#overlookedwwiimovies

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Operation Petticoat (1959)

Basic Story: Lieutenant Commander Sherman remembers his misadventures aboard the USS Sea Dragon.

Fan Thoughts: Operation Petticoat is one of those World War II films from around the sixties that focused more on comedy and innuendo than drama.  While it is silly and a bit ridiculous at times, it’s a fun film with a fast pace as Lieutenant Commander Sherman (Cary Grant) tries to help his submarine the USS Sea Tiger through a comedy of errors on their way from the Philippines to Australia.  Assisting him Lieutenant Nick Holden (Tony Curtis), a former admirals aide who at first seems ill suited toeing onboard until he reveals he can scrounge just about anything to help repair the badly damaged Sea Tiger and Sherman makes him Supply Officer.  After stealing every part they can, the Sea Tiger begins limping toward Australia, engine one constantly gurgling and backfiring.  While on their journey the submarine and crew find themselves in increasingly absurd situations, however nearly all of them are loosely based on actual events: nurses were evacuated from Corregidor on the USS Spearfish, Filipino civilians were evacuated on the USS Narwhal, USS Bowfin torpedoed a bus, the Lieutenant Commander of the USS Skipjack sent a letter regarding the lack of toilet paper like the one in the film, and while obviously taken to a comedic level the pink paint was based on the USS Seadragon who had her top coat of paint burned off and fought in just the red undercoat, and the USS Harder had pink added to her grey top coat to aid camouflage at dawn and dusk.  While some of the jokes are a product of the time it was made, the film is still a successful comedy and an entertaining watch!

Warnings: mildly offensive jokes regarding women and native Filipinos

Available On: Apple TV, Vudu, Prime Video, Pluto TV

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The Young Lions (1958)

Basic Story: German Christian Diestl becomes more and more disillusioned with his country's ideology as Americans Noah Ackerman and Michael Whiteacre figure out here roles in the Army on their march across Europe.

Fan Thoughts: The Young Lions is based on a novel of the same name, however significant changes were made to German character Christian Diestl (Marlon Brando), making him more sympathetic on-screen by portraying him as a man tricked into his role in the war rather than corrupted by power.  Despite this choice somewhat taking the teeth out of the role, Brando puts in an arresting performance that makes this film worth watching just for his acting.  On the other side of the war, Noah Ackerman (Montgomery Clift) and Michael Whiteacre (Dean Martin) meet during their Army draft physical and Whiteacre invites Ackerman to a party he’s throwing; Ackerman meets his future wife Hope Plowman there.  The film follows these three men throughout the war until their dramatic meeting during the final act.  That switching between different characters is the only thing that could be improved in this film; it is slow to jump between the different characters, staying with one or the other for so long the audience starts to forget about the other characters existence. However, the acting, the sets, the cinematography, every piece of the production all make this a gripping film that holds the audience’s attention throughout!

Warnings: non-graphic fighting sequences, mention of suicide

Available On: Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play

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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Basic Story: Three World War II veterans come home and struggle to adjust to civilian life.

Fan Thoughts: Coming in with the knowledge that this film won seven academy awards, including Best Picture, set high expectations for this film.  The Best Years of Our Lives is unusually long for a film from 1946, clocking in at two hours and fifty two minutes long, and while it does feel a bit long at times there is enough going on that it makes the best of its’ long runtime.  Three veterans from different branches of different ranks come home and find they struggle in different ways to adjust to life at home.  Homer Parrish is the most significant character for a number of reasons; played by non-actor and actual veteran Harold Russell who lost his hands in an explosion caused by a faulty fuse and lost both his hands, using two hooks in their place.  In the film, while he is comfortable with his fellow veterans, he begins to lose confidence as his friends and family treat him differently because of his disability, excluding his fiancée Wilma who supports him and refuses to let him push her away.  Al Stephenson is the oldest of the three returning home, with a wife and teenage children waiting for him, while seemingly returning to his old life easily, he begins drinking heavily which is not missed by his wife.  The last of the three, Fred Derry, was originally a soda jerk living in a poorer part of town before the war, but his situation improved during the war as he attained the rank of Captain in the USAAF; his wife from a short courtship enjoyed his Army pay and having an airman on her arm and their marriage begins to fall apart when he comes home and cannot find a job better than soda jerk again.  Not only do the stories being told in this film feel real for their content, the execution in their telling by the actors and the direction is excellent; Harold Russell was given an honorary Academy Award for his participation as a non-actor, then also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  While long, this film covers a topic that was rarely put on film in the 1940s, and does it well with nuance and understanding for each character and is absolutely with taking the time to watch!

