weezeralfalfa
Well, OK my review title overemphasizes the frequent characterization of the Nazis as robotic bumbling fools, surely the most inept marksmen on the planet. The film also has its serious moments and themes.The costars: Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, and Raymond Massey, of the previous "The Santa Fe Trail", return to star in this Nazi-bashing Warner film, released in the midst of WWII. As usual, during this era, Massey plays the sinister villain, here in the guise of an important Nazi desk officer, who chases a downed British bomber crew across Germany, into Holland, before the 3 survivors manage a miraculous takeover of a captured British warplane from maybe 50 swarming Nazis, as their ticket back to the UK.In "Santa Fe Trail", Massey's John Brown is presented as a murdering madman, who thinks of himself as a messiah: not unlike Warner's perception of Hitler and the other Nazis. Now that the US was officially at war with the Axis, Warners no longer felt constrained to making Flynn-starring films, such as "Santa Fe Trail", "The Sea Hawk", and more obtusely "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Virginia City", in which the Nazis are allegorically represented by long past historical villains. Now, Warners could feel fully justified in releasing films scripted as taking place in the present, that gave hope that the Nazis and Japs could be defeated before they took over the entire world. Thus, a series of 5 Flynn-starring films promoting such hope was released between 1942-45. The present one was the first, and the only one scripted as taking place mainly within Germany. It also has the best balance of seriousness, humor and sentimentality, and includes excellent background music by Max Steiner. It's also the only one not focused on a single objective to accomplish. The bomber crew find themselves not only hitting several bomb targets, but unexpectedly undertaking a sabotage operation and engaging in espionage, when they steal Massey's important classified documents relating to an aircraft factory. Thus, I would guess this film to be the clear winner of the 5 films, as entertainment for audiences, including kids, of the time. However, when Flynn was slated to star in the last of the series : "Objective Burma", in which he again leads a small group on a long sojourn through enemy-held territory, he initially refused, until assured that a more realistic characterization of the Japanese would be followed.By including several acts of sabotage and help from a 'resistance' organization within the occupied country, this film established a theme central to most of the following films. Thus, in "Edge of Darkness" and "Uncertain Glory", the focus is on sabotage by 'resistance' organizations in occupied Norway or France, respectively. In "Objective Burma", as in the present film, external allied military personnel carry out the sabotage, before fleeing back to 'safe' havens.In contrast to the 3 films in this series, which include a leading lady romantic interest for Flynn for much of the film, there is no woman at all in "Objective Burma", and Nancy Coleman, who plays an anti-Nazi German helper in the present film, has very limited screen time, providing a very fleeting romantic interest for Flynn.Of the bomber crew, only 3 survive their various ordeals to get to Holland and beyond. Interestingly , none of the 3 is scripted as a Brit. Flynn, for once, is realistically scripted as an Australian, Reagan as an American, and Arthur Kennedy as a Canadian. Presumably, this is to emphasize the importance of a worldwide collaboration of all the British Commonwealth plus the USA in defeating the Axis. Apparently, the screenplay for this film was written before the USA was officially in the war. I was surprised that frequent film Flynn pal Alan Hale wasn't among the 3 survivors. Hale mainly served as the most consistent 'cut up' of the bunch, spitting BBs(presumably), as if spit balls, at his comrades and Nazis. But, Reagan gets his chance to shine as a comedian is his double-talk description of the workings of a new American bomber engine to a most perplexed Massey. During much of their overland journey, the fliers are wearing German uniforms they stole from dispatched Nazis. Flynn, as the only one who speaks German, provides the other essential ingredient in getting them accepted as genuine Nazi soldiers, in several key situations. Unfortunately, I don't understand German, but my impression was that much of the 'German' was Germanized gibberish. Correct?The long chase of the fliers in a stolen Nazi car, across the Dutch countryside, by Massey and his crew, in a car plus motorcycles, smacks of a Keystone cops chase. Why didn't the Germans shoot at their tires, instead of their smaller heads? Ditto in the later escape of our heroes in a stolen bomber surrounded by Nazis!The American-built Lockheed Hudson that the lucky 3 captured from the Germans was a 2-engine light bomber, most of which were sold to the RAF and Canadians for antisubmarine warfare and other smallish targets, reconnaissance, convoy protection, troop movement, spy transport, and training. Thus, their claim to have trained in this type of bomber is quite feasible.Flynn's parting ambition: to fight the Japs, would later come true in "Operation Burma": a more serious war film, except that in the main confrontation, the Japs fell like so many dominoes, like the Nazis in the stolen bomber scene. Flynn, of course, tried to become a real fighting man in the war, but was deemed physically unfit.
