Horizons en flammes

This has a structure much like the FBI Story where the story of the FBI itself as seen through the eyes of one man is weaved with the personal story of that one man. Here the story of naval aviation is weaved with the story of one mythical witness to that history. In this case the fictional man is Jonathan Scott (Gary Cooper). Scott is getting ready to retire in present day (1949) and then thinks back on all that has transpired in the last 27 years when he and several other pilots were to learn how to land and take off aboard an air craft carrier.

For all the history he witnessed, Scott had a rather tragic life. He wanted to be a pilot. But he gets sent to Washington, then to a desk job in Panama, then to Annapolis as an instructor, and then he is promoted to being an officer on a carrier in the Pacific when WWII begins. Seldom is he in the air himself. That's not the way the film sold it, but I did notice that aspect. Then there is Scott's personal life. He falls in love with Mary Morgan (Jane Wyatt), the widow of a pilot friend of his who died in a plane crash. The two develop feelings for each other fairly quickly, but don't do anything about them for over seven years. Mary says she does not want to marry a pilot again and always worry, and ironically the way Scott's life worked out she wouldn't have been marrying one even if she married Scott early on! And then after Scott actually DOES crash his plane THEN she decides to accept his proposal! Jane Wyatt seems a little homespun for the likes of Coop, but the two actors make it work.

There's lots of actual footage of WWII aerial battles, and you can tell real care went into detail so that this film looked authentic. For some reason, the film switches over to color about two thirds into it. That is where most of the action takes place, but it is rather an odd switchover, seeming somewhat like a holdover from the 1930s when individual scenes of a black and white movie would be shot in color.

Warner Brothers put their best supporting players into this film including Wayne Morris and Bruce Bennett, and there is Walter Brennan making his eighth and final appearance in a film with Gary Cooper. There's also a very early appearance by Julie London as the wife of one of the pilots. If you are interested in naval history this is an interesting way to spend a couple of hours.

Gary Cooper plays a navy man that was one of the first pilots trained to fly from an aircraft carrier (the USS Langley) and continues his career through WWII until his retirement. The first section of the film focuses a lot on Cooper and his relationships with friends, his future wife and the navy brass.

Later, when WWII arrives, the film is much more of an action flick and gives a very competent overview of the war in the Pacific. While this did employ a lot of stock footage, it was unusual in that most all of the footage was used correctly. Unlike the ridiculously historically inaccurate film, MIDWAY (1976), TASK FORCE made sure to use clips that were accurate--featuring the correct model planes for each segment of the war (whereas in MIDWAY, they often showed planes that weren't even in the naval arsenal until well after the battle as well as had dive bombers magically turn into fighter planes in mid-flight due to horrid editing blunders).

This film really has widely different appeal depending on your perspective. If you are a history teacher and airplane nut like me, then it earns a 9 because it does a really good job of conveying the history of the American aircraft carriers from its inception in the early 1920s through WWII. However, if you are not, then you might find the film a bit cold (as it often focuses more on events than people towards the middle to the end of the film) and it might seem a bit confusing if you aren't familiar with the history of these great ships.

I have just watched this on TCM,and thought it was a very good film.It was a lot more realistic than most 1940s war films,and i was convinced that they were using real archive footage,which was the reason why the film suddenly changes to colour.I thought this was a great idea as special effects back then couldn't have shown the effects of mass destruction that was caused on US Naval ships.And this being a very important film needs to put its point across,so real archive footage does engross the viewer more.Gary Cooper was a fine actor of his generation,very convincing in his portrayal of Scott,the captain.Although i did have a chuckle when they said Scottie is on the Enterprise,i kept expecting someone to say beam him up.In all a very well made film shame its not on sale in the UK.

If you have Turner Classic Movies, it would behoove you to take the time to watch Task Force, a fine, passionate, and patriotic film about the advent of the aircraft carrier as the principal weapon of the US Navy in World War II. Although it is a product of the times--and the Production Code--TF delivers the story of how "flat-tops" superseded the battleship as the principal tool for, in Navyspeak, "projecting power." With the skillful use of lots of film footage (which helped tremendously in avoiding the use of cheesy ship models), TF tells the story of a young naval officer played believably here by a much older Gary Cooper. As Cooper advances in his skill as an aviator, he runs afoul of bureaucrats and bullies, both outside the navy and in. This results in his being disciplined and scolded for speaking his mind about naval aviation, and his frustration with a lack of personal advancement and the navy not being prepared for future conflict. Cooper is a lanky metaphor for the advent of the carrier as the Queen of the Seas.

With Pearl Harbor, Cooper's "Scottie" Scott is thrown into battle against an enemy that is much better prepared for air combat, and with the aid and leadership of his father figure, Walter Brennan, he (as metaphor) gains the recognition and ultimate victory he deserves.

I read somewhere that Gary Cooper surrendered his chance at ultra-stardom when he made certain decisions about parts that robbed his film persona of the sort of sex appeal that would have guaranteed his place as a film star/sex symbol. The reviewer said something about Cooper being more of a big brother than a lover.

I don't know if all this is true, but Cooper's image of being a friendly, decent, human hero is clearly seen in Task Force. He--and Brennan--carry this movie. The chemistry Coop has with his audience and his on-screen friend and C.O., Brennan, puts real blood and muscle into a movie that at times gets a bit too documentarian. Add in a sweet, loving performance by Jane Wyatt as the graceful and gracious military wife and you have a really human movie that works as history lesson, war film, political essay, and love story.

Finally, what I love about this film is its innate patriotism. There simply is no questioning of America's place and motive in the years leading up to and during the Second World War. We were a democracy threatened by tyranny. We were unprepared for war because we despised it so very much; once confronted, we prevailed. The stock footage of Cooper's carrier (in real life, the badly damaged USS Franklin) arriving at New York with her flight deck and upper hull twisted into scrap metal by Japanese explosives is startling, a metaphor for the cost of not being prepared with the sort of cutting-edge technology, training, and will that might have reduced the bloodiness of the war or prevented it all together.

In my opinion, the best movie ever made about the U.S. Navy in the Pacific conflict. With the pre-war black and white, and wartime, colored documentary footage adding that extra gloss to a fine film. Coop took on his role perfectly. Walter Brennan could never let you down whatever role he played. Bruce Bennet, always the reliable supporting actor. John Ridgley too. Stanley Ridges? Reliable as ever as a trouble maker. Moroni Olsen as a senior flag officer, as usual, eminence oozes out of him. And last but least, Wayne Morris; he must have felt at home in the movie, serving as he did as a carrier-based fighter pilot in the navy in the Pacific. Not being on sale in the U.K. video stores. Buyiing this video through Amazon.com was a MUST for me.