Warnings: none

Available On: Peacock, Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube TV, Vudu

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Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Basic Story: After a string of disastrous missions, the 918th Bomb Group gets a new commander to try to get things back on track.

Fan Thoughts: Twelve O’Clock high is another film based on a novel of the same name, following the American 918th Bomb Group based in Archbury, England.  The group commander Colonel Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) has a defeatist attitude that only worsens with each poorly executed mission and having bonded with the men under his command, is unwilling to reprimand them for even costly mistakes.  After observing this behavior in his friend, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) relays this information to the Major General, who promptly replaces Davenport with Savage.  While Savage is brought in to whip the group into shape, it doesn’t fall into any training montages or the majority of tropes films with this plotline take.  The audience gets to see that while Savage is a much harder hand with command, he helps his crews become more competent and believe in their own abilities, ultimately leading to more successful missions and fewer losses.  Gregory Peck turns in an excellent performance, as do the other actors, everyone is believable in their roles.  Additionally, the pacing gives the audience enough time to absorb what is happening without lagging.  This was a pleasant film to watch with enough action to keep the audience engaged but plenty of character-building scenes to add depth.

Warnings: none

Available On: YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu

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The Captain (2017)

Basic Story: Deserter Willi Herold finds a Captains uniform and soon becomes lost in his false authority.

Fan Thoughts: Every aspect of this film contributes to the feeling of bleakness that acts almost as another character that the characters play against.  The black and white landscapes are desolate and empty, and from the beginning the absurd circumstances start piling up.  Our titular ‘Captain’, Willi Herold, finds a Captain’s uniform in an abandoned staff car and quietly assumes the role, encouraged by a lost soldier finding him and immediately treating him according to his rank.  As they begin travelling across the countryside finding more stragglers (and a flak gun), Herold is very cautious in his new role, especially when one of the men, Kipinski, notices that his uniform doesn’t fit but plays along with the charade.  The longer Herold plays the role, the more he finds confidence and once watching the sadistic actions of Kipinski at a camp for German deserters, leans into his darker impulses.  Once leaving the camp, Herold and his self proclaimed Kampfgruppe Herold terrorize a local town until caught by military police.  Herold’s fall into violence with the power of his stolen uniform seems inevitable, especially when paired with the utter hopelessness felt on the end of the war.  While dark and at times difficult to watch, The Captain is a well crafted film that highlights how easy it is to ‘go mad with power’ as well as the chaos that happened at the end of the war.

Warnings: on-screen beatings, on-screen executions, nudity

Available On: Prime Video, Tubi, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube

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Stalag 17 (1953)

Basic Story: A group of airmen in a POW camp barracks believe one of their own is informing on them to the Germans.

Fan Thoughts: Somewhere between a comedy and a drama, Stalag 17 tells the story of a barracks in a POW camp that suspects they have an informant in their midst.  This film feels like it has two sets of characters, the comedy relief characters namely Stanislas ‘Animal’ Kuzawa (Robert Strauss) and Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck) who provide slapstick and banter filled scenes to balance out the tension from the other set of characters, those who are looking for the informant in the barracks, J.J. Sefton (William Holden) and Duke Musgrove (Neville Brand).  While Stalag 17 has a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, personally it felt disjointed to me with the mystery of finding the informant and then the ridiculous antics of Animal and Shapiro just not fitting together well.  Otherwise, the performances are all competent, the plot of how the informant is getting information to the Germans and how he is finally caught actually works well.  There are plenty of strong points in this film, it just comes down to whether you like the comedy aspect thrown in as well!

Warnings: several inappropriate scenes surrounding women

Available On: Prime Video, Tubi

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Bitter Victory (1957)

Basic Story: Two men leading a mission into enemy territory realize they are in love with the same woman.

