THEIR FINEST HOUR: FIVE BRITISH WWII CLASSICS -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 3/28/2020

 

Film Movement Classics' five-disc Blu-ray collection THEIR FINEST HOUR: 5 BRITISH WWII CLASSICS brings together some of the absolute best British war films of the 40s and 50s, all beautifully restored (fans of rich old-style black and white photography should find them a visual treat) and augmented with plenty of bonus features.

Here are our impressions of each film:


DUNKIRK (1958)

While I loved Christopher Nolan's recent version of this particular WWII historical event, many criticized it for not supplying viewers with a more substantial backstory leading up to it.

The 1958 film, DUNKIRK, does just that, giving us much more of a lead-up to what happened and why, detailing the collapse of the British military's defense of France from the overwhelming German invasion and their subsequent retreat to the beaches at Dunkirk where a rescue effort descended into carnage and chaos.

In traditional Ealing Studios fashion, this is filmed in beautiful, no-frills black and white which gives everything more of a gritty realism.

It also reflects that studio's fondness for depicting the basic goodness and integrity of the British people when faced with a unifying adversity that threatened to strike at the very heart of their entire existence.

The first half of the story follows a ragtag group of soldiers separated from the rest of their unit and wandering about rural France under the reluctant command of a callow corporal (John Mills) who suddenly finds himself the highest ranking officer.

We get to know this likable bunch as they march through pastoral settings that suddenly turn into blazing life and death situations where even civilian refugees are slaughtered by strafing planes and missile shells.

Meanwhile, British civilians back home are gearing up to launch their small seagoing craft to aid in the rescue effort across the channel at Dunkirk.  Bernard Lee, who played "M" to Sean Connery's James Bond, willingly lends his own boat to the cause, while a young Richard Attenborough (THE GREAT ESCAPE) initially finds himself lacking the necessary courage for such a perilous venture.

The spectacular cinematic depictions of these events include countless extras in explosive battle action, ships filled with escapees being bombed and sunk, and other cinematic wonders.  Ultimately, however, it's the heroism of both soldiers and civilians that is honored by the makers of DUNKIRK. 


THE DAM BUSTERS (1955)

Back in the early days of WWII a man named Dr. Wallis (Michael Redgrave) comes up with a way for a squadron of bomber planes, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Richard Todd), to cause chaos to German industry by blowing up some of that country's biggest dams.

THE DAM BUSTERS (1955) is the story of that incredible real-life mission which, despite a heavy death toll among its valiant participants, was a spectacular success.

It doesn't seem so at first, however, and much of the story tells of Dr. Wallis' difficulty in selling the idea--which involves releasing huge bombs over the water at extremely low altitudes and under heavy fire so that they skip across the surface of the water like stones until they collide with the dam--to the military brass.

Directed by Michael Anderson, the film proceeds slowly, methodically, almost like a detective yarn in which the mystery to be solved is how to make Dr. Wallis' seemingly fantastic idea come to pass in practical terms amidst skepticism and technical glitches.

During the slow buildup we get to know Commander Gibson and the men of his ace flying squadron as they prepare themselves for what may be a suicidal and ultimately fruitless mission.

Low-key and utterly lacking in flash and sensationalism, this is a quietly engrossing, impeccably rendered story which finally evolves into one of the most thrilling, nailbiting war thrillers to come out of the British film industry.

So exciting and well-mounted is the sustained final dam-busting sequence, in fact, that George Lucas used much of it as the inspiration for the Death Star attack in STAR WARS. 

Here, the cinematic potential of the event is fully and brilliantly explored, with special effects that are amazing for the time. This includes some beautiful miniatures, matte shots, and even cel animation to augment the live action footage. In addition, the crisp black and white photography is consistently good throughout the film.

The cast features some familiar faces in minor roles (including a young Robert Shaw of JAWS) as well as lead stars Michael Redgrave, whose Dr. Wallis is likably mild-mannered and earnest, and Richard Todd, a fearless yet human hero whose love for his ever-present canine companion (in a heart-tugging subplot) humanizes him.

From a book by Paul Brickhill (THE GREAT ESCAPE), adapted by R.C. Sherriff (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, OLD DARK HOUSE, THE INVISIBLE MAN), THE DAM BUSTERS is a literate, satisfying film that brings these thrilling true events to life without sensationalism but with a subtle, human touch.


ICE COLD IN ALEX (1958)

A ragtag group of British army soldiers and nurses in a beat-up ambulance must undertake a hazardous desert crossing in Northern Africa to escape a beseiged Tobruk in this WWII thriller, ICE COLD IN ALEX (1958).

The group is led by a battle-weary alcoholic named Captain Anson (John Mills in fine form) and also includes stalwart Sergeant Major Pugh (an equally good Harry Andrews), dedicated nurse Sister Diana Murdoch (the lovely Sylvia Syms) and her nerve-wracked companion Sister Denise Norton (Diane Clare).

Along the way they pick up stranded South African officer Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle), a brawny, overbearing fellow who never lets his backpack out of his sight. This arouses the suspicion of the others, who suspect him of being a German spy.

What follows is one of those grueling, tensely-absorbing cinematic ordeals that manages to keep us on edge even in the story's quieter moments.  The harsh, arid desert not only drains them physically but also contains such perils as a deadly minefield, a bog of quicksand, and the occasional unit of German soldiers. 

We're also constantly worried about the dire condition of their vehicle, which threatens to give out on them at any moment. This is especially daunting when the group is forced to make their way into the worst stretch of desert imaginable with little hope of reaching the other side.

Character interactions are nicely done, with fine performances by all. (Familiar faces in minor roles include Liam Redmond and Walter Gotell.) The film also boasts fine black and white photography and a rousing musical score.

