WINGS (1977-78)

               “Wings” is a BBC program that ran from 1977-78. It is set on the Western Front in WWI. It focuses on observation planes in the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. At this time, military aviation was in its early stage. Because of the lack of flyable authentic aircraft, most of the flying was done with 1/6 scale radio-controlled models.

               The series begins with a blacksmith named Alan Farmer (Tim Woodward) enlisting in the Royal Flying Corps. Alan is 18-years-old and witnessed the death of his father in a plane crash. Instead of being dissuaded from flying, he insists that flying is in his blood. He lies and says he has flown before. A larger roadblock is he is lower class and the RFC is prejudiced in favor of proper gentlemen. This class divide is one of the major themes of the series. His fellow aviators are not welcoming and then are upset when he becomes an officer. Ironically, the nonpilots are resentful towards Alan because they don’t want to take orders from one of their own. Alan’s best friend is an upper-class Brit named Charles Gaylion (Michael Cochrane – Sharpes’ fans will recognize a young Simmerson). They will end up in a love triangle with Alan’s girlfriend. The leader of the squadron is a Capt. Owen Triggers (Nicholas Jones). As the series progresses, Triggers becomes the main character. He is a tough, but fair leader who prioritizes survival. Given the nature of air warfare, it is a tough task keeping his men alive.

The squadron is tasked with observation, mainly to aid artillery. Flying is dangerous because their aircraft (B.E.2) is prone to accidents. And ground fire is a serious threat. But more seriously, they have to deal with the German Fokker Eindecker. The Eindecker was the first effective fighter aircraft and initiated the Fokker Scourge period in 1915. The Eindecker was a monoplane that had a synchronized machine gun that fired through its propeller. It becomes the villain of the series. The B.E.2 is a sitting duck. The series does an excellent job depicting the pros and cons of the aircraft. Mostly cons. For instance, the observer sat IN FRONT of the pilot making defense more difficult. The Brits start by having the observer shoot a rifle! Then they attach a Lewis gun on the side of the pilot which means they have to fire at an angle.

               The series intercuts with life back home. In one episode, Alan’s mother goes to a silent movie that has a piano player in the theater. Alan’s mother and girlfriend represent friends and relatives of the RFC pilots. The war effects Alan’s relationship with Lorna. And then Charles enters her life. There are some soap opera aspects to the series. Besides the love triangle, the series has other cliches associated with WWI aviation films. They party with a captured German pilot. Charles drinks to deal with the stress. The airplane manufacturers are more concerned with profits than safety. The soldiers resent the easy chateau life of the flyers. The cynical squadron head.

The series manages to cover several interesting topics. An infantry officer visits Triggers to complain that observation flights give away British trench locations which leads to artillery bombardments. Alan spends some time in a trench to show the life of the soldiers as opposed to the life of a pilot. They go after German observation balloons. Triggers goes behind enemy lines with a female spy. One episode has Triggers returning to Great Britain to test a new fighter that will be built by his father’s factory. There is an episode about parachutes. They bomb a Zeppelin base. Alan is court-martialed because he escapes from a German fighter.

“Wings” is a must-see for combat aviation fans. It is unique in covering the role of observation aircraft in WWI. It had a limited budget, but the flying scenes are better than you would expect. The planes don’t look like models. The plots are entertaining and the characters, although stereotypes, are appealing. You have to admire them going up in those rattle traps.

 

GRADE =  B

The Hook (1963)

 

               “The Hook” is a Korean War movie set in the closing days of the war.  It was directed by George Seaton (36 Hours) and written by Henry Denker (Time Limit).  It was based on the novel L’Hamecon by Vahe Katcha.  The title of the movie is the translation of the book title.  It stars Kirk Douglas, three years after “Spartacus”.  The man did not let superstardom go to his head as this movie is about the opposite of “Spartacus” when it comes to budget and prestige.  It was dedicated to “the individual man.  For in the brief and quiet interludes between the loud and terrible noises of war, he is capable of great and revealing moments of nobility.”

