vampire_hounddog
Joined Aug 2007
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A successful barrister suffers a nervous breakdown after his daughter is killed by a hit and run driver. Years later, after he has hired a private detective to track down the wanted man, he finds that he himself is accused of murdering a friend and resorts to defending himself in court.
Scriptd by Jack Roffey from his own play that film's director and actor Ray Milland also acted in of the stage, this is a rather melodramatic courtroom drama that makes little effort to break away from its play origins. It is also filled with some over complicated plot devices. It is clearly well written for the stage; it just perhaps does not translate to the big screen so well.
Scriptd by Jack Roffey from his own play that film's director and actor Ray Milland also acted in of the stage, this is a rather melodramatic courtroom drama that makes little effort to break away from its play origins. It is also filled with some over complicated plot devices. It is clearly well written for the stage; it just perhaps does not translate to the big screen so well.
In May 1940 as France falls to the advancing German army, the Luftwaffe prepare for the oncoming invasion by conquering the skies. They begin by attacking the airfields and radar stations, but are met by a determined and gritty adversary in the RAF.
By the late 1960s and early 70's Hollywood studios were spending a good deal of money on big budget, ambitious and big star appeal roadshow productions. Yet there is a problem in raising the finance for this very British story of heroism for producer Harry Saltzman in that there wasn't much of an American angle or American hero. Nevertheless, Saltzman did find the money and the stars to appear in it.
As with many films like this one that work well, it took THE LONGEST DAY (1962) approach in making a war movie, in that rather than having a central set of characters to create the plot, it instead relies on the event itself for the story. Therefore such major figures as Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier (as Air Vice Marshall Dowding), Michael Caine, Kenneth More, Ralph Richardson or Trevor Howard starred alongside such relative newcomers as Ian McShane, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox and Barry Foster. Each strand and aspect of the film is perfectly balanced within the framework of the action and the narrative of events. Only Susannah York stands out, albeit effectively, as the only woman in the story strands.
The action is brilliantly handled by director Guy Hamilton, a director familiar with action having already directed GOLDFINGER (1964) and would go on to direct a further three James Bond blockbusters, as well as having directed the PoW escape movie, THE COLDITZ STORY (1955) handled making BATTLE OF BRITAIN like a campaign itself. One of the biggest achievements in the film, something that could never be done now is gather together all the British Spitfires and Hurricanes and German Messerschmidt 109e's and Heinkel 111's (adapted from the Spanish CASA bombers and filmed in Spain). Only the Stuka dive bombers were either modelled or adapted from other aircraft. The aerial seuqences are exceptional, with even the models used working really well with real live action aircraft. The aerial sequences are perfectly captured by William Walton and Ron Goodwin's scoring. Of course these sequences could never be made to day for a whole number obvious reasons and would instead use CGI; even the use of back projection is fairly well done. On the ground too, the scenes of the Blitz of London (using the now disused Aldwych underground) and filmed in parts of Docklands where the council were clearing for redevelopment the filmmakers were able to use this in the film to good effect. In addition many of the sequences were shot at RAF Duxford which had changed little since 1940 and were even able to blow up a hangar for the film. Additional sequences for France were filmed in Spain.
This film is often given decent but not glowing reviews by critics, though it stands out as one of the main war movies of the decade, even if the subject had been done before in ANGELS ONE FIVE (1951), though it has a greater sense of distance in time and might have been a little outdated as a subject in the late 1960s. The film did good business in Britain and Europe on its release, although fared fairly poorly in the US, perhaps for the reason stated above. However, whenever it was first shown on British TV in 1974 it achieved very high viewing figures and over the years its reputation to home audiences has grown to cult status as the Spitfire especially, as well as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight continues to have widespread iconic support.
By the late 1960s and early 70's Hollywood studios were spending a good deal of money on big budget, ambitious and big star appeal roadshow productions. Yet there is a problem in raising the finance for this very British story of heroism for producer Harry Saltzman in that there wasn't much of an American angle or American hero. Nevertheless, Saltzman did find the money and the stars to appear in it.
As with many films like this one that work well, it took THE LONGEST DAY (1962) approach in making a war movie, in that rather than having a central set of characters to create the plot, it instead relies on the event itself for the story. Therefore such major figures as Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier (as Air Vice Marshall Dowding), Michael Caine, Kenneth More, Ralph Richardson or Trevor Howard starred alongside such relative newcomers as Ian McShane, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox and Barry Foster. Each strand and aspect of the film is perfectly balanced within the framework of the action and the narrative of events. Only Susannah York stands out, albeit effectively, as the only woman in the story strands.
