greenforest56

The production values of this picture are excellent. You can tell from the sets and costumes a lot of money was spent. The great weakness of this film is the script and acting technique. The script is straight 19th century maudlin melodrama. Unfortunately, the acting technique is the same. Lines are delivered in a stilted, formal manner common to the stage of an earlier era instead of the more natural technique we are accustomed to seeing in film today. The 30's was indeed a transition period in acting technique: the over wrought melodramatic technique of the silent pictures and stage in the early thirties to the natural technique finally adopted in the late 30's. Of course, the plot itself is implausibly melodramatic "love conquers all" for "world peace" kind of thing. Still, for a film student its still worth watching for the fine directing.

This show is excellent. One thing I like about it is that it is as good as Deadwood but without the profanity and bare boobies. It is just as authentic, the characters are just as well drawn and compelling and the drama just as good. It sometimes disturbs me that Hollywood thinks that shows like Deadwood or Sparticus succeed because they are so vulgar and profane when, in fact, they succeed in spite of it. The profanity in Deadwood often detracted from the characters and the drama rather than adding to it. There was so much of it that it was obvious that it was sometimes forced. Sparticus and Rome, too, could have succeeded quite easily with half the nudity and vulgarity. I am no prude. My objections are artistic. I think that Hollywood is denigrating its art and talent unnecessarily. There is a place for that at times, when the art demands it. But that place is much smaller than Hollywood thinks.

No, I cannot praise this show highly enough. Like the afore mention shows, I am addicted and cannot keep from watching it. Nor am I easy to please. I do not watch television and have not for years, neither broadcast nor cable. I am quite choosy about what I watch and few shows make it over the bar. This one has.

Also, as a historian I have noted this show is dead on in accuracy: weapons, clothes, tools, food, etc. Altogether, I highly recommend this show.

My uncle was a 19 year old bombardier in 1943 flying B-17s in the 8th AF. He was shot down over Kastle bombing the factory that made FW 190s. He was shot down on the 2nd bomb run over the target, the first was scrubbed because a smoke screen shrouded the target. The air commander ordered an abort and a 2nd go around. This was considered suicidal because now the AA gunners would have the planes zeroed in. My uncle was shot down on the 2nd run. It was his 24th mission. One more and he would have gone home.

So this movie was very striking to me. Not just an old history film. A 'command decision' got my uncle shot down, but it was the right decision. They were there to win the war and that was how you did it.

As a film, this movie is excellent, Gable is great and the rest of the cast is very good. The insertion of stock footage was smoothly done and kept the film from being a studio stage play. Altogether a good film worth watching.