The Last Blitzkrieg

I just saw this picture screened in an old 35mm release print. I thought this would be a companion piece to that other WWII Van Johnson bore-fest, THE ENEMY GENERAL. However, this one was hysterical! Right from the get-go the acting, as well as the tone of the production was broad and inept (verging on HOGAN'S HEROES territory) all the while parading as a serious WWII yarn. Watch for Dick York and a scenery chewing Larry Storch (pre-"Bewitched" and "F-Troop" respectively.) And BTW, the stark black and white photography was excellent (when not resorting to stock footage of the actual war.) Definitely a "so bad it's good

Those with a keen interest in WWII and overall movie history can appreciate this effort. Although there are the "never would happen" situations, such as the officer's rank insignia's on their battlefield helmets being displayed in a nice bright white, the main storyline of German infiltrators into American lines is based in historical fact.

Something that the movie touches on is the fact that many Americans who fought in the war were of German decent and did so while having many relatives who still lived in Germany. It is my guess that this was mentioned in the film due to the fact that the director, Arthur Dreifuss, was born in Germany and moved to the U.S. before the war in 1928. First he worked in the entertainment industry as a dance instructor and then, beginning in 1939, in Hollywood where he made numerous B-level films including the "Boston Blackie" series.

Entertainment historians will appreciate seeing Dick York, who played the original Darren Stevens in the "Bewitched" television series, and Larry Storch, who played Corporal Agarne in the T.V. series "F Troop", in fairly prominent roles playing foot soldiers. Storch's southern accent is especially amusing and those familiar with Storch's Agarne character in F-Troop will see a tinge of it when, upon learning of the prospect of German infiltrators, he exclaims "Don't talk that way - it's disheartening!".

Perfect for a rainy weekend afternoon.

THE LAST BLITZKRIEG works as it offers something a little different from the usual American WW2 film in terms of plot. The main characters in the movie are actually Nazi soldiers who are disguised as American troops and sent on an intelligence-gathering mission during the Battle of the Bulge. Therefore the characters we have to identify with are actually antiheroes and even the bad guys while the heroes are the enemy.

The film was shot on a low budget in the Netherlands by producer Sam Katzman so it has more authenticity to it than most. Van Johnson is the lead actor and does well with a complex role; that he comes off kindly and likable despite everything is a testament to his acting prowess. Kerwin Mathews is also here too and playing a slimy villain; in every other film I've seen him playing heroic characters so it made a nice change of pace for the actor.

This film has a short running time which flies past without ever flagging and there's plenty of suspense inherent in the set-up. Some have criticised the climax as being unrealistic but I found it quite fitting even if it is morally heavy-handed. War fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary are sure to enjoy the plot twists and turns of THE LAST BLITZKRIEG.

Skip it – This B-quality WWII movie stars Van Johnson as a German soldier recruited to spy on the Americans because of his fluent English. He begins the movie by infiltrating a POW camp and foiling an escape attempt. He is then dropped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge to disrupt the Allies and prepare the way for the German advance. The message of this film seemed to be that there were millions of Germans who were good and decent people who didn't want war either. Which is true, but this movie is mediocre at best. The acting is horrible and there is no combat until the last 30 minutes. And the ending is just plain unreasonable.

This story of a German commando team operating behind American lines during the Battle of the Bulge has a fair amount of potential, but it never quite comes together, partially due to some less-than-stellar performances (Larry Storch, I'm looking in your direction) and a silly Hollywood ending.