Reviews

This film is often overlooked among the great war films, but it fully holds up to the best and, at the same time, transcends the genre by offering much to those interested in classic detective themes. The cast is first-rate, and thanks to an excellent script and excellent direction, avoids the classic "walk-on" feel of many other films that have a profusion of well-known stars. Sharif is surprisingly good as the dedicated police officer, Courtney excellent as a sensitive yet firmly grounded young soldiers, and O'Toole is superb as the epitome of a ruthless SS officer. Pleasance offers a fine performance--to my mind among his very best--as a conscientious and basically decent officer. Based on an excellent novel by Hans Helmut Kirst, this film offers an excellent, gritty feel to Warsaw and Paris during the period of German occupation. It is thoroughly grounded in solid historical research, likely aided by Kirst's own wartime perspective. Well worth seeing!

Dive Bomber is a far better film than commonly assumed. Rather than just another '30's flying flick, it addresses some issues that were, in fact, at the very top of aeromedical research at the end of the 1930's: high altitude flying, cabin pressurization, the physiological strain of repeated flights to high altitude and then rapid descents, the ability of pilots to withstand high-g loadings (on the order of 8 or 9 g) during dive pull-outs. It was a time when all the U.S. military services (and foreign ones as well) were rapidly expanding their recruitment and training of flying doctors--what were called flight surgeons in American practice--who coupled the practical experience of being trained aviators with the professional expertise of trained physicians and laboratory researchers. Such individuals played a major role in advancing flight into the stratosphere and, after the war, into space. Once stripped of these more significant elements, Dive Bomber echoes many of the themes found in more conventional aviation films of the time period: brash young pilot, grumpy older squadron-mates, kindly mentor, the "guy you know will die," etc. What it has in abundance is extraordinary COLOR footage--not tinted--of some of the most interesting aircraft of the time period: Grumman F3F biplane fighters, Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bombers, Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, Stearman and Ryan trainers, etc. The Navy really supported the film (Fred MacMurray was, in fact, a USN Reserve officer, and there are wonderful shots of old North Island NAS in San Diego, as well as landmarks such as the Hotel Del Coronado, beloved by generations of naval aviators. It also shows one of the ironies of the period: dive and torpedo bombers were modern cantilever monoplanes, while the Navy's fighters were still braced biplanes! There is a somewhat sobering element as well. The film was made before Pearl Harbor, and one wonders just how many of the young aircrew seen in the film--particularly those TBD pilots, many of whom perished at Midway--survived the war. Rent it tonight!

Flyboys is a good introduction to some of the surface elements of aviation in the First World War. One learns about the fragility of World War I aircraft, their vulnerabilities, the terrible risks that pilots faced, and the operating conditions under which they functioned. Many of the events in the film do reflect, in fact, episodes from the history of the Lafayette Escadrille, a fighter group of volunteer American pilots formed at the time of the Battle of Verdun (early 1916) to fight for France. Many of these airmen later transferred to the Army Air Service when America entered fighting on the Western Front in 1918. A few remained with the French air service through the end of the war. Overall, of 269 who volunteered, 69 died, with 42 of the dead falling in combat. Where the film is far less successful is in conveying any coherence to the war...one does not, for example, gain an impression of the stages of the air war. It is chock full of exciting episodes--a little like Memphis Belle, in this regard--but most are repetitious and, after a while, surprisingly boring. Some elements--squadron unity, "blooding" rituals, for example--are well done, and some other elements echo the rivalry of elite pilots explored in other pictures such as The Hunters or Von Richthofen and Brown. The computer generated flying sequences are much better than the usual (Pearl Harbor being particularly notorious in this regard), but, even so, there is an unreality to them that belies the actual flying experience one gains in close formation, 1 v 1, or 1 v many. In this regard, nothing beats the older The Blue Max. Bottom line: Good movie, even a good date movie (there is a touching love interest), but no classic. Purists should see it for fun (like Zeppelin, earlier), and then rent The Blue Max for "the real thing."

As a Washington, D.C. native who saw this film when it was first released (and, contrary to some other comments, it WAS released in DC, playing in several area theaters), I was interested to see how Laughlin would portray the city and its political institutions. Surprisingly, he did so very well. The debt to Jimmy Stewart is obvious throughout but, having said this, his film reflected the political temper of the city in the late 1960's-early 1970's very well indeed. The dialog was not brilliant or sparkling, but there were some good lines: "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered," is one I remember, referring to bribes and corruption. No matter what one's political views are, this is a film that can be viewed as escapist entertainment and, now from a vantage of several decades, with some nostalgia as well. Worth a rental, definitely, and better if seen with someone who lived through the era.

