being found by the idealistic Nazi officer Franz-Otto Dietrich who has actually fallen for her. Linda handles to escape however returns when she finds there are children left in your home. She conserves them but is recorded by Dietrich who is killed by a battle raid, allowing her to leave as soon as again.
Climax and ConclusionBack in America, news of Linda's death gets here, and a grieving Aaron, who was unaware of Linda's operation, discovers she was the spy he had been interacting with. Determined, he journeys into war-torn Germany to discover and bring her back home. After a tense and dangerous search filled with numerous threats and near captures, Aaron and Linda are reunited and manage to return to America.
Final Thoughts"Shining Through" is a fascinating story of bravery, decision, and love under the most challenging circumstances. It represents the heroism and patriotism of a regular lady who puts her life at risk for her country and for humanity. The outstanding performances by Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith bring the characters to life, making the audience appreciate their fates. Despite blended reviews, this heart-wrenching espionage thriller deserves a watch for its special take on World War II.
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