I enjoyed this foray into WWII, particularly coming from the era of the actual war. Burgess Meredith, who for my money always looked old no matter what year he was acting in, does a good job as the war correspondent. I was also a fan of the fact that the movie didn't hide the dangers of war or give a sense of the majestic war experience. This one is down and dirty, and that's a good thing. I would like to add the following comments:
1) I don't see this movie having validity OVER Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg created one of the most memorable (good or bad, you could argue) movie experiences ever with the opening D-Day sequence. His is part of the "war is hell" feeling, as is this movie, and they really shouldn't be judged. One person's experience or view isn't going to be the same as another's, even if it regards the same experience.
2) I saw that some people felt this was Robert Mitchum's best performance. If I didn't know going in that Mitchum received his only nomination for this role, I wouldn't have guessed it from watching this movie. Mitchum's two best characters were a couple of the scariest villains ever in movies: the sadistic preacher in "Night of the Hunter", and the serial killer in the original "Cape Fear". Neither of those were nominated for Oscars, which is a shame.
I welcome your comments.
1) I don't see this movie having validity OVER Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg created one of the most memorable (good or bad, you could argue) movie experiences ever with the opening D-Day sequence. His is part of the "war is hell" feeling, as is this movie, and they really shouldn't be judged. One person's experience or view isn't going to be the same as another's, even if it regards the same experience.
2) I saw that some people felt this was Robert Mitchum's best performance. If I didn't know going in that Mitchum received his only nomination for this role, I wouldn't have guessed it from watching this movie. Mitchum's two best characters were a couple of the scariest villains ever in movies: the sadistic preacher in "Night of the Hunter", and the serial killer in the original "Cape Fear". Neither of those were nominated for Oscars, which is a shame.
I welcome your comments.