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Reviews5
lamorak13's rating
My old childhood friend and I watched this together, myself for the second time. This is a movie that is rare these days, full of important themes like redemption and love. This is an historical costume piece and easily one of the best ones. I thought the lead couple were great together and interestingly, they married several months later, a happy postscript to the movie. I have 4,000 movies in my collection and this is in the top rank. I found the acting very good. Just for the record, I am a PhD in History, a former military officer, an adjunct Associate Professor and a Christian. Bravo to all who made this movie!
Helpful•83
Here it is--a G-rated movie for the family that is dashing, up-beat, and which provides positive role models for both men and women. The entire set, costuming, storyline, romance, intrigue, plot twist and fencing were spot on. Granger turns in another fine performance as in the Prisoner of Zenda and Scaramouche. And what a fine swordsman he was, with only Cornel Wilde, Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone being a convincing match. I am a European historian who spent several years there and who loves these kinds of productions. When the movie ended, with a final little plot twist, I just sat there in the easy chair smiling, or was it beaming! A jolly good show.
Helpful•111
I knew nothing about this before viewing and purchased the DVD from an out of print DVD merchant in the USA. The movie takes place on the Western Front in December 1944. An SS unit called the Second Abteilung must take a bridge, move into a city (apparently French)capture supplies, and wait for the panzers to arrive. Although "Ardennes offensive" or "Battle of the Bulge" is never referred to, it is obvious from internal evidence that the film takes place two days before the famous bad weather cleared and the day after it did when Allied aircraft were unleashed full force (that caused the Germans to retreat) Having lived in Britain for six years and participated in a couple of historical recreation groups, I concluded early on that the actors were themselves from a British historical recreation group which I believe from the end titles is called the Second Battle Group. The acting is competent and the group has done amazing things with the resources they had. The flavor of the times is there and the movie focuses on small unit actions at platoon strength down to squad level. There is no encumbering love interest here. Just men and war. The crew has done a great job on details that will please war enthusiasts and it does convey a certain degree of realism in small unit actions. This is not "Where Eagles Dare," but a competent independent film that clocked in, I believe, at about 70 minutes. Filmed in Scotland and on military training grounds in Hampshire.
Helpful•116