Direction is by J. Lee Thompson, whose career included such widely-varied films as THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, MACKENNA'S GOLD, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN.

The human element of the story (including an unlikely hint of romance) comes to a satisfying end during a final reckoning with Captain van der Poel. After all the action, adventure, and suspense that has come before, this memorable resolution is ultimately what makes ICE COLD IN ALEX such a rewarding experience.


THE COLDITZ STORY (1955)

Stalwart British screen mainstay John Mills leads the cast once again in THE COLDITZ STORY (1955), based on the true account of Colditz Castle escapee Major Pat Reid.

This medieval fortress in the frosty wilderness of Saxony, with its high stone walls and ancient parapets, provides a unique backdrop for a WWII Allied prisoner-of-war drama in comparison to the familiar setting of big wooden barracks in the middle of a forest.

With the exquisite black and white photography common to such 1950s-era British war films, director Guy Hamilton--who would later helm such James Bond films as GOLDFINGER and LIVE AND LET DIE--has fashioned a gripping tale of men from various countries such as England, Poland, and France all banding together to constantly try and escape the clutches of their ever-wary German captors.

Where the later prison-camp epic THE GREAT ESCAPE spent much time following the progress of its heroes as they tunnelled their way to freedom, THE COLDITZ STORY opens with its characters already in the midst of tunneling, to the point where two competing tunnels, each unaware of the other, inadvertently merge with each other beneath the floorboards of the castle.

The rest of the film recounts several different escape attempts in episodic fashion, even down to individual men scrambling over the barbed wire for a mad dash toward the surrounding woods, until finally there's a unified plan to get several men out dressed as German officers.

This takes up much of the film's latter half and keeps the viewer on edge as the attempt plays out under the cover of a variety performance in the prisoners' theater hall which is attended by German officers and guards.

Despite some grim elements, much of the story is in a rather lighthearted vein, especially when the Allies manage to get the better of their captors in small ways that usually end with some stuffy German officer suffering the derisive laughter of the prisoners.

The more dramatic scenes involve such confrontations as the Allied commander ordering a man not to attempt an escape disguised as a German officer because his unusual height, the discovery of an informant whose family has been threatened if he doesn't cooperate, and other more sobering developments.

The cast is superb, with John Mills giving his usual fine performance along with such familiar faces as Theodore Bikel, a likable and startlingly young Lionel Jeffries, and the great Anton Diffring, who was practically born to play WWII German officers.

A bit unfocused at first with its various subplots and detours into humor, as well as a musical score so bombastic it makes Albert Glasser sound subtle, THE COLDITZ STORY eventually comes together into a gripping suspense tale which stands as one of the superior WWII prisoner-of-war films of the 1950s.



WENT THE DAY WELL? (1942)

I've seen several classic British WWII films of the 40s and 50s recently, but Ealing Studios, known mainly for such dryly amusing post-WWII British comedies as WHISKY GALORE!, THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT, and PASSPORT TO PIMLICO, surprises by delivering what may be the most entertaining and gripping war thriller of the bunch.

WENT THE DAY WELL? (1942) is utterly novel in that it begins just like one of Ealing's easygoing pastoral comedies, taking us to the secluded English village of Bramley End and introducing us to its tightly-knit community of endearingly eccentric inhabitants.

Here, they're getting on with their leisurely-paced lives even as the war in Europe rages across the channel, always mindful of their own loved ones fighting in it (as well as those in the local guard) and ready to defend their own shores if the need arise.

This comes sooner than expected when the garrison of Royal Engineers entering their village and warmly welcomed by its people turn out to be undercover German paratroopers paving the way for an invasion.

Their takeover is sudden and brutal, their rule backed by violence and terror while the first escape attempt is punished by having five of their children condemned to be shot.

The idea of the usual Ealing comedy suddenly taking a sharp turn into gritty, savage realism is, to say the least, jarring, especially when we see certain warmly endearing characters shot or bayoneted for standing up to their captors in the defense of their country and their fellow villagers.

Suspense builds as the Germans' harsh methods drive the people to take decisive action while a company of British soldiers is still en route to rescue them, resulting in a sustained battle sequence which, taking place in ordinary settings and involving the most ordinary of country folk, is unique in the annals of war thrillers.

The cast is superb, including Hitchcock veteran Leslie Banks as a trusted villager who turns out to be a German spy and is thus one of the film's most despicable villains.  Alberto Cavalcanti's direction of the story by Graham Greene is unerringly precise, with Ealing's usual impeccable black and white photography.

It may be the fact that I'm still flush with excitement after having just watched it, but I'm moved to proclaim WENT THE DAY WELL? as one of the finest and most edge-of-the-seat thrilling war films I've ever seen. It's certainly unique in my experience, as well as deeply resonant on a purely emotional level.



Buy it from Film Movement Classics


Blu-ray Features

The Colditz Story:
Colditz Revealed documentary
Restoration Comparison
The Dam Busters:
The Making of The Dam Busters
Sir Barnes Wallis Documentary
617 Squadron Remembers
Footage of the Bomb Tests
The Dam Busters Royal Premiere
Restoration of a Classic
The Dam Busters TrailerDunkirk:
Dunkirk Operation Dynamo Newsreel
Young Veteran Ealing Short
Interview with actor Sean Barrett
John Mills home movie footageIce Cold In Alex:
Extended Clip from A Very British War Movie Documentary
John Mills Home Video Footage
Interview with Melanie Williams
Steve Chibnall on J. Lee Thompson
Interview with Sylvia Syms

24-page booklet with essay by film writer and curator Cullen Gallagher

Sound: Mono
Discs: 5
Available 3/31/20