brogmiller

This marks the first of Alfred Hitchcock's 'single set' films and despite its being confined to a small acting space, his technical mastery has given full rein to its cinematic possibilities as well as giving a psychological depth to and a fascinating dynamic between it's assorted characters played by an exemplary cast.

Things were not going well for the Allies and in March 1943 alone, 477,000 tons of Allied shipping had been torpedoed which might perhaps explain the film's hostile reception by those who felt that the German submarine commander played by Walter Slezac as one of Hitchcock's customary cultured villains is too sympathetic whilst some of his fellow passengers are less so. Critics however failed to realise that Slezak's character is in effect symbolic of the Nazi sense of purpose and resolution which could only be defeated by the Allies putting aside their differences and pulling together to defeat the common enemy.

Sandwiched between 'Shadow of a Doubt' and 'Spellbound' this microcosm of war has been unjustly overlooked and although unusual indeed incongruous in Hitchcock's output it contains touches of the Master. There has to be a MacGuffin of course and here it is dry land!

Propoganda it might be but nonetheless great propoganda.

Released not long after the hugely popular 'Dirty Dozen', this film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen was bound to suffer by comparison. Although both films share a similar theme of training a bunch of misfits into an elite fighting force together with a somewhat uneasy mixture of wartime brutality and humour, there is little doubt that Robert Aldrich's film has the edge courtesy of well-realised characters and strong performances whereas here William Holden looks as though he'd rather be elsewhere, Cliff Robertson is wasted and Vince Edwards is, well.... Vince Edwards.

This is what is generally referred to as a 'man's film', which essentially involves plenty of mucho macho posturing, male bonding and fisticuffs. The extended bar-room brawl which could easily be transposed to the Wild West, reminds us that McLaglen, son of Victor, began as assistant to John Ford whilst the cinematographer just happens to be William H. Clothier, one of Ford's regular collaborators.

Loosely based on a book of the same name this is ostensibly a tribute to the bravery and daring of the Special Services Force and the film's depiction of the taking of the supposedly impregnable Monte la Difensa is brilliantly handled.

David L. Wolper was one of those producers who loved to 'tinker', in this case alas to the detriment of the film. In his memoirs he declared: "based on truth but is a 'movie movie', a fun and games type thing." Quite.

By the time his 'Memories of Childhood' was published in the late 1950's, Marcel Pagnol has lost his enthusiasm for film-making and it was to be over thirty years before parts 1&2 were adapted for the screen to great acclaim by Yves Robert who had already shown his understanding of child psychology in 'La Guerre des Boutons'.

This follow-up to 'My Father's Glory' is a pre coming of age film and as such is darker in tone with Marcel's idyllic childhood, replete with happiness and love soon to give way to inevitable sadness and loss. Robert has chosen to include an interlude from the third part of Pagnol's original in which the twelve year old Marcel has his first experience of romantic disillusionment.

Julian Ciamaca who gave up acting to become an engineer, creates a lasting impression as Marcel whilst his parents Augustine and Joseph are touchingly portrayed by the classically beautiful Nathalie Roussel and Philippe Caubere whose career has recently been overshadowed by an indictment following accusations from 'Balance ton Porc', the French version of the #Me Too Movement. There are larger-than-life cameos from Jean Rochefort as a tipsy poet, whose role in Robert's 'Pardon mon Affaire' had established him as a star, Georges Wilson as a kindly aristocrat and Jean Carmet as a mean-spirited country policeman.

The fascination of this enchanting piece lies in how the landscape of Provence and the rich assortment of characters with whom he came into contact, provided the foundation of Pagnol's art for as William Wordsworth reminds us: 'The child is the father of the man'.