Von Ryan's Express (1965)
Not exactly a Frank Sinatra vehicle, but he is the leading figure in a movie that has lots of ulterior motives. And it pulls off an action film about World War II with pizazz.
When the war ended there was a lot of consternation about the difference in the roles of the two European antagonists--the Germans and the Italians. That's maybe the biggest ongoing theme of this movie, and clearly the Italians are being shown as victims and eventually as heroes to the Americans once the troops start to arrive and the Nazi occupation is pushed out. This is set and filmed in Italy, and the locations are terrific. And so is the filming, nicely dramatic widescreen stuff.
Sinatra represents, in almost all his film roles, a kind of regular guy who isn't overly engaged but who is gentle and relaxed and ready to do the right thing. He's a real American archetype just as much as Bogart was, and his characters (including this one) mix a compelling personal demeanor with a moral fiber that makes him admirable. He doesn't seduce the woman who really is ready to let him. He doesn't put criticize his British counterpart in the prison until he has to. He stands up to the enemy but doesn't every sound arrogant or nasty. He's the ultimate good guy and is presented this way for the ongoing reason often seen in post-war American films, establishing a national character in film characters that matches the best of what was really in the air and on the ground in the U.S. at the time.
It's all pretty wonderful to watch. You admire him and wish there were more people like him around.
The plot is exciting as heck. What starts as a kind of prison break movie shifts to another kind of escape and survive movie, with a train running right through enemy territory. Filled with daring, with this one American amidst mostly British soldiers, the enemy is dispatched, tricked, and evaded several times. When the good guys fail, it's only temporarily.
And ultimately the good guys, beyond Sinatra's American type, are the Italians, who are shown to hate the Germans and are glad for the invasion by the British and Americans.
Not exactly a Frank Sinatra vehicle, but he is the leading figure in a movie that has lots of ulterior motives. And it pulls off an action film about World War II with pizazz.
When the war ended there was a lot of consternation about the difference in the roles of the two European antagonists--the Germans and the Italians. That's maybe the biggest ongoing theme of this movie, and clearly the Italians are being shown as victims and eventually as heroes to the Americans once the troops start to arrive and the Nazi occupation is pushed out. This is set and filmed in Italy, and the locations are terrific. And so is the filming, nicely dramatic widescreen stuff.
Sinatra represents, in almost all his film roles, a kind of regular guy who isn't overly engaged but who is gentle and relaxed and ready to do the right thing. He's a real American archetype just as much as Bogart was, and his characters (including this one) mix a compelling personal demeanor with a moral fiber that makes him admirable. He doesn't seduce the woman who really is ready to let him. He doesn't put criticize his British counterpart in the prison until he has to. He stands up to the enemy but doesn't every sound arrogant or nasty. He's the ultimate good guy and is presented this way for the ongoing reason often seen in post-war American films, establishing a national character in film characters that matches the best of what was really in the air and on the ground in the U.S. at the time.
It's all pretty wonderful to watch. You admire him and wish there were more people like him around.
The plot is exciting as heck. What starts as a kind of prison break movie shifts to another kind of escape and survive movie, with a train running right through enemy territory. Filled with daring, with this one American amidst mostly British soldiers, the enemy is dispatched, tricked, and evaded several times. When the good guys fail, it's only temporarily.
And ultimately the good guys, beyond Sinatra's American type, are the Italians, who are shown to hate the Germans and are glad for the invasion by the British and Americans.