               In June, 1950, a  merchant ship captures a downed North Korean pilot.  Sgt. Briscoe (Douglas) is ordered to kill the prisoner.  Although he believes orders are orders and does not want to jeopardize his career, he is unable to carry out the task.  He then tries to get Private Hackett (Nick Adams) or Private Dennison (Robert Walker) to do the job.  Hackett is Briscoe’s lackey (his “private private”) and Dennison is a sensitive type who reads books about Korean culture.  There is no Animal Mother anywhere to be found, so the execution is not going to come easy.  Meanwhile, the freighter is in dangerous waters which adds to the tension.

               This movie is a forgotten gem.  There are not a lot of good movies about the Korean War, but some of the good ones were minor productions like this and the aforementioned “Time Limit”.  In fact, it shares a similar vibe to that movie.  Both have the feel of plays and focus on morality.  This is especially apparent in the dialogue.  There are some good lines like when the captain says:  “It’s a sickness of this century that everyone must be right and everyone else must be wrong.”  The theme is the effect of war on humanity.  An individual’s humanity.  In this case, three individuals.  As the movie puts it:  “This is the story of men in war, not men at war.  And the two are not the same.”  It is very micro and concentrates on just three men and how they handle a moral dilemma.  The trio are well-cast and the acting is outstanding.  Adams and Walker were underrated actors and they hold their own with Douglas.  Douglas plays one of his more complex characters.  Briscoe is a heel, but he handles a difficult situation in a realistically human way.  Douglas taking this role is another example of the risk-taking that sets him apart from John Wayne.

               If you are a Kirk Douglas fan, you might want to catch this largely forgotten film.  It is a thought-provoking and suspenseful little movie.  While a bit preachy, it is a welcome addition to the truly anti-war film fellowship.

GRADE  =  B

Joe Maddison’s War (2010)

               “Joe Maddison’s War” is a BBC movie that is about an average Joe on the home front in WWII Britain.  It starts during the Battle of Britain and tracks Maddison’s (Kevin Whately) through his soap opera life impacted a little by the war.

               Maddison is a veteran of WWI, but as his son tells him:  “This is my generation’s war.”  He works in a shipyard and brings his lunch in a paper box on a string.  He’s a sad sack.  His is wife leaves him.  Who wouldn’t?  After the first bombing raid, he and his friend Harry (Robson Green) join the Home Guard.  Harry is a cynical wisecracker.  When Joe meets a comely lass named Selina, he will eventually have to make a choice between her and his wife who returns with a daughter.  This decision will take a few years as the movie draws it out for no particular reason.  Meanwhile, Joe and Harry become anti-aircraft gunners with no training.  They don’t need it as they shoot down the first bomber they aim at!  Harry gets in some trouble with a snooty officer, but at least something finally happens.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot else that happens in this languid movie.

               I would best describe this movie as inconsequential.  It has a good cast and they do their best, but there is only a bone to gnaw on.  There is no meat to the story.  It is a series of boring vignettes.  I will give it credit for being unpredictable, but that’s because I would not have predicted that over a four year period in the war, basically nothing of cinematic interest would happen.  By the way, don’t watch it if you are a Catholic.  Maddison lost his religion in WWI.  He goes against his local priest’s admonition to save his marriage.  When his wife leaves, he takes down her crucifix.

GRADE  =  D

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

 

 

