thunderer Reviews

The Gathering Storm (2002 TV Movie)

Excellent portrayal

[9/10 · 9 May 2005]

One of the best portrayals of Churchill ever. One only has to see the final scene to understand the man. It is late at night and Winston enters the Admiralty after being made First Lord (again) and years in the wilderness telling a deaf world of the coming evil. He introduces himself to the young Royal Marine on duty who acknowledges that he knows who he is and that a message went out to the fleet earlier that evening.

"Oh", Churchill asks "and what did it say?"

The Marine answers, "Winston is back, sir"

Churchill climbs the stairs, halts, removes his cigar and replies,

"Yes, HE BLOODY WELL IS!

The Great Escape (1963)

big X marks the spot

[9/10 · 18 March 2005]

This is a great film - make no mistake. But I would like to make a comment about Attenborough. Stevie Q's in-the-end futile bike ride is now part of cinema legend and become iconic, and he sure looks good. However, for me the honours have to go to Richard Attenborough as Sq. Ldr. Bartlett or 'Big X'. I'm going to push the boat out here and say it's his 'iconic' moment on film - even apart from 'Pinky' in 'Brighton Rock'. Attenborough is the driving force of the story. All the other characters are as wooden as the huts (hey, I know it's not Shakespeare) but it's through him that we are reminded that there is a war going on and it's not pretty. We are introduced to all the other various prisoners as a hotchpotch of the usual suspects (so to speak) but before Attenborough even says anything we immediately realise the brutality of the moment..his relief when the Gestapo leave the room is palpable! His conversation with the Senior B.O. is frighteningly stark; he is reminded that for the present the Luftwaffe control Germany's POW camps - not the Gestapo or SS. Big X looks mortified; to him there is no distinction, "we're fighting the bloody lot". It's this refusal on Bartletts part not to forget the reasons for fighting (and in doing so reminding the viewer) that keeps the rest of the film from falling into a litany of comic book capers.

And where did Stevie Q's 'Hiltz' ever get it into his brain there was a blind spot in the wire? Did he labour under the belief that Luftwaffe personnel were drafted from the congenitally short-sighted, or did he have inside information that Mr. Magoo's German cousin was on duty in the watchtower that morning?

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

great horse opera

[4 August 2004]

Once upon a time, long, long ago, when there were only a handful of TV channels and no vcr, I used to search the TV pages to see if this film would come on. When it did I would sit upon a chair much too large for me, with my feet dangling in the air and for about two hours bask in the knowledge that John Wayne was in the saddle and all was well with the world. No sooner had the last credit disappeared than out came the plastic soldiers and the US cavalry would ride to the rescue again that afternoon.

I have since 'put away childish things' and equally childish notions but this film still has me in it's grip. It's not John Fords finest hour of celluloid (but he rarely had a bad one) but there is still much to recommend it. Firstly John Wayne fights hard to contest the screen here - sure he's in charge, but he has to battle Rebels, an over the top Southern Belle (Constance Towers) and an equally feisty Regimental surgeon (ably played by William Holden). It is this latter relationship that gives the film much of it's fizz until the men in gray turn up. It is also somewhat of a juxtaposition in the sense that Wayne plays the gifted amateur officer, in for the duration, whilst Holden plays the phlegmatic, professional.

Once again Ford pays homage to the cavalry by his attention to detail, the donning of capes in the rain, the clink-clank of accoutrement's and equipment, the casing-encasing of the colours etc. As usual Ford keeps the brutal aggression to the minimum and the battles are comparatively short in duration. Here's a question though; in the battle of Newton Station, at the very height Wayne refuse a gun with which to defend himself (or use against the Confederacy). Is this in keeping with his portrayal of a reluctant hero, or more in line with his avowed ultra-right wing sympathies? Whatever, it's still rates for me as one of his better performances.

Though I might not believe any more that the cavalry will always come riding over the hill just in the nick of time, this is still a worthwhile effort where total realism takes a back seat to military pageant.

Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956)

Royal Navy sinks U.S cruiser.

[3 August 2004]

This is the sort of good old British stiff-upper lip war film thats now a thing of the past. An admirable and accurate retelling of Harwood's South Atlantic squadrons engagement with the Graf Spee. The acting during the fight, which mainly consists of scenes on the bridges of the three Royal Navy cruisers is done with gusto and totally believable, mainly due to Anthony Quayle (who is so underrated). Peter Finch tries hard to express the humanity of Capt. Langsdorf and does a decent job.

Spoiler.... The film is let down terribly by the decision to use the USS Salem as the Graf Spee. The Royal Naval ships are similar (even HMS Ajax flies the White Ensign again) but dear old Blighty had paid off its capital ships by this time and so had to call on the services of the US Navy and this doesn't help the film at all. You always have the nagging impression that the Brits shouldn't be shelling the Yanks. The special effects are not up to much either. Quayle and co. are looking determinedly through their binoculars as the pride of the Kriegsmarine hits back at them and WHOOSH! somebody off camera throws a bucket of water up in the air to denote a near miss. It totally destroys the sterling work the actors are producing at that moment. But all in all a worthy attempt to portray Britains naval heritage. The way things are going towards Britains defence establishment, my grandchildren may one day watch this film and say 'Grandad, did we really once have three ships and were they all that big?'

Curse of the Demon (1957)

A Classic!

[28 July 2004]

Dana Andrews plays the New World skeptic to the point of irritation - but not beyond, but the honours go to Nial MacGinnis whose warlock oozes malevolence, yet you still wouldn't mind enjoying afternoon tea with him. The scene where he waits in the car, opens the door and orders 'come along mother', after the tension of the seance is the icing on the cake. The black and white cinematography only adds to the 'darkness' of the tale. The opening sequence of the story with Denholm Elliot franticly driving through the lonely English countryside builds the tension wonderfully (you peer with a growing sense of foreboding as the headlamps try to beat a path home). I wonder if Hollywood could ever remake this. I doubt it. Throw millions of dollars at it, an A-list leading man and shed-loads of computer wizardry and you wouldn't even come close to the original.