May 31 movie: 36 Hours. James Garner plays an Air Force major who is captured by the Germans and told that the war's been over for 6 years, the Allies won, and he's had amnesia all that time. They trick him into revealing critical information about the invasion of Normandy, but then he realizes he's been duped and convinces them the info was a red herring. Great supporting work by Eva Marie Saint as a concentration camp survivor and Rod Taylor as the German expert on amnesia. Also a small part for John Banner (Sgt. Shultz of Hogan's Heroes) as a pleasantly venal German Home Guard who helps them escape. Alas, he doesn't get to say "I know nothing!"
The major plot detail I had a problem with was the idea that anyone who knew so much about the Normandy landing (the code names of all the troops and where exactly they were going to land) would ever be put in a position where he might be captured. Unfortunately I missed the first few minutes so I don't know how the capture supposedly took place.
Other than that, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Mainly a psychological thriller, it's unusual as war movies go. I loved Rod Taylor in The Time Machine and he's excellent here as well. Like Operation Crossbow, this movie also has some very dark moments. For instance at one point Eva Marie Saint asks Garner not to touch her because she had been raped repeatedly in the concentration camp. I've been thinking about why these movies (both made in 1965) would be more brutal than earlier WWII films. Of course people die in most all war movies, but the overall picture usually isn't as grim. Maybe war movies made during or just after the war wanted to inspire people and give them courage, not remind them of the horrors of war.
Post a comment