            Ernest Hemingway’s novel came out in 1940 and it was movie-bound from the moment it became a bestseller.  It was the story of an American who joined the anti-fascists in the Spanish Civil War.  Paramount bought the rights and Dudley Nichols wrote the screenplay.  He took out any references to Francisco Franco and the Falangists.  I guess he didn’t want to offend fascists.  Sam Wood (“Command Decision”) directed.  Hemingway wanted Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman to play his two main characters.  The studio agreed to Cooper, but chose Vera Zorina for the role of Maria.  She had her hair cut short and she was dressed in drab clothing.  Like the character in the book.  When the executives saw some footage of her, they were appalled that her guerrilla warrior was not glamorous!  They brought in Bergman and beautified the character.  Bergman’s participation in the picture had a significant unintended consequence.  She had just made “Casablanca”.  Warner Brothers wanted to reshoot some scenes.  One of them involved replacing “As Time Goes By” with a different song.  She was not available, so the film stayed the way it was.  “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was the second highest grossing film in 1943.  It was critically acclaimed and was nominated for nine Academy Awards.  Katina Paxinou won for Best Supporting Actress.  The other nominations were for Best Picture (losing to “Casablanca”), Best Actor (Cooper lost to Paul Lukas for “Watch on the Rhine”), Best Actress (Bergman lost to Jennifer Jones for “The Song of Bernadette”), Best Supporting Actor (Akim Tamiroff), Cinematography (Color), Art Direction (Color), Editing, and Score. 

            The movie opens with a title card: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind and therefore send not to know ‘For whom the bell tolls, the bell tolls for thee.’”  (The quote actually comes from a book by John Donne.)  We are in Spain in 1937.  Robert Jordan (Cooper) is an American language teacher who has joined the Republicans fighting against Franco’s fascists.  He is an explosives expert and we see him sabotaging a train.  He gets away, but he has to shoot his wounded partner.  His next mission is to blow up a bridge.  He hooks up with a band of rebels led by Pablo.  Their lair is a cave in the mountains.  Pablo is against blowing up the bridge because he fears reprisals and the heat that his band will receive.  His wife Pilar (Paxinou) is one tough broad.  She overrules Pablo, calls him a coward and drunkard, and green lights the mission.  On the other end of the female spectrum is the lovely Maria.  She was rescued from the fascists.  She and Jordan fall in love.  There are going to be a lot of bumps in the road, but I don’t have to spoiler alert that there is going to be a blown up bridge.

            “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is a decent rendering of the famous novel.  It is faithful to the book, so students can write their book report from it instead of reading the book.  Or use AI. And it is in Technicolor, not black and white!  And did I mention it has explosions?  The movie hooks you early with the blowing up of a train and this is bookended by the railroad bridge demolition.  There’s also a bullet-expending ambush and a chase scene at the end.  For guys, these will balance the schmaltzy romance that is intertwined with the action scenes.

            The movie has a fine ensemble cast and the acting is stellar, with the surprising exception of Ingrid Bergman.  She is not believable as Maria.  Maria has seen her parents killed and has been raped by the fascists.  And yet, she is a cheerful person.  She’s just not believable.  Plus, she is much too beautiful to play a guerrilla gal.  Her love scenes with Cooper are rife with smarmy dialogue. In one scene, Jordan and Maria go to sleep after talking in gag-inducing frippery and when they wake up we have to sit through more of it.  Other than the smoochy stuff, the dialogue is fine. The characters are interesting.  Pablo is a spineless jerk, but he gets the films redemption arc.  Jordan is Gary Cooper playing himself.  He did not have to stretch much, but he is perfect in the role, as Hemingway foresaw.  Acting honors go to Oscar-deserving Paxinou.  Her Pilar is a blast (excuse the pun).  She not only should be running the band, she does run the band.  She gets a monologue on being ugly.  And she gets to pull a grenade with her teeth.  She is the first woman I have seen in a war movie who could have actually done that.

            The movie is technically sound.  The lighting for the nighttime scenes is excellent.  Something modern movies have a hard time pulling off.  The score is traditional drama music and the movie seldom does not have music, but it’s a good soundtrack and became the first movie soundtrack to be released as a record.

            The film is a bit predictable, especially if you are familiar with Hemingway’s style.  For instance, Jordan decides to blow up the bridge even though they find out that the purpose for the demolition is no longer in play. The film eschews a happy ending in favor of an appropriate finale for the Hemingway hero Jordan.  Maybe that is why it lost to “Casablanca”.  Jordan does not walk into the misty night with Pilar.

 

GRADE  =  B