Fan Thoughts: Bitter Victory centers around a love triangle between the three main characters, Captain Jim Leith (Richard Burton), Major David Brand (Curd Jürgens, billed as Curt Jürgens), and Flight Officer Jane Brand (Ruth Roman).  Jim and Jane were in a relationship before the war, Jim disappearing one day with no explanation to Jane.  While they were separated, the war begins and Jane meets and marries Major David Brand, joining the WAAFs to be near her husband.  David and Jim are set to lead a group of men on a mission to steal documents from Benghazi, before they leave for their mission the three run into each other in a club where David realizes that Jim and Jane used to have a relationship and fears that Jane may leave him for Jim.  With this tension between them, David and Jim leave for their mission with David in charge, but he freezes in the moment and Jim has to take over to salvage their plans.  When fleeing the city after retrieving the documents, the men are stuck marching through the desert trying to get back to base, giving plenty of time for the conflict between the two leaders to boil over.  Burton gives a dynamic performance, while Jürgens is more reserved but still convincing; Roman’s performance is uneven but her screen time is also limited.  The film just happens to be set during the war, with the focus more on the conflict between the three, and that conflict colors every decision the two men make. While the acting is decent, the story doesn't really cover any new ground or have anything that makes it stand out from other similar films.

Warnings: executions (on and off screen)

Available On: Tubi, YouTube

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Candlelight in Algeria (1944)

Basic Story: A Camera with Allied secrets must be kept out of German hands by British agent Alan Thurston, who enlists the help of American civilianSusan Foster.

Fan Thoughts: Candlelight in Algeria is unique in that the leading lady truly does lead the film with the most screen time and being in all the important scenes.  Susan Foster is a sculptor living in Algeria who is roped into a plot to acquire a camera containing secret photographs that will harm the Allied effort if they fall into German hands.  Alan Thurston is a British agent who convinces Susan to steal the camera for him as the Vichy police are already looking for him.  Susan is able to steal the camera but German spy Dr. Müller is immediately on her trail.  Alan and Susan are able to evade Müller and develop the film, realizing it contains the location of a secret meeting of Allied forces in Algiers and they must be warned that the Germans know where they are.  While there are no stellar scenes or outstanding performances, the acting is competent and the plot is tightly written.  This film may truly have been overlooked as it is a short and entertaining spy film with an interesting plot led by engaging female lead.

Warnings: none

Available On: Tubi

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To the Shores of Tripoli (1942)

Basic Story: Privileged Chris Winters Jr. is forced to enlist with the Marines by his father animist earn the respect of drill sergeant Gunnery Sergeant Dixie Smith.

Fan Thoughts: While filming was being done for this movie in 1941 the US was still not a part of the war, however during post-production the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred; the studio filmed a new ending to incorporate the attack and show the lead character Chris Winters Jr. re-enlisting and joining his platoon on a transport ship.  Despite being made before the US joined the war, the entire film is essentially an advertisement for the Marine Corps, with a very light plot and a heavy focus on the drills and the interactions between Winters and his drill sergeant Gunnery Sergeant Dixie Smith who is portrayed as far more understanding than the image more often conveyed about drill sergeants.  The plot is extremely thin, and the romance with nurse Mary Carter is uncomfortable at best.  The one thing that might make this film worth watching is as a snapshot of the era due to when it was filmed and that it is in color, otherwise it just doesn’t bring enough to the table to make it and engaging watch.

Warnings: none

Available On: YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu

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The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Basic Story: Captain Queeg takes over command of the USS Caine, and the crew quickly realize his paranoia is a danger to them all.

Fan Thoughts: The Caine Mutiny is based on a novel of the same name, there is also a play based on the book, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, however the film was changed to move the focus to LCDR Philip Queeg rather than Ensign ‘Willie’ Keith.  Captain Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) takes over command of the USS Caine, which had been previously been captained by the popular but lax LCDR William De Vriess.  Keith (Robert Francis) initially appreciates Captain Queeg bringing more discipline to the Caine, but begins to doubt him when Captain Queeg starts making errors and trying to cover them up yet holding the men to stringent standards.  Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Van Johnson) and Lieutenant Thomas Keefer (Fred MacMurray) are more experienced officers who had reservations about Captain Queeg from the beginning, and after another incident where Captain Queeg abandoned landing craft during a mission, Maryk begins to document the Captain’s behavior.  The situation comes to a head during a typhoon when Captain Queeg doggedly holds to the fleet’s original heading orders despite obvious danger to the ship and crew, leading Maryk along with Keith to relieve Captain Queeg of command.  While the execution of the scenes at sea is well done, the scenes during the Court Martial are the strongest in the film particularly in Bogart’s acting when Captain Queeg takes the stand.  There is also plenty of drama in the courtroom to keep the viewer engaged, such as when Keefer reverses his original claims on the stand.  This film does start off a little slow and the romance subplot could be wholly removed and not change the story, the film as a whole is strong with solid acting that makes for an engaging watch.

