4 dans une jeep

Recently, during a discussion of films made a few years after the end of WW2, I mentioned Four In A Jeep. No one had ever heard of it. I recall seeing it in the early 50s and being impressed by it--possibly because of the times--it was the Cold War, and I was very political then--leftie to the core. This storyline of 4 soldiers of different nations--former allies, patroling a conquered city was just my cup of tea. I found it or wanted to find it-- a plea for peace. The main story itself, trying to reunite 2 lovers torn apart by war and a difficult peace, was secondary to the 4 men themselves; especially the American (Ralph Meeker who was getting recognition in Hollywood,) and the Russian, Voroshenko. Because of the Cold War, they could have made Voroshenko the villain, instead he became for me the pivotal character torn between instinct (perhaps love) and duty. He and the American sergeant were pitted against each, but developed respect toward the other rather than hatred. I found this film to be a good companion piece to The Third Man--same period, many similar situations. Too bad it will probably be seen by so few--no DVD for this one--a real pity!

Chris

When "Karl" (Hans Putz) manages to escape from a Soviet prison in post-war Vienna, it falls to the four occupying powers to work together to re-apprehend him. This task ought to be a fairly routine one for them. Briton "Stuart" (Michael Medwin), American "Long" (Ralph Meeker), Frenchman "Pasture" (Albert Dinan) and the Soviet "Voroshenko" (Yossi Yadin) make up a group that regularly patrol the city in their jeep and know their way around. It's also quite astonishing, in their Babel-esque linguistic maelstrom, that these men can hope to accomplish anything at all but they are soon on the trail of this man and his wife "Franziska" (Viveca Lindfors). Quite quickly, they begin to realise that "Karl" is no danger to anyone and that his imprisonment isn't exactly just. Three decide to help him instead but their problem is that "Voroshenko" isn't convinced. He has much less latitude than his cohorts and it soon proves a much more delicate, even dangerous, mission for him. Can they manage to re-unite this couple in freedom? This starts off as quite an effective illustration of the loose confederation of warring tribes scenario that prevailed after the Nazi defeat, but as the characterisations develop it becomes a little meandering and undercooked and the appearance of the rather wooden Lindfors doesn't really help much. The narrative starts to become more of an anti-Russian propaganda exercise and sadly rather predicable thereafter. There is some potent imagery - especially as the beleaguered refugees arrive home at the railway station to an awaiting crowd of hopeful relatives, but the use of each other's language, though useful at the start, starts to grate after an hour. It's an interesting concept and the actors do an adequate enough job, but it becomes just all a little too messy and black and white for me.

(1951) Four In A Jeep ESPIONAGE WAR DRAMA THRILLER

A part of history based on fact with a fictitious set up, that after WWII 4 different power consulates would send one official to Vienna to monitor tensions arising in Vienna- one American, Sgt. William Long (Ralph Meeker); one Englishman, Sgt. Harry Stuart (Michael Medwin); one French, Sgt. Marcel Pasture (Albert Dinan), and one Russian, Sgt. Vassilij Voroshenko (Yoseph Yodin). And they would ride together side by side, driving them around the city, until one of the officials who was an American, intervenes with the Russian dignitaries case regarding an escaped prisoner, cross examining her Franziska (Viveca Lindfors) about a Russian POW is when things get pretty heated.

The history part is more fascinating than the commotion, escalated by the American dignitary who felt that it's everybody he was riding with, should've been allowed to say something as well! Liked the realistic aftermath wreckage from WWII but didn't care too much about the budget constraints and at times shows.

Set just after WWII in Viena, in the 4 different districts, French, English, American and Russian. The viewer follows a jeep with one military of each country. They help a woman who searches her husband, played in too much melodramatic way for myself (played by Swedish Viveca Lindford). The main interest for me is the casting of Ralph Meeker as the American (in his first movie and yet a solid presence) and Dinan as the dynamic french military (and Paulette Dubost as his even more dynamic wife, her numéro with policemen searching is funny). The Swiss director Leopold Lindtberg does competent work, he has directed a few other movies on WWII. The sequence of the return of prisonners of war is interesting.

The film begins with a helpful prologue which explains the political situation in post-war Vienna. It seems like Berlin, the city was divided into four zones and each of the four Allied powers (US, USSR, UK and France) jointly govern. As part of this, a jeep goes on rounds every day with a soldier from each nation to deal with problems as they arise with the locals.

One thing the film did NOT explain is that during WWII, millions of Axis soldiers were taken prisoner. Many of them remained in the USSR long after the war and quite a few were simply never heard from again. Now, considering the death toll in the USSR during the war, I could understand them not releasing many of the soldiers...but this important part of post-war Austria isn't mentioned...as if the viewer knows about this. As a retired history teacher, I assume that most do not know about this today.

This film begins with one of the patrols coming upon a woman who has been accosted by two men. The Russian soldier tells the men to go...and the American soldier is confused why the Russian instantly sided with the men...and he soon creates a bit of an incident. After all, the four soldiers are supposed to cooperate. Later, this same woman comes into the American soldier's life. It seems her husband is among the many soldiers still in the USSR...and there's word he may have escaped and is making his way back home to Vienna.

Overall, this is an interesting curio, though not a great film. It has a lot of slow portions and although it's Ralph Meeker's film debut, I can't imagine most folks wanting to see this unless they are interested in the Cold War. It's just duller than you'd expect it to be considering the subject matter.