What to do with natives of a waterfront town and their previous captors during the invasion of Normandy. That's the issue for Cliff Robertson and Red Buttons just trying to do the right thing on D-Day, their village basically in rack and ruin, with language trouble definitely causing an issue of confusion. One official says leave them there, and another says bring them along, so it's two barking dogs keeping a cat trapped and unsure of what to do. They get to know the townsfolk including pretty Irina Demick, and are shocked to learn of the kindness of a German officer sent to control the town aiding the resistance in the most surprising way. So Nazis can be human, or maybe they're Nazis in uniform only, opposed to their methods of control, or perhaps secretly disgusted by their anti-human goals and efforts to dominate the world.
An interesting but lower budgeted Wirld War II drama with cameos by Slim Pickens, Broderick Crawford and James Robertson Justice, and surprisingly Buttons being a lot more subtle than usual although his brashness comes out in the scene where he tells the German officer that not one of the other soldiers will feel an ounce of sympathy for him. A scene with Cliff Robertson and a young boy with a gun who speaks no English is very sweet, showing a trust that is established by Robertson allowing him to put on Robertson's helmet. The black and white photography lessens the impact of the drama, indicating that 20th Century Fox didn't think of this as anything other than a second string "Longest Day", relegating it to neighborhood theaters rather than giving it epic treatment. Still watchable and fast moving, a better programmer than I expected directed by Academy Award winning film editor Robert Parrish.
An interesting but lower budgeted Wirld War II drama with cameos by Slim Pickens, Broderick Crawford and James Robertson Justice, and surprisingly Buttons being a lot more subtle than usual although his brashness comes out in the scene where he tells the German officer that not one of the other soldiers will feel an ounce of sympathy for him. A scene with Cliff Robertson and a young boy with a gun who speaks no English is very sweet, showing a trust that is established by Robertson allowing him to put on Robertson's helmet. The black and white photography lessens the impact of the drama, indicating that 20th Century Fox didn't think of this as anything other than a second string "Longest Day", relegating it to neighborhood theaters rather than giving it epic treatment. Still watchable and fast moving, a better programmer than I expected directed by Academy Award winning film editor Robert Parrish.