Hellen
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Maleeha Vincent
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Dalbert Pringle
You know, from where I was sitting, I thought that this rather oddball, 1958, WW2 drama was really expecting just a little too much of the viewer by asking them to believe that Natalie Wood, as the Monique Blair character, was, in fact, half-black (or "Negro").I'd say that if Monique's father was, indeed, black (he is never seen in the movie), then, by looking at Natalie Wood who played his daughter, then he must've been the absolute most whitest looking black man on the entire face of the Earth. I kid you not! To me, the casting of Wood as Monique was a grave mistake, especially in a film whose story was apparently striving for believability. There was no way that she could've have ever convinced anyone that she had even a single drop of Negro blood in her veins.Had Wood's character been of mixed-race of, say, Japanese heritage, then, yes, I could've been convinced of that. But Negro!? Ha! No way, Jose!Other than that valid beef, this picture (concerning a decidedly silly, melodramatic love triangle) was corny, clichéd and too predictable (Hollywood-style) to be at all considered worthwhile entertainment.Set in and around a small town along the French Riviera, this film's attempt at dealing maturely with such issues as racism missed the mark, big-time.Though it did contain some intense battle scenes (seemingly thrown in for good measure), these, in turn, did nothing to alleviate the overall monotony that prevailed in this trite, little soap opera.
nomoons11
I think around this time is when Sinatra was big pals with Sammy Davis Jr. so getting involved in a film a subject matter like this was probably something he thought he should do.Basic premise is Sinatra gets to liking a girl in town, when he's on liberty in France, but she's hesitant to getting involved with him. She finally tells him that's her father was a black man. She tells him the basic background of her father and white mother and why they came to France. Back in those times it was it was a common site over there (like Josephine Baker). He takes his time and finally decides he's OK with it but a problem occurs by-way-of Tony Curtis. He's a spoiled little rich kid who gets into the army. He basically has a way with women and gets whatever he wants. He meets Sinatras girl and decides he loves her. This causes issues of course.I won't talk about the big "gasp" in the movie but needless to say, whether you believe in miscegenation or not, you'll probably agree at what Tony Curtis has comin to em at the end.This one is certainly not an award winner but all in all...a decent film
Ithiliensranger
Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtiss, and Natalie Wood, make a good trio cast in these roles. The movie, for its day, was a good one, but I think this could be a prime one for a remake. The screenplay had all the right elements in it, but the order was tweaked to make the ending into a Hollywoodish, happier ever after story. The book by Joe David Brown (called Combat Mission) had it end in a much darker way than was acceptable for movies in 1958.It could be done correctly these days, filmed in a dark nor style in wartime of 1943-44. They only worries I would have is with the current rash of remakes hitting the theaters, it would be done sloppily and the cast would be sub par. I could see a remake done with a low/average budget using good, young, unknown actors in the roles with the emphasis put on the accuracy of the original story. Also, an average amount of CGI in the battle scenes (read no overkill), and I think a remake would redeem itself at the box office.
Poseidon-3
Maybe 1958 wasn't the best year to present a story like this in a mainstream Hollywood film, but perhaps the producers really wanted to get it out there the best way they could. Censorship and various social taboos made it difficult to present it in a way that would really send it across. As it is, it's somewhat muddled but does contain some entertaining scenes. Sinatra (who also narrates the film in increasingly intrusive and annoying voice-overs) plays a lieutenant stationed in France during WWII. He comes upon a lovely young girl (Wood) who catches his eye and he attempts to get to know her better. However, she is reluctant to let their relationship progress and her mother (Dana), though she admires Sinatra as well, feels the same way. It's all because Wood has a rather shattering secret. Sinatra eventually deals with it okay, but when he introduces his buddy Curtis to Wood, they wind up hitting it off and Sinatra is odd man out. (It should be noted that the young lovers are amazingly insensitive during this part of the movie!) Later, when Curtis mistreats Wood, Sinatra is ready to slit him from ear to ear, but then they are thrust together into a highly dangerous mission behind enemy lines and have to rely on one another for survival. Sinatra does a fine job for the most part and has several simmering scenes with Curtis. Wood, though perhaps not the very best choice for her role, is beautiful and solid as well. She brings quite a bit of heart to her portrayal. Curtis, always at home as a lout and a cad, brings these qualities across well. Even more bizarre casting than Wood is Dana. At age 36, she is done up in heavy (and bad) age makeup in order to play her middle-aged character. It's a role that had to be a slightly daring one in those times and perhaps not too many actresses were lining up for it, but she comes out rather oddly. She does have one extended scene with Sinatra that's good, nonetheless. Few other performers appear at all as the story concentrates on these four people. There are a few interesting battle sequences and a couple of highly-charged dramatic scenes, but the film is never as sensible as one might like. The characters' motivations and feelings seem to change on a dime. Also, elements from the source novel were changed in a way that doesn't help the story remain cohesive. By the end, Sinatra has a war injury that he enacts rather well. It's worth a look for fans of the stars, but isn't nearly memorable enough or powerful enough to leave a huge impression.