CLASSIC or ANTIQUE? Reach for Glory (1962)

                “Reach for Glory” is a British home front film.  It was based on the novel “The Custard Boys” by John Rae.  It was directed by Philip Leacock (“The War Lover”).  He was noted for making movies about children.  This one has some similarities to “Lord of the Flies”.  It is set in Great Britain during WWII.  The Blitz is going on and children have been evacuated to safer towns.  This creates conflict between the evacuees and the townies.

                 Some of the evacuated boys have formed a gang to play war games in preparation for when they will be old enough to be in the real game.  For instance, they chase a cat on their bikes.  The film uses some POV and tracking shots.  It intercuts between the boys and the cat and the pace quickens toward the climax.  Pretty nifty for a small film. There are some cute dream sequences where they imagine themselves in combat.  One of them is a fighter pilot which blends actual footage with him in the cockpit.  In another, the dreamer pulls a grenade with his teeth (I wonder where he got the idea you could do that?).  The boys are attending a military school and are part of the Army Cadet Force.  A new kid is mixed in.  He happens to be an Austrian Jew named Stein who they are suspicious of, but one of the boys pairs up with him and they grudgingly accept him.  This change in their makeup will have tragic consequences.  The gang has some run-ins of the fisticuff variety with the local boys.  One melee is surprisingly true to children brawling.  The movie balances the belligerency of the boys with the pacifism of one of the older brothers.  He is a conscientious objector who is imprisoned.

                “Reach for Glory” is a simple film, but it has a powerful message.  When you add the innocence of children to a wartime situation you get results that go to territory uncharted in a peacetime world.  This is not a new concept in war movies.  Other movies have explored the naivete of home front warrior wannabes and a few have concentrated on children.  One example would be “Hope and Glory”.  However, it is rare to put the boys in a military school so they are not just dreaming.  They have access to weapons, unfortunately.  Nothing happens that is inconceivable, if you know teenage boys.  Instead of putting the boys on an island, they are put in a town isolated from the bombings.  In addition to the naivete of wanting to be in the thick of it, the movie delves into the inevitable conflicts that arise when two different cultures are thrust together.  On a smaller scale, Stein is an outsider within their group.  Ironically, Stein has been affected the most by the war and yet he is the least gung-ho about facing the Germans.  There is also the conflict between belligerency and pacifism.  The movie is thought-provoking.  This is 1962 so it was possible to discuss conscientious objecting.

                For a low budget film, the movie is well made.  There is some interesting cinematography and the score reflects the activities and attitudes of teenage boys.  Most importantly, the young cast is up to the task.  Most notably, Michael Anderson, Jr. plays the leader of the gang.  Leacock gets believable performances from his young charges.  The movie probably drew a sizable young audience and in the middle of the Cold War hopefully it opened some eyes.  Today the Cold War is over, but the movie still holds up well since we will always have wars.   All war movies should be anti-war and this one certainly is, but there are still popular movies that sell war as glamorous to the younger generation.  “Reach for Glory” should be viewed by children of war movie lovers who share their movie watching with their kids. 

                Classic or antique?  Classic.

GRADE  =  B