THE PIED PIPER:1942
This wartime film from 20th Century Fox garnered three Academy Award nominations. (Best Picture, Best Actor - Monte Woolley, Best Cinematography- Edward Cronjager)
The film is about an elderly English gent, Woolley, who is in France doing some fishing when the German's break-through in 1940. The man makes arrangements to hurry to the coast and catch a ship back to England. Woolley is soon talked into taking along two children. The two, Roddy MacDowell and Peggy Anne Garner are the children of an English couple on their way to Switzerland. They believe the kids would be safer back in Britain.
The trio hop a train to Paris where they hope to catch another to the coast. This however does not come off as planned. The German Army advances much quicker than expected and Paris has been captured. The three manage to get on a bus heading to the coast. The roads however are swamped with refugees fleeing the German Blitzkrieg.
The bus is destroyed by a German air attack on the refugee column. Now on foot, Woolley finds himself being joined by several more children whose parents have been killed. Woolley gets in contact with a family friend who lives along the route for help. The friend, Anne Baxter, agrees to help get the children to the coast. It seems that Baxter and Woolley's now dead son had been an item. (The son was killed flying in the RAF) They reach the coast and make arrangements to smuggle the children away on a small fishing craft. The group however is gobbled up by a German patrol before they can make good their plan. The group is taken to the local Gestapo type now in charge of the newly captured town. The Gestapo commander, Otto Preminger, wishes to question Woolley about what he is doing with the children.
While Preminger is questioning Woolley, he is having various people shot in the building courtyard. "They are all spies! As are you! Tell me what you are doing with these children?" Woolley coughs up the truth when Preminger says he will be shooting Baxter next. Woolley explains all the events of the last few days. Woolley also tells Preminger that he intends to have several of the now orphaned children, sent to the U.S. to live with his daughter and her wealthy husband.
Preminger seems to believe the rather strange tale. He tells Woolley that he will let him and his group continue for a favour. He wants to send along his 10 year old niece. It seems that the girl is on a list for the camps. Preminger's brother had married a Jewish woman before the Nazi's took over. The brother is dead and Preminger wants to save the child. Woolley of course agrees to the proposal. Preminger has Woolley and the motley group taken down to the docks where they sail off into the dark.
While the story might seem rather sappy to today's audience, at the time, the film was hitting on all the right cylinders. The Allies were taking a beating on every front and this film was a flag-waver that tugged at the heart strings. It was a fairly big hit at the box-office.
The film is based on the popular Nevil Shute book of the same name. Shute's books have been made into several films. These include, A TOWN CALLED ALICE, NO HIGHWAY and ON THE BEACH.
The director here is actor, turned director, Irving Pichel. Pichel helmed films such as, SHE, HUDSON'S BAY, SECRET AGENT OF JAPAN, THE MOON IS DOWN, O.S.S. THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME, WITHOUT HONOR, SANTA FE, QUICKSAND and the 50's sci-fi classic, DESTINATION MOON.
This wartime film from 20th Century Fox garnered three Academy Award nominations. (Best Picture, Best Actor - Monte Woolley, Best Cinematography- Edward Cronjager)
The film is about an elderly English gent, Woolley, who is in France doing some fishing when the German's break-through in 1940. The man makes arrangements to hurry to the coast and catch a ship back to England. Woolley is soon talked into taking along two children. The two, Roddy MacDowell and Peggy Anne Garner are the children of an English couple on their way to Switzerland. They believe the kids would be safer back in Britain.
The trio hop a train to Paris where they hope to catch another to the coast. This however does not come off as planned. The German Army advances much quicker than expected and Paris has been captured. The three manage to get on a bus heading to the coast. The roads however are swamped with refugees fleeing the German Blitzkrieg.
The bus is destroyed by a German air attack on the refugee column. Now on foot, Woolley finds himself being joined by several more children whose parents have been killed. Woolley gets in contact with a family friend who lives along the route for help. The friend, Anne Baxter, agrees to help get the children to the coast. It seems that Baxter and Woolley's now dead son had been an item. (The son was killed flying in the RAF) They reach the coast and make arrangements to smuggle the children away on a small fishing craft. The group however is gobbled up by a German patrol before they can make good their plan. The group is taken to the local Gestapo type now in charge of the newly captured town. The Gestapo commander, Otto Preminger, wishes to question Woolley about what he is doing with the children.
While Preminger is questioning Woolley, he is having various people shot in the building courtyard. "They are all spies! As are you! Tell me what you are doing with these children?" Woolley coughs up the truth when Preminger says he will be shooting Baxter next. Woolley explains all the events of the last few days. Woolley also tells Preminger that he intends to have several of the now orphaned children, sent to the U.S. to live with his daughter and her wealthy husband.
Preminger seems to believe the rather strange tale. He tells Woolley that he will let him and his group continue for a favour. He wants to send along his 10 year old niece. It seems that the girl is on a list for the camps. Preminger's brother had married a Jewish woman before the Nazi's took over. The brother is dead and Preminger wants to save the child. Woolley of course agrees to the proposal. Preminger has Woolley and the motley group taken down to the docks where they sail off into the dark.
While the story might seem rather sappy to today's audience, at the time, the film was hitting on all the right cylinders. The Allies were taking a beating on every front and this film was a flag-waver that tugged at the heart strings. It was a fairly big hit at the box-office.
The film is based on the popular Nevil Shute book of the same name. Shute's books have been made into several films. These include, A TOWN CALLED ALICE, NO HIGHWAY and ON THE BEACH.
The director here is actor, turned director, Irving Pichel. Pichel helmed films such as, SHE, HUDSON'S BAY, SECRET AGENT OF JAPAN, THE MOON IS DOWN, O.S.S. THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME, WITHOUT HONOR, SANTA FE, QUICKSAND and the 50's sci-fi classic, DESTINATION MOON.