Warnings: none

Available On: Hulu, Prime Video, Sling, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu

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Betrayed (2020)

Basic Story: Norwegian boxer Charles Braude and his family are arrested by the Germans during their occupation of Norway.

Fan Thoughts: The film’s Norwegian title, directly translated as The Greatest Crime, suits this film more than Betrayal and is more in line with the book The Ultimate Crime on which it is based.  The film tells the story of Jewish boxer Charles Braude and his family while living in German occupied Norway.  Charles, his two brothers Isak and Harry, and his father Benzel were taken to Berg concentration camp shortly after the Germans arrived while his mother Sarah was left with Charles' new wife Ragnhild.  In November, an order to take Norwegian Jewish families to Oslo was executed, and Sarah is caught and taken to the docks.  Isak, Harry, and Benzel were removed from the concentration camp and also taken to the docks along with hundreds of others to place them onto the ship SS Donau, which would ultimately take them to Auschwitz.  The only (minor) issue is that the film feels split into two halves, the first half of the film belongs to Charles, the second belongs to Sarah; who gives an incredible performance in the most wrenching scenes of the film.  If there had been more emphasis on Sarah’s story in the beginning or more frequent moving between the two characters it would have helped the story feel more even.  As it stands it is still an excellent film with a powerful closing sequence made all the impactful for the lack of a soundtrack or any noise outside of dialogue.

Warnings: concentration camp scenes, nudity

Available On: Prime Video, Vudu, Tubi

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Tomorrow We Live (1943)

Basic Story: Jean Baptise is a Frenchman trying to get to England with information on German submarine pens who ends up in the town of St. Pierre-le-Port.

Fan Thoughts: Tomorrow We Live centers around the town of St. Pierre-le-Port under German occupation, and the small and large acts of resistance the townspeople commit to hinder the Germans and aid the Allies.  Jean Baptiste is a fugitive with information on the submarine base at Saint-Nazaire, and is trying to get to England to get there to share the information with the British.  After stumbling into the shop and then house of the Mayor’s daughter Marie DuSchen trying to hide from the Germans, Marie helps hide him with Madame Labouche who has hidden men before while distracting the Germans with her skills as a baker.  Marie and her father Mayor Pierre DuSchen look like collaborators from the outside, but are actually manipulating the bumbling Commandant and aiding the Resistance, until the Resistance successfully destroys a train carrying armaments.  After this, the SS takes over the town and the film loses it’s light-hearted feel as townspeople are taken as hostages and then shot as reprisals for refusing to give up Resistance members.  Jean and Marie try to flee from the shipyard and are nearly caught, but another Resistance member throws the master switches for the shipyard lights, and the British immediately bombard them, allowing them to escape in the chaos.  Unfortunately, while there’s nothing technically wrong with this film, there also isn’t much to make this film stand out from others with similar storylines, keeping this film from being a must-watch.

Warnings: people shot on and off screen (non-graphic)

Available On: Prime Video, Tubi, YouTube

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Tonight We Raid Calais (1943)

Basic Story: A British Commando parachutes into France to destroy a munitions factory, but the daughter of the farmer he is working with may ruin his plans.