Thunder Road is an outstanding film and occupies an interesting place in Mitchum's evolution as an actor. It is a compelling and believable look at the moonshine-running culture of the Appalachian Mountains, pitting moonshiners not only against Alcohol, Tax, and Firearms (ATF) agents and state authorities but, as well, against organized crime seeking to control the trade for their own ends. Mitchum is thoroughly believable in the kind of role--a rural, Scots-Irish mountaineer--that many others have tried and failed at. The film never descends into parody or sneering elitism. The moonshiners and the authorities are both shown as individuals of good will, seeking to do their duty as they see it, and devoted to values that are basically decent and trustworthy. The mobsters are not cardboard cutouts or over-the-top villains, and this, somehow, adds to their menace. At the time he did this film, Mitchum was already well-established, with Night of the Hunter behind him, and, as well, his most recent film The Enemy Below, in which he played a Navy Captain confronting shrewd U-boat skipper in a battle of wits. After these kind of films, one might wonder why he would take this role--but I think it is because he saw that it offered some real-challenge, a role that forced him to play a gritty character in an unusual setting. Mitchum is shown as a man of great complexity--trying to encourage his younger brother to get involved with something other than fast cars and moonshine, recommending that he join the service and get involved with advanced aviation technology. His girlfriend, a roadhouse singer, is one of the most sympathetic heroines of the 50's late-film noir genre. The chase sequences are riveting--VERY well done by the standards of the time, and in many ways Thunder Road offers a rural companion piece to Bill Hickman and Steve McQueen's great chase sequence in Bullitt. This is a film to be savored, particularly by anyone who has driven through twisting Appalachian mountain roads at night, reflecting on the tough, decent, and hard-scrabble folk in that part of America.

This film is far better than the usual kind of fluff aviation film made during the late 1930's and into the late 1940's. I expected a light romantic comedy--"not that there is anything wrong with that!"--and was surprised that it is quite interesting on other levels. The plot involved all the predictable vicissitudes of a pilot trying to come to grips with losing his flight qualification due to failing eyesight, and the film does have its share of predictable situations and character foibles. But what is most interesting is how it accurately reflects the state of aviation at the time: the concern over furnishing more reliable and safe all-weather commercial aviation, the challenge and opportunity of developing long-range high-altitude "stratosphere" airplanes, and the behind-the-scenes concern of national security, namely the expectation that we might be eventually involved in the war in China (and of course we were, a year after this film came out, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor). The airplane star of the show is the relatively new Douglas DC-3 (then just 4 years in airline service), a 21 passenger airliner, but there are also very good in-flight visuals of the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the "stratosphere ship" of the movie. Finally, the acting is better than one might expect--minimal histrionics, some genuine chuckles, and a dialogue that includes some interesting lines. Virginia Bruce is coolly luscious, Denny Morgan and Wayne Morris do a credible job as airmen, and Ralph Bellamy is appropriately "heavy" as their boss. (Incidentally, in the "real world," Morris was inspired by his role in this film to become a Navy pilot, flying Grumman Hellcats in the Pacific and shooting down 7 Japanese planes). A very enjoyable movie, particularly for anyone interested in aviation in the heyday of the propeller-driven airplane!

Bullitt is an extraordinary film, memorable, powerful, and absolutely riveting. The plot has twists and turns that are believable and lack any pretense of being forced or artificial. Justly heralded for its tremendous car chase--a tribute to legendary driver Bill Hickman, arguably the finest of all motion picture drivers--the film as well captures the feel of gritty detective work in a form that has been copied frequently since, but rarely, if ever, equaled. The film is a delight as a period piece: the easy-going, already laid-back Bay area culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's, the tension between the cool, vaguely anti-establishment Bullitt and the straight-laced local officials and department heads that he finds himself compelled to work with. The other actors are themselves a superb supporting cast: old-timers like Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, an oily (and vaguely Bobby Kennedy-ish) Robert Vaughn, and Don Gordon (as Bullitt's long-suffering but intensely loyal partner). But, as well, there are memorable newcomers: George Sanford Brown as an overworked doctor, Robert Duvall as a sharp taxi driver, and Jacqueline Bisset as Bullitt's trophy architect-girlfriend. Lalo Schifrin contributed a superb, memorable score--just the right mix of jazz and brass and percussion. And, of course, that glorious Mustang. . . .!!! Not to be missed!!!!!

