A small band of British soldiers is sent on a mission to hold up a German advance.A small band of British soldiers is sent on a mission to hold up a German advance.A small band of British soldiers is sent on a mission to hold up a German advance.
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Towards the end of the North African campaign of World War 2, a depleted force, led by Major Alan Gerrard (Leo Genn) is tasked with securing and defending a small farmstead. The farm is of key strategic importance as Military intelligence believes that the Germans are massing a larger army to lead a counterattack. From the farms water tower, Artillery Captain Mead (Kieron Moore) can call in strikes on the advancing Afrika Korps, but they eventually become aware of his position.
I thought that this was a really good war film, betrayed slightly by its filming location being somewhere in rural England and certainly not the North African desert. The main performances are really good, though on the version I watched it was unfortunate that the poor stock meant I couldn't tell a lot of the soldiers apart, so when they began to die it didn't mean as much to me as it might have. (I had no idea Michael Caine was in it until I read the Wikipedia page). It's a good story though, of heroism and sacrifice, and is perhaps surprisingly critical of the war office, given how soon after the conflict the film was made.
It's the first of these Hammer films that I've thought was crying out for a remake. A more genuine filming location and a little more realism in the dying acting is all that's required. As it was though it was a nice surprise and one of the few I'd actively recommend.
What struck me most about the film was its realism, and how well acted it was - Leo Genn has always been a fine actor, especially when playing Military Officers. He, himself, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
The realism came in the form of the worthy absence of propaganda and social comment, and there were no staged heroics, nor poignant moments, that are sometimes designed the make the actors look good.
I think the film was shown as a second feature and had a 'A' certificate - which would have been equivalent to a 'PG' today.
The British Film Industry is always something I have been interested in, and I like to watch some films two or three times, but I have never seen this film again since I first saw it at the cinema. It has never been released on DVD, and I am surprised that it has never become a classic and that I have never seen it shown on television.
Well acted and a tight plot. Not the biggest budget and maybe would have been more well known if it had one.
Realistic and action packed without being showy, it's a WW2 film for WW2 film fans. There is some character development, but the film concentrates on the team effort and the responsibility of leadership.
The only real side plot is the inexperienced Michael Medwin playing an inexperienced, by the book officer who needs to learn what soldiering is like in the real world. This emphasises the gritty nature of this underrated gem.
Would recommend.
Did you know
- TriviaIn 1958, United Artists released this movie in the U.S. on a double bill with Fort Massacre (1958).
- GoofsThough set in 1943, the military trucks in use are post-WW2 Commer Q4s.
- Quotes
Major Gerard: Look Vernon - you've got very little idea yet what it's all about.
Lt. Vernon: And how am I supposed to learn when you pull rank on me every time I open my mouth?
Major Gerard: Alright, let's forget about rank for a few minutes. Now come on, let's have it: what's the bellyache?
Lt. Vernon: To start with, you made me look a complete fool out there just now. The Sergeant-Major argues when I give him an order and you back him up.
Major Gerard: And isn't it better that you should look a fool than that half a dozen men should get themselves killed? Anything else? You don't like the way the stretcher bearer talks to that wounded German boy.
Lt. Vernon: Who told you that?
Major Gerard: Nobody told me; I saw it in your face.
Lt. Vernon: Have they forgotten the fellow would've shot the lot of us if he could? Yet they call him "chum" and show him snapshots of their wives and kids.
Major Gerard: Yes. Rather fine, isn't it?
Lt. Vernon: Fine?
Major Gerard: Yes, fine! Look, the curious thing about war is that it brings out the worst and the best in us, both at once. The worst is what we're fighting against. And the best is what makes it sometimes almost worthwhile.
Lt. Vernon: I don't get it. There's something here that all these chaps seem to share. Some sort of secret - and I'm on the outside.
Major Gerard: [SIGHS] Look, Vernon: in 24 hours most of those chaps out there will have had it. Perhaps that's the secret.
Lt. Vernon: How do you mean?
Major Gerard: If we don't get an order to withdraw - which is in the highest degree unlikely - the farm in square 2735 will cease to exist by dawn.
Lt. Vernon: Oh. That's us.
Major Gerard: That's us. So you see, what happens outside this particular farmyard isn't very important just now. If I were you, I'd leave it outside. We're all in the same boat. You expect a lot from those chaps out on the hill. They expect the same from you. Work it out for yourself. Don't look to me for a series of beautiful thoughts; any that I ever had went astray a long time ago. I'm moved by men, not ideals. So I'm not asking you to take me as any kind of an example, there are far better. The best of all is yourself. Your own conscience. What you conceive to be the right way to do your job, and stick to it. Nobody can ever ask more of you than that. Now, let's get on with the war, shall we?
- ConnectionsFeatured in The World of Hammer: Hammer (1994)
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Details
- Runtime
- 1h 25m(85 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1