sol1218
***SPOILERS***Entertaining but utterly mindless allied WW II propaganda movie that has a group of downed allied pilots, American Australian and British, trek their way across hundreds of miles of enemy territory from the German/Polish border to Holland and the English channel with no more then a company of German troops to stop them. This gang of five with two of them Sgt. Llyod Hollis II & Sgt. Kirk Edwards , Ronald Sinclair & Alan Hale, not making it back are lead by Flight Lt. Terry Forbes, Erroll Flynn, who seem for the most part to live charmed lives. They amazingly gets themselves out of one tight squeeze after another with the help of a number of British & American supporting German civilians helping them, putting the lives of themselves and their families on the line, along the way.The task to get these allied fliers into custody falls on the shoulders of German Major Otto Baumeister, Raymond Massey, who at first screwed up by letting them get the best of him and making their escape after Maj. Baumeister's men had initially captured them. The movie then turns into a Willie Coyote Road Runner cartoon with Maj. Baumeister playing the part of the thankless and frustrated Willie Coyote who no matter how hard he tries just can't get his hands on his speedy adversity, the escaped allied fliers, even with the help of the entire German Whermacht and Lufftwaffe.The escaped fliers who include future US President and leader of the Free World Ronald Wilson Reagan, as the wise cracking US fly-boy Johnny Hammond, have a field day in making the Germans look both incompetent and ridicules as they hopelessly bumble their way through the movie in trying to apprehend them. Forbes Hammond & Co. easily make their way to the English Channel, knocking out dozens of Germans on the way, with the only thing stopping them from making it back home is that their car, carjacked from the German Army, ran out of gas.Just when you would think that it's curtains for Lt. Forbes and fly-boy Hammond together with numbers man, or accountant, Jed Forrest, Arthur Kenndey, Lord and behold there's a British Lockeed Hudson bomber materializing right before their eyes as if it were a desert mirage! The Lockeed Hudson happens to be the very plane that the trio were trained to fly and there it is right there for them to hijack and fly back to England! The dastardly and not at all cricket Germans were going to use the Birtish bomber to sneak over the channel and knock out the Battersea Waterworks that, among other things, supply the water for the London Fire Department! Only the scheming and not on the level Nazis would think of something as evil as that being that the waterworks are the reason that kept London from burning down during the German Blitz of 1940/41!Forbes Hammond & Forrest gun down scores of hapless Germans, who have no idea in how to use firearms, together with the luckless Maj. Baumeister as the Lockeed Hudson finally takes off with Jed Forrest getting shot at least a half dozen times and surviving with only a minor flesh wound. On their way home to England Johnny Hammond just couldn't resist, against orders, to drop the bomb destined for the Battersea Waterworks on a German gun battery aimed at Dover England knocking it out of commission. All this happens without a single Lufwaffe plane or German anti-aircraft artillery battery in sight to stop the dynamic trios escape!Within sight of the White Cliffs of Dover and freedom Flight Lt. Forbes radios in that he's looking forward to go to Australia, his home, and get a crack at the "Japs". If the "Japs" are anywhere as helpless and buffoonish as their German allies in the movie "Desperate Journey" it will be nothing more then a walk in the park, and not at all desperate, for Forbes to deal with them.
edwagreen
With Errol Flynn, Nancy Coleman, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale and Arthur Kennedy in a picture, how bad can it be? Not at all. "Desperate Journey" is an exciting fast paced film about American and British soldiers inside Nazi Germany after their bombing plane crashes.There is plenty of excitement as they try to evade their captors, the head being a very German-like Raymond Massey in another of his stellar performances. Alan Hale and Sig Ruman, the latter in one scene, bring comic relief.Of course, there is the cliché speech of Nancy Coleman, a German helping the allies, who stays despite the fact that the Nazis know her whereabouts. Her speech about patriotism is familiar but keenly on target.We have exciting chase scenes, and wonderful sabotage by our heroes inflicted upon Massey and his group of vultures.A wonderful war-time journey that should be viewed by all.