The action is brilliantly handled by director Guy Hamilton, a director familiar with action having already directed GOLDFINGER (1964) and would go on to direct a further three James Bond blockbusters, as well as having directed the PoW escape movie, THE COLDITZ STORY (1955) handled making BATTLE OF BRITAIN like a campaign itself. One of the biggest achievements in the film, something that could never be done now is gather together all the British Spitfires and Hurricanes and German Messerschmidt 109e's and Heinkel 111's (adapted from the Spanish CASA bombers and filmed in Spain). Only the Stuka dive bombers were either modelled or adapted from other aircraft. The aerial seuqences are exceptional, with even the models used working really well with real live action aircraft. The aerial sequences are perfectly captured by William Walton and Ron Goodwin's scoring. Of course these sequences could never be made to day for a whole number obvious reasons and would instead use CGI; even the use of back projection is fairly well done. On the ground too, the scenes of the Blitz of London (using the now disused Aldwych underground) and filmed in parts of Docklands where the council were clearing for redevelopment the filmmakers were able to use this in the film to good effect. In addition many of the sequences were shot at RAF Duxford which had changed little since 1940 and were even able to blow up a hangar for the film. Additional sequences for France were filmed in Spain.
This film is often given decent but not glowing reviews by critics, though it stands out as one of the main war movies of the decade, even if the subject had been done before in ANGELS ONE FIVE (1951), though it has a greater sense of distance in time and might have been a little outdated as a subject in the late 1960s. The film did good business in Britain and Europe on its release, although fared fairly poorly in the US, perhaps for the reason stated above. However, whenever it was first shown on British TV in 1974 it achieved very high viewing figures and over the years its reputation to home audiences has grown to cult status as the Spitfire especially, as well as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight continues to have widespread iconic support.
Set in 1940, a U-boat has been sinking merchant shipping in the bay of St. Lawrence in Canada. 6 crewmen led by their fanatic lieutenant (Eric Portman) are ordered to raise the Nazi flag over a trading post. However, when thing go wrong thet attempt to make their way across Canada.
The 49th Parallel refers to the then largely unprotected Canadian-US border and made in an effort to convince the United States they were not immune to the effects of the war while also showing the importance of Canada in the war effort.
The third collaboration of Michael Powell and Hungarian emigree Emeric Pressburger, they saw this film as an important project in the propaganda war effort. It was a unique film in that it was one of the only films that was in part financed by the Ministry of Information and paid for Powell to go to Canada with Rank stumping up the rest.
The film could have been episodic in the way the Germans run into different sets of people, but the beauty of Powell's direction and Pressburger's writing cleverly avoids this. Most of the name actors come and go in the plot, with Portman the only constant through the film, itself a risk given that this was a big feature role. Laurence Olivier as the trapper has something of a silly French Canadian accent, while Anton Walbrook has the best role in one of his great performances as the leader of a Hutterite commune. Others include Leslie Howard and at the conclusion Raymond Massey as the desserter. It does feel towards the films conclusion that there is a scrabble for an ending and some of the propaganda elements date the film. However, at the time of the films release this would have resonated very strongly with its audience, both in Britain and Canada, with Walbrook having the best speech. The film took over a year from inception to release and by the time it was released in the US (under the title THE INVADERS) the US had already entered the war.
The 49th Parallel refers to the then largely unprotected Canadian-US border and made in an effort to convince the United States they were not immune to the effects of the war while also showing the importance of Canada in the war effort.
The third collaboration of Michael Powell and Hungarian emigree Emeric Pressburger, they saw this film as an important project in the propaganda war effort. It was a unique film in that it was one of the only films that was in part financed by the Ministry of Information and paid for Powell to go to Canada with Rank stumping up the rest.
The film could have been episodic in the way the Germans run into different sets of people, but the beauty of Powell's direction and Pressburger's writing cleverly avoids this. Most of the name actors come and go in the plot, with Portman the only constant through the film, itself a risk given that this was a big feature role. Laurence Olivier as the trapper has something of a silly French Canadian accent, while Anton Walbrook has the best role in one of his great performances as the leader of a Hutterite commune. Others include Leslie Howard and at the conclusion Raymond Massey as the desserter. It does feel towards the films conclusion that there is a scrabble for an ending and some of the propaganda elements date the film. However, at the time of the films release this would have resonated very strongly with its audience, both in Britain and Canada, with Walbrook having the best speech. The film took over a year from inception to release and by the time it was released in the US (under the title THE INVADERS) the US had already entered the war.