User Reviews

This is one odd bird of a movie. It's really a time capsule of war movies that were meant to be date war movies in the 60's. In the 30's to 60's the traditional date war movie had our heroes in training meeting their love interest and then going to war, this is the way real life often goes and it works if it's done right, although it's hard to find a balance. When you have both elements you can get a decent summer time date war movie that keeps both sexes interests involved. In the 60's these type of films were still made and still are to this day I suppose, but the 60's tried to tweak the date war movie by adding comedy along with the love interest and war combat. This one has little war drama, little love interest (mostly light hearted) and sad to say, little comedy (that works well), it was made for its target audience of the day, mid aged WW2 vets and their wives, and it was probably very well received. I will say that I did chuckle a couple of times so it's not a total loss and everyone seems to act well and it was regarded well in it's time to receive some notice from the Academy, these points and with Charlton Heston makes it worth watching for war movie buffs. We've seen just about everything else. You can catch it on TCM (USA) when they do their 31 days of Oscar run as they did Feb 2009. 5 of 10.

I am a fan of this movie, but it is hard to find (I saw it online tonight on Netflix). It is very similar in concept to the "Secret War Of Harry Frigg" with Paul Newman, with the "Fish Out Of Water" American, being in occupied Italy, towards the end of WWII, meeting up with the beautiful Itallian Woman. However it is a better film. What makes it work is the relationship between Heston and "The Itallian Cupcake" Elsa Martinelli. Neither one of the two are doing comedy, or even trying to. They are both very strong willed individuals, who although they belong together, and will be at the end, are not changed by what is happening around them (Unlike Newman's Frigg, or James Garner and Julie Andrews in "The Americanization Of Emily"). Which along with a rare chance to see Heston in a comedy, and awesome sights of Rome, make this worth watching.

"The Pigeon That Took Rome" is a very entertaining World War II film. Another reviewer stated that Charlton Heston doesn't do well in a comedy role. I think that's probably true, generally. But in this film, his character is perfect for the plot. This is a tongue- in-cheek comedy about World War II in Rome before the Allies have taken the city. Things weren't very funny to the Italians then – even though they are a people who tend to take things in stride and still see humor in difficult times.

There's much more to this, but one must save some of the details that new viewers will enjoy more without foreknowledge.

Heston's persona fits so well because of the very fact that he doesn't belong doing spy work or undercover work. He tells that to his CO when Col. Harrington sends him on his assignment. Heston protests that he is a line solder who fights and works best with the ranks in the field. So, when he gets to Rome through the Italian "resistance" he clearly doesn't fit in. And, that's part of the humor because he and Elsa Martinelli's character, Antonella Massimo, go at one another often. If that were all there was to this assignment, the film indeed would not be that funny. But, Harry Guardino is tossed into the pot as Sgt. Joseph Angelico, a GI who speaks Italian, and he's to help MacDougall. Guardino's character adds a light touch that mellows out the spats, and he provides for a nice romantic aspect of the film with Antonella's sister in the film, Rosalba, played by Gabriella Pallotta.

All of the cast are excellent in this film. The head of the Massimo household and the Italian resistance is the widower father, Ciccio, played superbly by Salvatore Baccoloni. He was an opera singer as well as an occasional movie actor.

Heston has a double role as Captain Paul MacDougall, and as Benny the Snatch, a fictitious member of his squad. Captain MacDougall is the Snatch. And, he also narrates the story – after the fact. His tongue-in-cheek is very funny at times. A hilarious scene to me is when he watches as the stolen pigeons (which, at the time, he didn't know were stolen), dutifully fly back home right to Nazi headquarters. MacDougall learns that the Allied homing pigeons had been the main course at the dinner to announce the engagement to the Massimo's extended family of daughter Rosalba to Sgt. Angelico. Well, all the pigeons but one, but MacDougall didn't know that Antonella had spared one for its carrier missions. So, with the new knowledge in hand, MacDougall sends a message poignantly intended for the Germans. And the German commander's reaction is very funny.

Even funnier is that MacDougall and Angaelico watch as the last four pigeons are released and only three of them fly to Nazi headquarters. The other – the last true blue Allied pigeon that Antonella had spared (unbeknownst to MacDougall) flies south to the Allied lines. And the message intended for the Germans' eyes is such good news to the Allies that they press the attack and quickly push the Germans back and take Rome.

This film is just good fun, even if the romance of the Heston and Martinelli characters at the end seems a bit contrived, considering how much and often they were at each other's throats through much of the film. As one other reviewer noted, its best just to disconnect one's brains and sit back to enjoy this film.

I wrote a review about The Pigeon That Took Rome a Decade ago and gave it 9/10 stars. I just saw it on Youtube and I am boosting it up to 10/10 Stars. For those unfamiliar with the movie, it is about two American soldiers ( Captain Paul MacDougal ( Charlton Heston) and Joe ( Harry Guardino)) who are sent undercover into Nazi occupied Rome as priests. Joe whose father is from Rome, has no trouble fitting in, but Paul is a "Fish Out Of Water" who is good at only one thing: Being a soldier. The difference is I have a better understanding of the character of Antonella ( Elsa Martinelli). I happen to be a big Elsa fan, but my problem with her character was she struck me as a bit harsh towards others. Why was she harsh? The environment she lived in ( German occupied Rome) was not easy so she had to be a bit hard on her sister Rosabala who got herself pregnant by an American soldier ( who was killed by the Germans) as well as her father, and younger brother and sister, to get them through a very rough situation. Spoilers ahead: She always put herself last, and did stuff she did not like doing such as entertaining German troops and even tried to set her sister up with Paul so Rosabala could find a husband, even though she liked him. Fortunately for her, Paul preferred her, and Rosabala preferred Joe and those two married at the end. Paul of course, is the perfect match for Antonella, a professional soldier who always put work ahead of romance ( of course when you have a shot with a woman as beautiful as Elsa Martinelli that can change ( especially when you see her in the shower)). Spoilers ahead: In the final scene of the movie, he explains to her that he has to go back to the war, but is coming back for one thing: to "Find out of there is a spot where a Protestant can get married in this town." Then you finally saw Antonella smile and they kissed at the end. She knew her work is done, and she can enjoy life. Her sister will be taken care of ( a goal of hers was to get her to the US, which Joe will do), and Paul ( who is close to her brother ( despite not liking kids at the beginning of the movie)) will help with the little ones. Again by paying closer attention I liked it better and give it 10/10 stars.