I usually enjoy watching WWII propaganda films. At times they can be very entertaining despite the film's blatant proselytizing. Speech-making sometimes pass for dialogue, which can be a turn-off for some - but I think these films stand as a testament to the mindset of the filmmakers and moviegoers of the time. These
films were meant to boost morale and keep everyone focused on the job at hand, that is...defeating the Axis.
The story starts off promisingly enough as a crew of a British bomber is sent on a lone mission deep into enemy territory. Their objective is to bomb and destroy a strategic train depot...and by doing so puts a major crimp in the Nazi supply lines. The bomber is first hampered by bad weather...then a german fighter plane shows up...before finally being severely damaged and forced down by German anti-aircraft guns.
The men comprising the bomber crew are multinational (this being a propaganda film)...and director Raoul Walsh (High Sierra) had a fairly interesting cast to work with: Lt. Terry Forbes (Errol Flynn) is the leader of the flight crew and represents Australia. Flight Officer Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan) plays the gung-ho bombardier and represents the United States (of course)! Flight Sergeant Lloyd Hollis (Ronald Sinclair) is the radioman and hails from England. Hollis' father, we are constantly reminded, was a flying ace during the Great War. Flight Sergeant Kirk Edwards (Alan Hale), the gunner, is the eldest member of the crew and represents Scotland. Edwards had dyed his hair black and lied about his advanced age in order to gain acceptance into the military. Alan Hale (as per usual) provides most of the comic relief in the film. Lastly, Flight Officer Jed Forrest (Arthur Kennedy) is the pragmatic navigator and represents Canada.
But once the bomber is forced down and the crew taken prisoner...I think this is when the film loses me. Enter Major Otto Baumeister (Raymond Massey) who is charged with interrogating the prisoners. Massey, although he plays the Nazi baddie with much relish, is not given much else script-wise, so Major Otto becomes one of your stereotypical, one-dimensional Nazi officer who constantly yells "schnell" and "los" to his inferior Nazis - who are as hopelessly incompetent as one can make them. I suppose that is the point of the film though...to make the Nazis look stupid - but really saps any excitement or suspense from what is supposed to be an action flick.
The crew manages to inadvertently discover a hidden Messerschmidt aircraft factory...as they can see planes being trucked right outside of Major Baumeister's office windows during their interrogation!!!
The rest of the film follows the crew as they try to escape through 400 miles of German territory with this important information...they escape...are almost captured...escape again...almost captured again...rinse and repeat. The heroes are also able to infiltrate and sabotage a major chemical factory with relative ease...the flick plays almost like the EASY level of video games, if ya ask me!!!
Fortunately, not all Germans are portrayed as incompetent Nazis. The heroes receive aid from a young woman, Kathe Brahms (Nancy Coleman) who wants to remind EVERYONE that not all Germans were pro-Hitler. Despite getting herself into deep doo-doo by aiding and abetting the flyers - she refuses the offer to escape with the flyers to England as she says she will be of more help to the Allied cause as a member of the "underground resistance."
I suppose there are those that will find this entertaining. Ronald Reagan seems to have the best lines in this - which really isn't saying much though. The film really isn't campy enough to enjoy as such. The action just all too implausible and too comedic to enjoy on that level...which leaves me no choice but to give this a 5/10 at the most. See Billy Wilder's FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO or Humphrey Bogart in SAHARA to see propaganda films with more interesting characters...
February 8, 2010
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