Murphy's War

I saw this film first time round and, going by the date is was made, I must have been about seven years old. Our cinema in Lochgelly was rather lax about age restrictions.

Scenes still stick in my mind and its themes are still very much with me — the horror and dehumanizing impact of war and the futility of revenge.

I have since seen the film again and I was glad not to be disappointed. Being older and wiser, one is inevitably more critical, but there is so much to enjoy in this film. The performances, setting and story all work together to draw you into its dark and dangerous world.

Most notably of all, the U-boat commander and his men are portrayed as human beings. Efficient, determined, ruthless, but they too have feelings and hate the whole damn war just as much as Murphy. This was unusual in war films up until then, and its progressive, enlightened approach to the war enhances the story. We understand and even feel for Murphy, but we too must understand that sometimes we need to let go, accept our losses, be glad we survived and realise that our enemies are human too.

Some films are worth watching if for no other reason than a well-placed novelty that does not distract from the story, but complements it. While I found Murphy's War to be an engaging tale, the sight of an antique float plane in weathered condition humping up and down the river straining to get airborne was exciting (along the lines of a Curtiss Jenny in The Great Waldo Pepper or that '59 finned-automobile in Pink Cadillac). Whether one likes these movies or not, getting a look at a beautiful machine is matchless (unless that object of beauty is Sophia Loren). And how can anyone not be impressed with Mr. Murphy's single-mindedness. Yes, revenge is better left to deities and gods, but oh how sweet it is when realized.

MURPHY'S WAR… Peter O'Toole…Director Peter Yates… Central Casting sent Jerry Floyd, Nick (the bubble) and myself down to Portsmouth or Southampton (cant remember which) to play German U Boat crew. We'd be there for a couple of days and stay in a local B/B over night. When we get called onto the set we go below decks on a British submarine that is decked out like a second world war German U Boat. Now it seems in the film the U Boat has run aground on a sand bank on an inlet river in South America and is waiting for the tide to turn so it can re-float. Meanwhile Peter O'Toole is trying to chop a very large tree down and put it across our Sub. (Thus, causing us some discomfort.) (Got the plot so far, he's dropping trees, and I'm in the basement..) A cute make up girl asks me to strip to the waist (and I think, from the shoes up, what no flowers? We've only just met) but she has to put make up on my face and body to make me look tanned as if I was in South America. Bert Batt the 1st A.D. took us all to see the Director Peter Yates (of Bullitt fame) and I was chosen to be the blue eyed German working the controls of the Sub.. After a few different angles the make up girl applies sweat to my hair and face. The camera is stuck an inch from my nose. (Now we are talking about close ups here. My face plastered sixty foot by eighty foot at the Odeon Marble Arch. She could have saved on the sweat, I was sweating for England.) Peter was guiding me through the shots. ''Imagine you can hear a noise above you. Now imagine there's a noise to your left, now to your right. Don't move your head Back too far, we're close on your eyes.'' Then it was ''CUT, see you in the morning Eight O clock.. Thanks Harry that was good''. Well that was good for me too. It took me hours to come down. Me, Jerry and Nick went out on the town and got very drunk. (Well it makes a change)? The next day I'm back at the controls of the Sub and I'm thinking is it to be another starring role. Peter tells us today's the day the Sub gets hit and there could be a drop of water splashing around. First scene control room…I'm standing at the controls and Peter talks me through it. ''Now concentrate on the controls Harry and keep looking about. It seems the tide is coming in and you're going to be all right. Now give a huge sigh of relief. It's very quiet now but suddenly, !!!!! CRASH !!!!. That's the cue for the Prop men to sling big buckets of freezing cold water over me. ''You're panicking now Harry (He's got good eyesight) More water on him and CUT. I spent most of the rest of the day sitting on the Sub deck enjoying the warm sun while the Stuntmen got their share of the water. We shot some other stuff in one of the cabins drinking beers then it was time to head off back to London. Thanks Mr. Yates. (You must remember in the film game that all the shots don't make it to the big screen, a lot end up on the cutting room floor

It arises in every war. Destruction on a grand scale and then a private battle on a more secular stage. "In every massacre" quotes the sage, "there is always a survivor." Such is the premise in the film "Murphy's War." During the final months of World War Two, a German U-Boat commander, (Horst Janson) cruising the South American coast line, attacks and sinks a British ship of war, killing all aboard. Examining the ship's wreckage, the German commander is satisfied he not only destroyed the English ship, but did in fact kill the entire crew. Leaving the carnage behind, the audience realizes an English sailor from the stricken ship, survived. His name is Murphy, brilliantly played by Peter O'Toole. Having lived through the terrifying ordeal, many would believe, one should be glad to be alive and to seek a safe distance between himself and the deadly submarine. That is not the conclusion of seaman Murphy who believes the only way he will be able to rid himself of the nightmarish screams of his dying comrades is to seek out and destroy the German U-Boat. This might be a death-wish to some, but not to Murphy who believes that regardless of the inevitable outcome of the war, his sole purpose in life is revenge. Trying to convince him of this mad adventure is Dr. Hayden (Sian Phillips) a female doctor working among the tribal people of the Amazon. In addition, Murphy not only discovers a repairable English sea-plane, but an amiable, aging and exhausted Oil company employee, named Louis Brezon. (Philippe Noiret) Louie has worked in the forgotten, backwaters of the Amazon for years, patiently waiting the end of the war. Now with Murphy seeking his help and relentless revenge, Louie offer's a bit of sound advice. "You're a small and lonely man Murphy, like me, the world will never build us a monument. The only difference is; I know that." Thus the confrontation between the obsessed man and the powerful Submarine easilly become classic drama. ****

Someone commented that this was 'a typical war movie'. It's not in any way though. Murphy's War is complete 100% unrestricted genius. I couldn't imagine going through life without seeing it. The entire foundation of this movie is captured in a deep focus shot of a trashed barge, a p***ed off soldier, and a beached torpedo. If your heart doesn't start beating faster and if you don't have a smile on your face when you see this shot; you need medical attention. Go rent this movie!