brogmiller

Even the staunchest devotees of Jean Renoir would have to acknowledge that the six films he made during his artistically frustrating sojourn in Hollywood cannot begin to match the quality of those from his French pre-war period at least three of which are indisputable classics of the genre.

Once America had entered the war it felt free to make anti-German films and Renoir, a renowned humanist in exile from his own country was the perfect choice to direct what is in effect is a condemnation of collaborationism and naked self-interest whilst at the same time espousing sabotage as the only way to defeat the slavery of occupation. These of course are thinly veiled references to the Vichy regime which no doubt explains the film's hostile response when shown in France after the liberation.

The linchpin of the film is the transformation of schoolteacher Albert from quivering, pusillanimous, mother-dominated weakling to an heroic figure of resistance who is happy to die for his country. This is a showcase for the talents of Charles Laughton whose speeches in the trial scenes fully display his acting skills as well as Renoir's direction and the writing of Dudley Nicholls. While some of the portrayals are less that convincing, Laughton is fully matched by the excellent Walter Slezak as the mephistophelean Major von Keller and their prison scene is one of the film's highlights.

Although both uneven and flawed in places it is arguably the most intelligent and lucid propaganda film to come out of Hollywood, the denouement of which cannot fail to move.

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.