None Shall Escape

None Shall Escape

Year: 1944

Runtime: 85 mins

Language: English

Director: André De Toth

WarDrama

NAZIS! QUISLINGS! WOMEN KILLERS! FIRST COMPLETE STORY OF THE TRIAL OF THE NAZI WAR CRIMINALS! Through flashbacks, the story of a Nazi war criminal is exposed.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – None Shall Escape (1944)

Trace every key event in None Shall Escape (1944) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Return to Lidzbark and resume teaching

After World War I, Wilhelm Grimm returns to the village of Lidzbark and resumes his job as the local teacher. The villagers welcome him back despite the recent hostilities, and he rekindles his relationship with Marja Pacierkowski. His bitterness over Germany's defeat begins to cast a shadow over his conduct.

c. 1920s Lidzbark
2

Disillusionment with the village and canceled engagement

Grimm becomes openly disdainful of the villagers, blaming them for Germany's loss and resuming his engagement despite the war. His marriage to Marja is soon canceled, and he derides his Polish fiancée as a peasant only interested in a wedding dowry. The community's taunts feed his growing bitterness.

c. 1920s Lidzbark
3

Abuse of a pupil and revelation

Taunted by pupils, Grimm molests a girl named Anna. The rape is blamed on Anna's male friend Jan Stys, and Marja eventually learns the truth by accident. The revelation destabilizes his relationships and deepens his isolation.

c. 1920s Lidzbark
4

Tragic drowning and the eye injury

Anna drowns herself in the village lake, triggering a mob's outrage. A fateful stone thrown by Jan Stys blinds Grimm's left eye, marking the turning point in the story and signaling the collapse of his fragile facade.

c. 1920s Lidzbark
5

The trial and ambiguous verdict

A local trial is held, but it fails to convict Wilhelm Grimm for the crimes in Lidzbark. The proceedings leave the townspeople to decide his fate, and the outcome sows doubt about justice. After the trial, Grimm returns to Germany, escaping accountability in Lidzbark.

c. 1920s Lidzbark
6

Return to Germany and visit to Munich

Grimm travels to Munich to visit his brother Karl, who despises the Nazis. The visit foreshadows the moral divide between them as Wilhelm's path remains dark. Karl cannot deter him, and Wilhelm's presence in Germany marks the beginning of a more sinister allegiance.

late 1920s Munich, Germany
7

Joining the Nazi Party and rising through its ranks

Despite Karl's warnings, Wilhelm joins the Nazi Party and begins to rise within its ranks. In 1929, when the party is illegal, he is hunted by the police. His nephew helps shield him, rewarding loyalty with a swastika badge.

1929 Germany
8

World War II begins; Reich Commissioner in Lidzbark

When World War II starts, Grimm becomes the commander of the occupying force in the same village he once taught. He rules with brutality, forcing Marja, now a schoolteacher, to burn the children’s books and taunting her about his leg.

1939-1945 Lidzbark
9

Deportations and the rabbi's defiance

Grimm oversees the large-scale deportations of Jews and other minorities. The rabbi tries to quell dissent by telling the crowd to rebel, but the Nazis open fire, and Grimm kills the rabbi while Father Warecki offers his final words.

1940s Lidzbark
10

Janina, Willie, and the moral collapse

Willie finds Marja and Janina sheltering the injured Jan Stys but leaves without Jan. Janina is forced into work at the officers' club and soon dies; Willie prays by Janina's body in a church, only to be shot by Wilhelm in the back.

1940s Lidzbark/Village church
11

Back to the courtroom and propaganda

Back in court, Grimm refuses to recognize the authority of the tribunal and repeats Nazi propaganda. The judge finally leaves the question of his fate to the people, turning the courtroom into a spectacle rather than a verdict.

1940s Lidzbark courtroom
12

Conclusion: fate of Grimm and the crowd

The film closes with the verdict left to the villagers, underscoring how justice is shaped by collective fear and complicity. Grimm's legacy of cruelty remains unresolved as the proceedings end and the crowd confronts its own moral responsibility.

End of film

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:48

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None Shall Escape Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in None Shall Escape

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