The 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival Honors Immigrant Cinema in Hollywood.

      “Do you happen to know where my friend is?”

      “He's in prison. All outsiders end up in prison.”

      This brief conversation, found in Robert Siodmak’s 1944 film Cobra Woman, reflects strikingly on contemporary American life. Cobra Island is governed by a high priestess, Naja (Maria Montez), who has made her arbitrary decisions the law, subjugating all other forms of governance to her authority. If this rings a bell today, it requires little imagination to see its resonance back in 1944, coming from German Siodmak’s homeland. The idea of “the stranger” as an automatic adversary destined for imprisonment is remarkably prevalent, and Cobra Island’s seclusion echoes the way dictatorial regimes isolate themselves from the world.

      This theme is not a mere coincidence but a vital aspect of this year's TCM Classic Film Festival theme––“The World Comes to Hollywood”––which discovered numerous interpretations. Production notes highlighted many films directed by and featuring immigrants. Cobra Woman, with a German director, a Dominican leading lady, and an Indian supporting actor (Sabu), stood out as one of the more diverse selections. Other films by German émigrés––such as Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise, Lady Windermere’s Fan), Josef von Sternberg (Blonde Venus), Michael Curtiz (Captain Blood), and Douglas Sirk (There’s Always Tomorrow)––were also showcased, with one explicitly anti-Nazi. Fritz Lang’s Man Hunt presents a dramatic scenario in which a big-game hunter infiltrates Germany to assassinate Adolf Hitler, made compelling by the subsequent dangers he faces after his botched attempt. While this character may be larger than life, the system designed to capture him is very real.

      Cobra Woman

      An even more credible example is Anatole Litvak’s Confessions of a Nazi Spy from 1939. Born in Kiev, Litvak later moved to St. Petersburg and eventually to Berlin in the 1920s for better artistic opportunities. Upon Hitler's rise to power, he initially fled to France and then Hollywood. Nazi Spy was based on actual events from 1938, including Nazi gatherings in the U.S. and the FBI’s chase after a German spy. It marked the first major studio film explicitly opposing Nazism; by its May release, Germany had not yet invaded Poland. It posed significant risks for both the studio and its cast––many actors had escaped Germany but remained uncredited to shield their families still there. Viewing it today, I was struck by a sense of urgency far surpassing the slower, more routine-driven contemporaneous films; Nazi Spy is an exhilarating chase narrative filled with unique characters and a fervent desire to be heard.

      In contrast, H.C. Potter’s 1947 film The Farmer’s Daughter adopts a different propagandistic approach, presented on volatile nitrate first thing in the morning (because the best part of waking up is fire-safety reminders). Loretta Young stars as a Swedish immigrant who leaves her farm to pursue nursing in the city, only to lose her money and take up work as a congressman's maid (Joseph Cotten). As it turns out, she has a knack for politics and runs for office herself. Originally titled Katie for Congress, the focus was more explicit, yet the core message remains—a final attempt to remind America of how the immigrant-driven socialist movement helped them during the Great Depression before capitalism took over. An outsider character also fosters positive change in Tammy and the Bachelor, where Debbie Reynolds’ character, raised in a swamp, learns to navigate polite society while yearning for a handsome Leslie Nielsen and teaching his snobbish parents a few lessons in honesty.

      I witnessed two films that inverted the theme––Hollywood going to the world––demonstrating that when America welcomes outsiders, we thrive, but when we impose ourselves elsewhere, everyone suffers. The 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty (shown in stunning 70mm) portrays a classic narrative of hubris, with an overreaching captain quickly countered by the pride of one man capable of standing up to him and (almost) succeeding. That they somehow avoid destroying Tahiti in the process is merely luck. Conversely, Morocco and the culture of refinement fare poorly in Elaine May’s groundbreaking Ishtar, where two clumsy singers find themselves embroiled in a CIA-related conflict, leading to disaster. This screening was part of a tribute to songwriter Paul Williams, who participated in a highly engaging Q&A. The two films, while thematically linked, also shared poor receptions in their initial releases—each was met with a warm response from the festival audience. At every TCM Fest, the world indeed comes to Hollywood, reminding us how enjoyable it can all be.