The Secret War of Harry Frigg

I was pleasantly surprised by this film and its similarities with television wartime sitcoms like "Hogan's Heroes" and "Mash". Paul Newman is funny and clever while playing a role that casts him as a underachieving army soldier who ends up being the only hope for several generals who were captured and held prisoners. The supporting cast does an admirable job as well. The film is rated "R" , for what reason I haven't a clue. The movie is tame by todays rating system and contains nothing harsh or unsuitable for younger family members. It is fun and entertaining as long as it is taken lightly.

Paul Newman as Harry Frigg is a goldbricking screw-up of a soldier who has one undeniable talent. Busting out of stockade. Seems as though the man cannot stand confinement.

That talent is put to good use by General James Gregory to affect the escape of five Allied Brigadier Generals who were captured in a Turkish bath in Tunis. Two British, two American, and one Free French general. The biggest Italian victory since the seizure of Albania.

Since these five guys seem willing to sit out the war in an Italian prison camp and being of equal rank can't get together on a plan of action, the idea Gregory has is to send in an escape specialist, the best the United States Army has, with the rank of a two star general and get an escape organized. Of course it's Paul Newman.

Of course when Newman is dropped into Italy and put in that prison camp for generals only, he finds it quite unlike any stockade he's ever been in. Prison as run by Colonel Vito Scotti a former hotel manager in Genoa. All the luxury of a Club Med vacation and for Newman, the attraction of Countess Sylva Koscina whose palace is being used for this prison camp for generals.

During the course of the film, the Allies have taken Sicily, and land in Salerno and Italy switches sides. The Nazis come and prove to be a gang of real party poopers.

The Secret War of Harry Frigg is a mildly amusing comedy. Paul Newman does the best he can with it, though he's not really cast well in this part. The premise is unusual however and my favorite performance is here is that of Vito Scotti. Man really knew how to be a good jailer.

Curiously enough some of the same premise involving Italy's deposing Mussolini and switching sides was the basis for another film about allied prisoners, Von Ryan's Escape. Of course that one involved far more prisoners and had a lot less laughs.

Paul Newman never really had a big comedy triumph until he made Slapshot. But this one while not great, is droll and amusing in its own way.

If you want a good light-hearted laugh, this is it. Always looking for the angle, Harry Frigg is CON-MAN #1!!! Who else can be an imprisoned private and then demand to be made a general, and not just a one star either. Paul Newman's facial expressions really make the character come alive. I really liked two scenes in the movie. The first is when the real generals try to decide if he is legit or not and asks Andrew Duggan to join him in the chimney as he describes an incident involving "Ike" while at West Point. The second is when be BREAKS INTO the concentration camp at night, enters the barracks in a German uniform and utters his line with a thick German accent, "Cheese und crackers, something is r-r-rotten in here!!". The plots and sub-plots lead to a very funny film for any age to view.

This must be the equivalent to WW2 escape movies as was the original '67 Casino Royale was to spy movies. i.e incoherent, non-sensical, long, pantomime acting and with no apparent plot.

But, Boy! It is ridiculously entertaining, in a Pink Panther-ish way. Throw your preconceived ideas about Paul Newman (who looks schoolboyishly slightly, but endearingly, uneasy) the almost 'Allo, 'Allo (old comedy UK hit TV series set in occupied France) scenarios - but this is wartime Italy, making it more glamorous and picturesque.

So, I'm not going to bore you with the details of the cast that includes beautiful women, hammed-up character actors from the UK and elsewhere mixed into a cocktail of chases, gun battles and amusing (rather than hilarious) dialogue.

This is a wet Sunday afternoon movie-on-TV type, but without the slush and if you go make a cup of tea, do a spot of D.I.Y and walk the dog, you can come back into it and you'll be still be entertained.

It is an asymmetrical system of rank and organization, implying a reciprocal relationship of supremacy and subordination, similar to a pyramid. The film mocks the rigor of the army and the absurdity of its rules, successfully satirizing war and military hierarchy. The protagonist is a rebel, intolerant of discipline, who becomes a hero precisely because of his irreverence. He is a lazy, listless, and cynical antihero, forced by his mission (and by love) to grow and prove his worth.

During World War II, Private Harry Frigg (Paul Newman) is sent to Italy by General Prentiss (James Gregory) to organize the escape of several generals from the villa of Countess Francesca di Montefiore (Sylvia Koscina). The prison is organized in a reception-style manner by Colonel Ferrucci (Vito Scotti), a former hotel manager, but things change after the armistice, which transfers command to Major von Steignitz (Werner Peters) of the German army, which has transformed overnight from ally to occupier.

Director Jack Smight (6.5) films a typical 1960s Hollywood comedy, with light-hearted tones and the right balance of comic and adventurous moments; the screenplay (6.5) has a fluid pace, avoiding dramatic excesses, preferring to focus on the narrative; from a technical standpoint (6.0), the highlights are Russell Metty's cinematography with its vivid colors, the Italian (filmed in California) production design rendered with pictorial taste, and Michel Legrand's light-hearted, melodic score; among the cast (6.5), Newman, with his charisma and wit, tries to make up for his age, which is inappropriate for his character, while Koscina brings the right elegance and sensuality to her character.

Best moment: Harry tells the Germans he's not a real general, so they can loosen their controls and return that night to organize the escape, but his courage and determination are worth more than two stars. A must-see for those who love light-hearted, ironic wartime comedies.