Fan Thoughts: Unlike last week’s film, Tonight We Raid Calais makes the best use of its short 70 minute run time by keeping the number of characters low and their plot lines simpler.  British commando Geoffrey Carter parachutes into occupied France with the goal of destroying a munitions factory by receiving help from a local farmer Monsieur Bonnard.  Bonnard’s daughter Odette does not want anything to do with Carter, thinking his presence will only bring the German’s wrath upon the family.  M. Bonnard ignores her worries and connects Carter with other local farmers by claiming the Carter is his son Pierre, who in truth died fighting as a German conscript.  The farmers, mostly women, almost all agree to light their fields around the factory on fire to give British bombers a target.  One of the German Officers, Sergeant Block, who is interested in Odette, comes to investigate the sudden appearance of ‘Pierre’ and discovers the ruse, arresting Carter and the Bonnard family save Odette.  Using their arrest as leverage, the Germans threaten to execute Odette’s family and Carter if she doesn’t tell them Carter’s plan.  She finds the lone farmer who refused to agree to burn his fields and gets some of Carter’s plan from him which she uses to try and save her family; the Germans, however, do not tolerate sabotage and create another person who will fight them in Odette.  While the plots and motivations are simple this film clips right along and the simple motivations are easy to empathize with.  Odette has a decent character arc squeezed in, and the final scenes with the villagers standing in the burning field watching Carter leave and promising to fight on is a nice ending point.  While a quick watch, this film is entertaining and makes the most of its short running time.

Warnings: execution on screen (non-graphic)

Available On: YouTube (free)

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Operation Amsterdam (1959)

Basic Story: The British Army sends an Intelligence Officer, Major Dillon, and two Dutch diamond experts, Jan Smit and Walter Keyser, to Amsterdam to bring back industrial diamonds before they fall into German hands.

Fan Thoughts: Operation Amsterdam is a film that has an interesting premise but the lacks depth across the board to really engross the audience in the story.  Sent to Amsterdam to retrieve industrial diamonds and smuggle them to England before the Germans can get their hands on them, the trio run into obstacles from both the Dutch and the Germans.  A particularly intriguing element that could have used much more attention was the presence of Fifth Columnists that end up actually attacking the real Dutch Army as the three men and the woman helping them, Anna, are trying to flee with the diamonds to the coast.  While Fifth Columnists are a concept mentioned in plenty of WWII media, it is rare that they actually appear, let alone as a group.  This could have been expanded upon for much more dramatic effect, as it is this film simply glides over the surface of everything that is happening.  One aspect that was done well was the use of emptiness within Amsterdam to create an eerie feeling as they arrive, with every street corner empty and silent.  The film has some positive aspects, but just doesn’t have the complexity to make it a truly engaging film.

Warnings: refugees killed on screen

Available On: Tubi, Prime Video

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Then There Were Three (1961)

Basic Plot: A German spy poses as an American soldier to infiltrate a unit and assassinate an Italian partisan.

Fan Thoughts:  Right off the bat, Then There Were Three is obviously a ‘B’ movie from the production values alone.  The plot itself is rather thin, with a German spy posing as an American soldier, Sam McLease, and joining a rag-tag group of men who have lost their units in order to find and kill an Italian partisan leader.  As they make their way to San Corrado, some of the men are killed by snipers, others are silenced by McLease to maintain his cover.  There’s a slight stiffness to it that is usually found in this kind of production that keeps things from flowing smoothly.  Additionally, while an attempt is made to get to know the men there isn’t enough depth to their characters to do so successfully.  While the bones of the plot, having a German spy infiltrate an American unit, are interesting the execution of the film on almost every level keeps it from being worth a watch.

Warnings: on-screen deaths (non-graphic)

Available On: Prime Video, YouTube, Tubi

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The Desert Rats (1953)

Basic Story: An Australian group of reinforcements led by an English Captain must hold Tobruk against Rommel's assault.

Fan Thoughts: The Desert Rats focuses on the Siege of Tobruk in 1941, through the eyes of an Australian division being led by English Captain ‘Tammy’ MacRoberts.  Tasked with holding Tobruk for far longer than anticipated without relief, the situation chafes at the soldiers, who already do not like their Captain and his by-the-book attitude.  The plot is very simple, with more of the focus being put on MacRoberts struggling with the weight of his decisions and their effect on the men under his command, although publicly he projects confidence.  The acting is decent, although there are few opportunities for any of the actors to really shine.  At the time of the film’s release, the critical response was mostly positive, however many former servicemen took issue with the historical and general military inaccuracies.  While the film has no major detractors other than the historical errors, there is nothing to make it stand out either.

Warnings: none

Available On: Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu