The Man from Down Under

While this is certainly not a great film, it is one of the better Allied propaganda films to come out of Hollywood during WWII. This story is unusual in that it concerns Aussies--a topic seldom covered in American pictures. Charles Laughton is sort of an "everyman" who you come to like. His life is going swimmingly until the Japanese attack. Forced to defend himself, his loved ones and his homeland, this ordinary guy rises to the occasion. I liked this because instead of a macho hero like Clark Gable or even Dana Andrews, Laughton is just so pudgy and ordinary that I think the message got across that war is won by the common people. A nice job of acting and writing--well worth watching.

The only thing that was unsettling about the film was the weird relationship between "brother and sister" Richard Carlson and Donna Reed. That was just plain creepy! Otherwise, a lot of fun...