Os Destemidos não Caem

A breezy, light-hearted and, dare I say, humorous World War II movie very much reflecting the sensibilities of the late 60's. Oliver Reed is Lance Corporal Brooks, the perfect antihero with very little respect for authority, even when the authority is SS Colonel von Haller played with a certain roguish charm by Wolfgang Preiss. As a captured British soldier, Brooks willingly volunteers to work in the Munich Zoo where he becomes the caretaker for an elephant named Lucy. The zoo is bombed and he is charged with taking Lucy to safety. Thwarted by von Haller in his attempt to get her there by rail, Brooks and his escort (two guards and a female cook) undertake the journey on foot. Circumstances arise that lead to the decision to attempt an escape over the Alps to Switzerland, and because Brooks has grown so attached to her, leaving Lucy behind is not an option. As you can imagine, trying to escape Nazi Germany with an elephant in tow makes for some interesting situations.

This is not high art, but the story is good, and there's a nice little twist, too. The cast is universally good and you can tell the actors are having a good time. Joining Reed and Preiss is an elfin Michael J. Pollard as a fellow POW turned goofy guerilla. Peter Carsten and Helmut Lohner are Brooks' German guards and Karin Baal is the cook who, with a very 60's sensibility, explains to Brooks why she made what might not have been such an obvious choice in the 1940's.

All in all Hannibal Brooks is a highly entertaining film. If only this movie were on DVD, or even video for that matter.

As war films go, this one stands alone as the daftest concept I have come across. However, as light entertainment, it has all the mix of goodies and baddies, superheroes, tragedy and comedy. The 'we're here' line never fails to bring a smile to my face. One can excuse the acting [which is a tad wooden and stilted at times] and settle back to enjoy a traditional good yarn. The music, I believe by Francis Lai, remains one of my favourite film scores and superbly compliments the film throughout. To summarise, take time out to watch this film and I'm sure you wont feel time was wasted.

That got your attention, didn't it? The words "Michael Winner" and "Orson Welles" in the same sentence. And I don't just mean because of their fondness for wine and good food. No, the fact is, that like, Orson Welles, Michael Winner made all his best films at the start of his career ("The Jokers", "The Games" and this film). After the first "Death Wish", he was starting to go downhill professionally (although "A Chorus of Disapproval" was not bad). If you see any of his most recent films, you'll find it hard to believe that this was the same man that made such a class act as "Hannibal Brooks" back in 1968. In fact, his films don't get released any more, they escape. "Dirty Weekend" is a case in point, executed so crassly and seemingly assembled by some clueless chimp who has no idea about film-making.

Anyway, back to "Hannibal Brooks" and the days when Winner made films for the family that didn't involve women being raped and tortured. The story of a British P.O.W. in 1944 helping to lead an elephant over the Alps to freedom in Switzerland was devised by Winner and former P.O.W. Tom Wright and blessed by a great script full of quotable lines by "Likely Lads" Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Reed is great, although the film is stolen by Michael J. Pollard, who has never been better than he is in this film. With great picture postcard photography of Austria (by Robert Paynter) and a terrific score by "Love Story" composer Francis Lai, this is great entertainment and deserves a DVD release now.

I stumbled on this movie on a Sunday afternoon and, having nothing better to do, sat down to watch. I wasn't expecting much--director Michael Winner doesn't have the strongest reputation--but this was a very well-done film. It has that 60s anti-establishment tone, though Oliver Reed's character is more indifferent to war than an outright rebel. When he is captured, Reed's character, Hannibal Brooks, volunteers to work at the Munich zoo and becomes the caretaker for the zoo's elephant, Lucy. When the German caretaker is killed in a bombing raid, Brooks is put in charge and directed to take the elephant to safety in Ausria. What follows is a series of largely comic misadventures, though the film does develop a serious tone as it goes on. Unable to take the elephant by train, Brooks sets off on foot, accompanied by two German guards and a female cook.

There is some great German scenery in the film as Brooks and company make their way into the high country. Following the accidental death of one of the guards, plans change and the remaining trio make their way to Switzerland. There's a rogueish American escapee, played by Michael J. Pollard, who keeps crossing paths with Brooks, as well as a German officer, played by Wolfgang Preiss, whose path crosses Brooks' as well. Rather reluctantly, Brooks becomes something of a hero, though he's motivated more by his desire to keep Lucy safe than by anything else. A very enjoyable movie that I wouldn't mind seeing again some time.

The idea of a film telling the story of a POW taking an elephant across the Alps is ridiculous but guess what? It works. Good actors, fantastic scenery, action and fun,what else do you need? Well worth watching.