bobster66 Reviews

Sergeant York (1941)

A good movie if you make allowances for the period it was made in.

[7/10 · 2 June 2002]

Oddly enough, it was while watching this movie I finally had to admit that Gary Cooper was a poor actor. Cooper's Oscar for his role in Sergeant York is proof that the Academy Members were as bad at picking Oscars in the 40's as they are today. As is often the case, the Oscar here seems to have been awarded for the ROLE and not the PERFORMANCE. And it is after all a very good role.

Hollywood of course adjusted the facts. The bolt of lightning in particular is one of the worst fabrications ever seen in a biographical movie.

Otherwise, it is an often fun movie with some fine supporting performances.

The McKenzie Break (1970)

A fair POW movie

[6/10 · 27 January 2002]

This is a rare movie about German POWs planning an escape from from their British prison camp. The only movie of a similar plot I'm aware of is "The One That Got Away", another rarely seen film and one I recommend.

Brian Keith is a Captain for Army Intelligence sent to a POW Camp in Scotland after a riot occurs to discover what the prisoners are really up to. Naturally, he and the German Kapitän are soon at odds, both providing good performances in their battle of wills.

Military historians would be happy to see that this movie incorporates some real events into the story. As in the film, there actually was a break out of 28 Germans from a camp in Canada, and there were some real cases of riots, and Germans murdering Germans as well.

There are many very good POW movies and it is too bad that this one pales in significance to them. There is not much that is original or spectacular but Brian Keith and Helmut Griem make it a very watchable movie. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Bob

Eagles Over London (1969)

The Battle of Britain as envisioned by Italians?

[4/10 · 27 January 2002]

The story starts off at the Battle of Dunkerque as a German Unit infiltrates British lines and joins the evacuation to England for the purpose of conducting covert operations. As the Battle of Britain commences the Germans focus on disabling the new British Radar stations.

As an old Italian movie it was filmed without sound and voice-overs were added later just like a Spaghetti Western. Filmed as a wide-screen movie the pan and scan job to fit a TV screen is poorly done. But that is not the worst of it. There are several split screen periods in the movie with up to four different pictures at once and to refit for a 4:3 aspect ratio the editors just cut out the edges of the film, essentially cutting some of the multiple views in half. Very sloppy.

The acting and directing is dull if serviceable but the script and editing (not just the editing for TV) is weak. The casting deserves special mention as laughable. I like Van Johnson, but a British Air Marshall? And the very Mediterranean looking Germans are a hoot!

For World War Two history buffs you may enjoy the scenes of the beaches of Dunkerque as I can't recall ever seeing it represented in a movie before. Unfortunately, the scenes of the air battles later in the movie will make you cringe.

This movie may have some curiosity value for those of us who love war movies but others will probably be disappointed. I gave it 4 out of 10.

Bob