The Americanization of Emily

Simply put, this is one of my all-time favorite movies. I can't possibly agree with the individual who wrote this was possibly James Garner's worst movie. The exact opposite is true. The character of Charlie is callous, and self-serving, but he has a dedication to the admiral that is logical and touching. It is the admiral, after all, who saved Charlie from the realities of war.

Listen to Charlie's speech about how he got there. He started off by going to war with all the ideals of any other Marine, but in the teeth of war he realized he wasn't the man he thought he was and "the glory" certainly wasn't worth it. Charlie is a coward, but not a deserter. He has priorities, which he lists to Emily.

Garner does a fine job in communicating the role of an outwardly selfish and uncaring man struggling hard to suppress his principles.

Julie Andrews' Emily is just the person to bring those principles out. And James Coburn is outstanding as the one person who actually takes the admiral's plan for a sailor to be the first casualty on Omaha Beach seriously.

Very good acting by all. Fine comic performances in a film that is easily overlooked by today's audiences because it isn't the type of humor that hits you over the head with a baseball bat to make its point. Instead, it uses characterization and intelligence.

How sad we are that we are no longer required to think about movies, since so many of them have no thought behind them other than making money.

"The Americanization of Emily" is definitely worth a look if you like smart, intelligent characters with something to say.

Americanization of Emily is not an anti-war or pacifist film. Its position is anti- glorification of war or heroism. Chayefsky himself was a war hero and awarded a Purple Heart. His position on war is stated clearly by the James Garner character in the amazing garden scene with Emily and her mother, who has been driven mad with grief over the loss of her husband, son-in-law, etc. in the war. Emily takes Charlie's cowardice and throws it back at him. The film was unavailable for years since the widow of the author of the book on which it is based held the copyright and would not release it for DVD. It is finally available for a new generation, and the ideas are still timely and valid. The theme song, Emily, is a jazz classic that has become better known than the film itself.

Get ready for a well written, directed and acted film about a very cowardly man in service. He's played by James Garner in an incredible performance. It has been said EMILY is his favorite film and I agree. Along with Garner is an amazing performance by Julie Andrews who looks terrific. A great character study and movie that makes you think. So unlike todays films where the special effects and fancy camera movement take the place of good old fashioned writing and acting. Superb also in support roles are Melvyn Douglas and James Coburn. The only flaw is that the women, including Andrews, don't have that "1945" look. Much too modern looking, especially the hair styles.

Masterfully scripted by Paddy Chayefsky, this 1964 anti-war film is not quite a classic but nonetheless an unexpected treat and one that deserves resurrection by a new generation of viewers. Set in WWII London, the dark hearted plot focuses on Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Madison, an especially notorious personal assistant to the mentally unstable Admiral William Jessup. Madison's job is to make sure Jessup gets anything he wants, and he has a warehouse full of contraband to back him up. Smug in his self-awareness about his cowardice, he meets Emily Barham, an English war widow who has lost her father and brother as well as her husband to the war. She is repulsed by Madison's manipulative agenda and cavalier materialism, and he finds her priggish and self-righteous. Needless to say, they fall in love. Complicating matters is Jessup's hare-brained scheme to ensure the first casualty of the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach be a naval man. Without a glimmer of irony recognized, the admiral assigns Madison and his colleague "Buzz" Cummings to find the appropriate sailor and film his heroic death.

The sheer audacity of this task is a hallmark of Chayefsky's vitriolic style, and the film is full of his brittle, observant dialogue and sharply articulate soliloquies. You need an actor of consummate charm and cunning to play Madison effectively, and Garner responds by turning in one of the best performances of his long career. He shows not only his deft comedic touch but also a piercing insight into the integrity that can come from an acknowledged lack of courage. Squeezed in between her twin juggernauts of sugar, "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music", Julie Andrews gives an intelligent, passionate performance as Emily that actually eclipses her acting in either mega-hit. The movie's title comes from her character's resistance to what she sees as cheapening her values by becoming more American. Together, they not only spark romantically but also trade speeches of barbed cynicism making Chayefsky's words fly off the page with supple dexterity.

Screen stalwart Melvyn Douglas is a terrifically befuddled blowhard as Jessup, while an especially energetic James Coburn aggressively turns "Buzz" into a monomaniacal yes-man. Joyce Grenfell is superb in her few scenes as Emily's no-nonsense mother. For interested baby boomers, you can even see future "Laugh-In" regulars Alan Sues and Judy Carne in bit parts, as well as the late Sharon Tate. If there is a weakness to the film, it comes from Arthur Hiller's pedestrian direction making the film more episodic than it should. The 2005 DVD package has a sharp print of the film and includes Hiller's informative commentary on an alternate track. He is understandably proud of the film since his subsequent work ("Love Story", "Making Love") has not even come close to the quality of this production. There is also a short, "Action on the Beach", which shows how the realistic filming of the D-Day scene was executed. It would be interesting to see this film in a double bill with Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" to get alternative perspectives on the same event.

I first saw this movie in 1964 at the Air Force base where I was stationed. At the time I thought it was an odd choice to show on base, but in those days, I guess the military wasn't so sensitive that they had to censor the films shown on base. The movie practically disappeared for 40 years, and I was pleased to see that it is now released on DVD. I watched the DVD this weekend and was happy to find that the film still seemed fresh and had aged very well.

Watching this movie reminds one of why James Garner and Julie Andrews became stars. They are both extremely likable and have good chemistry together. Garner's character, Charlie Madison, is just a rift on his Maverick TV personae, but is well suited to the character. Andrews, in a non-singing role, is luminescent. She plays a British war widow the way all Americans think of British women. It is a classic portrayal. The star of this film though, is the script by Paddy Chayefsky. Snappy, witty dialog and that strong dose of black humor amply illustrate why Chayefsky should be considered on of the finest script writers of all time. This is equal to his work in Network.

The DVD extras are sparse. There is a 6 minute 1964 MGM featurette on the filming of the Omaha Beach scene. It is only notable by comparison of Mr Garner's treatment during filming to how today's over-indulged, ego-inflated, and under-whelming movie stars are treated. Recommended.