This film, one of the earliest starring Sean Connery, has strong and alluring power of its own. The visual settings are magnificent, and Gina Lollobrigida was never more seductive or beautiful than in this motion picture. Connery shows more depth than in many of his later films--one wonders what direction his career might have taken if he had not fallen into the clutches of "Cubby" Broccoli and the whole 007 thing. Sir Ralph is, well, Sir Ralph--imperious, petulant, old school upper class damn-the-servants Brit...This film plays strongly to anyone interested in the psychological stress a crime induces in the various participants, and this is one of the many factors that separate it from the run of the mill police procedural. Finally, it has an evocative and excellent musical score--and no wonder, since Rimsky-Korsakov's Cappricio Espanol features prominently as a mood-setter. Altogether, a good rainy afternoon movie!

This is an excellent recreation of one of the most infamous meetings--indeed moments--in human history. Branagh is an outstanding Heydrich, but, in truth, the rest of the cast are brilliantly faithful to their characters as well. Tucci is an excellent Eichmann: organized, focused, but with that streak of "banality" so well discussed in Hannah Arendt's impressive (if controversial) Eichman in Jerusalem. The dialogue is crisp, well-written, and riveting, though at times it moves so fast as to recall the artificiality that one finds in, say, an episode of The West Wing. Real decision-makers don't quite have the speed, wit, and data so readily at hand to turn it as rapidly as is done here. But this is really quibbling, and, given the constraints of what the producers were dealing with, their approach is understandable. The casual discussion of the potential death of millions--a potential that will all too soon be realized, though not to the horrific scale these men envision--is staggering in its impact. This is a must film for school programs from Middle School through College...A breathtaking achievement!

This film has excellent performances by Holden and some of the other actors, but the real stars are the extraordinary research airplanes of the Air Force Flight Test Center in 1955-56, when the film was made. There is superb inflight footage of the Martin XB-51 (which is painted up as the "F-120" fighter), and outstanding footage of the Bell X-2 rocket research airplane, as well as footage of the rare TF-86 (only two were made), a two-seat version of the famed F-86 Sabre jet fighter. For "real" the X-2 in 1956 reached an altitude of 126,200 feet flown by Captain Iven "Kinch" Kincheloe, and Mach 3.2 (2,196 mph) by Captain Milburn "Mel" Apt. Both were advisers on the film. Apt died in the crash of the X-2 on 27 Sept. 1956, the same flight on which he reached M = 3.2, Kincheloe was selected as lead AF pilot on the hypersonic X-15 program, but was killed in 1958 in the crash of a Lockheed F-104. Incidentally, Holden was flown in a high-performance airplane for familiarization purposes at Edwards for the film...not sure if it was a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer (most likely), though there is a curious photo I have seen of him in front of the TF-86, suggesting that, possibly, he was one of the (very) few non-Sabre pilots to have flown this machine...and if he did, it is possible as well that he flew faster than Mach 1, the speed of sound, as the TF-86 could clearly do so. A great film, not to be missed.

This is a truly superb film on any number of grounds. First, and generally unknown, it is based on a real incident, the so called "Battle of Carlson's Canyon" which was waged early in the Korean War in an attempt to interdict North Korean supplies on their way to the front. James Michener had gone out to the carrier ESSEX (CV-9) and had been very impressed with the men of VF-172, a Banshee fighter squadron. The book is astonishingly realistic...if one compares what he wrote as a novel with the contemporary Navy strike reports (which were then highly classified), it is amazing how much he got "right." It is also a good look at carrier aviation in the last days of the "straight-deck" carrier with hydraulic catapults and a paddle-waving landing deck officer...all that disappeared after Korea with the introduction of the angled deck, the steam catapult, and the Fresnel-lens mirror landing system. The book is in my view the finest air war novel ever written, bar none, and the movie is the same for the film genre. Incidentally, when made into a film, Grumman Panthers were used in place of Banshees, and one of the pilots who flew in the making of the film was a very young Lt. j.g. named Alan Shepherd--later one of the Mercury and Apollo astronauts. Not to be missed!!!

Ernie Gann lived during the great days of propeller-driven air transports, piloting two-and-four engine airliners across the Atlantic and Pacific, and across the infamous "Hump" between India and China in World War Two. This book is based loosely on some of the classic problems we had in the late 1940's and early 1950's as the large piston engines of the time grew so complex and so big that they had less and less reliability. Surprisingly for us today, it was an era when loss of an engine in flight was actually pretty common...Indeed, Pan Am had at least two of its airliners actually ditch at sea, with the Coast Guard rescuing all aboard in both cases. Clearly a transformation was about to occur--and that was the introduction of the much more reliable jet engine. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY is an excellent glimpse of the problems of transoceanic air transport in the 1950-58 time period, and as such, has a quality that transcends what some perceive as a "hokey" plot. Recommendation: Read the book as well. Your choice whether before or after, though if you read it before, it will spoil the plot....Cheers, Dr. H.