fnj2002

What a gem this story is! Here you will find no platitudes; no heroes 10 feet tall; no heels - most of all no heels. This is about the most caring, life-affirming story you are ever going to find, and it is done without any syrup, nor any gratuitous and tiresome acting-out of missteps.

There is a a single scene near the end which implies that a single misstep MAY have been committed, but sorry to tell you, you are going to have to work out for yourself what did or didn't happen, because it's not spelled out. It was brave rather than a cop-out to present a pivotal scene that way.

The film is technically excellent. The scene composition is superb. You have never seen a WW2 field hospital so meticulously and realistically re-created. There is a scene viewed through the door of a tent where someone walks away that is so amazingly technically well done (as well as evocative) as to be amazing. I can't tell you that the snow falling in that scene was real, but it LOOKED absolutely real. The fadeout as the figure walked gradually into the falling snow was perfect. It's a little thing that a film nut notices, because it's hard to do.

The messages are about finding one's humanity, daring to need, and daring to reach out to someone to need you back. By the end, you may find yourself touched so deeply as to be shaking.

Dean Spanley is delightful, warm, and deeply affecting. It deals with timeless topics, while recreating a rich bygone atmosphere. To hear the repartee of the four principles is priceless. The language is sparklingly literate, precise and urbane, and the choice of words and turns of phrase actually sensual to those who have a love of companionable conversation.

The incomparable Peter O'Toole at the peak of his mastery, Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, and Bryan Brown weave an immersive presentation of pure acting talent such as is seldom seen. And it is set up by top-notch writing, exquisite sets and beautiful cinematography and costuming.

Mr. O'Toole can match the very best acting in cinematic history using only his eyes

It's clear that some people put a lot of work and sincerity into making this production. But that is not enough. This work was ambitious, but fails quite comprehensively. Apparently there was no technical adviser, or he was not knowledgeable, or he was not listened to.

U-boat captains did not wear immaculate uniforms while on war patrol. All you have to do is watch Das Boot to know this, but it is well covered in the literature as well if you do your research.

WW-II torpedoes did not have proximity fuses. Come on! This blatant error is shown repeatedly during the film.

The continuity is very poor.

The dialog is laughable in places. In particular, official discourse during a WW-II war patrol just is not worded like that. Watch Das Boot or Run Silent, Run Deep to hear both official discourse and conversation in WW-II submarines. A U-boat skipper saying "I can't make this decision" in the heat of battle, or a U.S. chief of the boat saying "Hold your goddamn fire" is just silly.

It's silly to have US subs facing German U-boats. It was not a factor in the war; I believe there was only a single instance of it. There is rich opportunity available for a treatment of what really was a factor in the war: US subs facing Japanese vessels.

Summary: inconsistency is what you get here. The premise is not without interest, but the way it was handled would have better served an episode of The Twilight Zone. Maybe that's enough. That's why I gave it 5 stars instead of 1 or 2. I couldn't give it more, however, because the execution was simply too poor.