During WWII, Hollywood made something like 3791354912 war-time propaganda films (give or take three). And, since I have seen an awful lot of them, this would seem to fall into the 'average' category. The acting and production values are quite nice and the script is decent and does a good job of making Americans love their comrades, the French. But, I must admit, that it didn't particularly stand out for me either among all these other films.
The film begins with some Allied fliers getting stuck in Nazi-controlled France. Among these are their leader (Paul Henreid--who has yet another strong acting performance) and one miserable guy who is injured--Alan Ladd in a role just before he hit stardom with films like "This Gun for Hire", "The Glass Key" and "Lucky Jordan". Remarkably, all four of these films came out in 1942 and it was indeed a banner year for the young actor. Back to the story. The men are stuck and need help from the locals. Some are not patriots and refuse, some (such as the one annoying little boy) talked about how great the Vichy government (the pro-Nazi one in the South) was and some decided to risk anything to help (and this included Michele Morgan--who actually was French).
This is an odd propaganda film, as I actually think the film didn't go far enough in demonizing the Nazis. After all, they were Nazis!! Now I am not saying they were nice here, but the film did a good job of not overdoing it like many propaganda films. Overall, a very good story with an interesting parallel to the life of Joan of Arc--which, from the title, was obviously intended. Worth seeing---just don't rush to do so.
Alan Ladd--and with RKO
The film begins with some Allied fliers getting stuck in Nazi-controlled France. Among these are their leader (Paul Henreid--who has yet another strong acting performance) and one miserable guy who is injured--Alan Ladd in a role just before he hit stardom with films like "This Gun for Hire", "The Glass Key" and "Lucky Jordan". Remarkably, all four of these films came out in 1942 and it was indeed a banner year for the young actor. Back to the story. The men are stuck and need help from the locals. Some are not patriots and refuse, some (such as the one annoying little boy) talked about how great the Vichy government (the pro-Nazi one in the South) was and some decided to risk anything to help (and this included Michele Morgan--who actually was French).
This is an odd propaganda film, as I actually think the film didn't go far enough in demonizing the Nazis. After all, they were Nazis!! Now I am not saying they were nice here, but the film did a good job of not overdoing it like many propaganda films. Overall, a very good story with an interesting parallel to the life of Joan of Arc--which, from the title, was obviously intended. Worth seeing---just don't rush to do so.
Alan Ladd--and with RKO