Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Fatma Suarez
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
dougdoepke
I recall seeing this film on first release and being astonished by its cynical portrayal of Allied war planning. Except for an odd-man-out like Attack (1956), WWII was treated in this pre- Vietnam period as a difficult yet idealistic march to victory. There was little hint of such ruthless tactics as are portrayed here. Thus the movie's grim version of the logic of war became something of an eye-opener for a new generation used to less disturbing accounts of the people in charge.I doubt that many people saw the film. It's not the kind of production that invites an audience, with its ugly b&w photography, deglamorized Suzy Parker, and downbeat 100 minutes. Then too, the screenplay's use of flashback undercuts the suspense in an odd dramatic turn, since we know from the outset that Lieut. Raine (Dillman) survives his ordeal no matter how bad it becomes. My guess is the producers wanted to reassure audiences from the outset that Raine was not being deliberately sent to his doom. That may have lightened the mood and lessened the guilt, but it comes at the expense of both impact and suspense.Dillman's excellent as the conflicted Lieutenant, while Parker does a lot better than expected for an ex-super model. And, of course, there's jut-jawed Harry Andrews as the Machiavellian captain in charge, who gives his cynical scheme all the military authority of Moses passing down the Ten Commandments. Also, I like the way Capt. Stein, the lead Nazi interrogator, is portrayed against stereotype as a civilized, sympathetic type. In passing—note how the infamous water-boarding technique is used as a last resort to pry information from the hapless Raine, a surprisingly topical note from a 50-year old movie.The movie makes a significant point, I think, whether the point was intentional or not. Now, the logic of war has long approved sacrificing a few men in order to save many more. It's not a happy logic, but it has a certain utilitarian morality to it—better to lose 10 men than 1000. At bottom, this is the accepted reasoning Capt. Rawson is applying to Lt. Raine—better to sacrifice this one man than the thousands who might otherwise be saved. So, why does the process of preparing Raine for sacrifice cause so much unease, as I think it does. There are several disturbing factors in play that are unlike more standard military situations. Above all, Raine is not only being deceived about his mission, he's being exploited as a person whose frailties are being turned against him. Rawson is counting on fear of pain overcoming what shame Raine might feel as a result of being tortured into releasing information that will mislead German defenses. Thus it's not death that Rawson is counting on or that Raine is facing, instead it's permanent shame. As a result, it's not so much Raine's body that's being sacrificed to the Allied cause as it is his soul. Even if he survives, he will carry that burden of guilt and shame, which for the brave man Raine is, comes at the cost of his self-respect. And Rawson knows it. And that I think is what's so unsettling about the captain's scheme even though the military logic is pretty straightforward.Anyway, I wish the movie had had the capacity to follow through on its provocative premise with an unhappy ending. That way I think it would have achieved some of the distinction of a Paths of Glory (1958) that did follow through on its cynical premise. But this was a studio production (TCF) and I guess as a business in 1960 they felt they could only go so far. However, note how the very last shot of the lovers reconciling is shot from an impersonal distance, thereby fulfilling story requirements but canceling the all-important emotional impact. Looks to me like some kind of effort at softening the happy ending. Compromised or not, the movie is still worth viewing for its provocative premise, though I wouldn't recommend it after a hard day at work.
edwagreen
Bradford Dillman in a dilly of a movie with the late Suzy Parker.The story concerns itself with British intelligence choosing someone they know will crack under Nazi torture and divulge secrets that will be false in nature pertaining to the D-Day invasion.Naturally, the female (Parker) falls for our hero.(Dillman) Of course, Dillman surprises all by surviving the brutal torture. The picture was torture by itself, watching the torturing sequences was even worse. The worst part was that the suicide pill wasn't supposed to work so Dillman had to endure more. Poor Dillman. Poor audience.This film at best is slow moving and tedious in many ways.
Daryl Chin (lqualls-dchin)
When 20th Century Fox entered TV in the 1950s, one of the programs was an hour-long anthology series. This series took many Fox classics (THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR, HOUSE OF STRANGERS, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, THE LATE GEORGE APLEY, YOUNG MR. LINCOLN, et al) and reduced them to less-than-an-hour. One of the entries in that series was titled DECEPTION, and it starred Linda Darnell and Trevor Howard; it was about a woman intelligence officer in charge of a complicated spy mission: she has to pick a man who will turn out to be a coward, so that he can be given false information which he will divulge (under torture) to the Nazis. Unless i'm very much mistaken, this is one instance when the TV episode was embellished into a feature film (made in 1961). The movie provides a lot more exposition, but the story is the same, including the female intelligence officer seeking out the man after the war. This film stars Suzy Parker as the intelligence agent, and Bradford Dillman as the man; soon after this movie, they would marry and she would retire from acting. Though they don't have the same depth as Darnell (an exceptional performance) and Howard, Parker and Dillman are nevertheless quite a glamorous couple (as they were in real life).(Though the film is well-done, the TV show, in this instance, packed more of a punch, and the performances of Linda Darnell and Trevor Howard were exceptional.)
Deusvolt
This movie is a downer so I understand why many people didn't like it. But nevertheless it is important because it pioneered the concept of the sympathetic anti-hero as the main character in movies.Spoilers ahead: Bradford Dillman's character is infiltrated into occupied France by the Allies (the devious British intelligence, actually). His mission: To prepare the French Resistance for the coming invasion which required him to eliminate a mole within the movement. The alleged enemy collaborator turns out to be a kindly and affable fellow who saves Dillman from eating cat disguised as rabbit in a restaurant. The old Frenchman explained that what he ordered was unlikely to be rabbit considering the rationing and severe shortage of food in occupied France. That scene is comic with the French guy saying "meow" after Dillman ordered rabbit. I believe the Darnell-Howard TV version, Deception, had the same scene.In any case, Dillman is captured by the Germans, no doubt through the machinations of British intelligence. As planned by his controllers, under torture he spills what he believed were the details of the planned invasion of France by the Allies through Calais. Of course, we now know that Eisenhower's staff chose Normandy for the invasion landing. The Germans scramble to protect Calais while the Allies invade Normandy. Dillman is rescued by a commando unit and taken back behind Allied lines where he is congratulated for his contribution in making the invasion a success.The hitch is that, he found out that he killed an innocent man. The old Frenchman was not a collaborator after all.If you like spy-war movies with double deceptions see also 36 Hours starring James Garner and Rod Taylor.
