Screaming Eagles
Screaming Eagles
NR | 27 May 1956 (USA)
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A group of young soldiers parachute into France in preparation for D-Day.

Reviews
Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
Spoonixel Amateur movie with Big budget
pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.
Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
JohnHowardReid Producers: Samuel Bischoff, David Diamond. Copyright 1956 by Allied Artists. No New York opening. U.S. release: 27 May 1956. U.K. release through Associated British-Pathé: September 1957 (sic). Australian release through Paramount: 4 December 1959 (sic). 7,310 feet. 82 minutes. Cut to 68 minutes in Australia in order to attract bookings as a supporting feature in suburban and rural cinemas.SYNOPSIS: "The Screaming Eagles", a platoon of battle-scarred soldiers, acquires a surly new recruit who saves the life of the lieutenant, who has been blinded in action. The two make their way to a German-held farmhouse, where...COMMENT: Despite the promising lure of its title, this turns out as a distinctly mediocre war picture, — thanks to little action, a bit of stock footage, and a whole bash of dreadfully routine dialogue. The script's characters are a tepid lot and no attempt is made to flesh them out. In fact, there are only two worthwhile performances: Jan Merlin as the boyish, personable lieutenant, and newcomer Jacqueline Beer. The direction is reasonably smooth, but dull and uninteresting.OTHER VIEWS: The familiar situation of the mixed-up outsider regenerated by the comradeship of battle, is here given a second- rate adventure story treatment. With ham-heroic acting and indifferent technique, it presents but a slight tribute to the 101st Airborne Infantry Division. — Monthly Film Bulletin.
sol ***SPOILERS*** True story about the US 101st Airborne divisions drop behind enemy lines in order to secure a number of bridges before the Germans could blow them up as the allies were about to launch the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It took a lot of explaining to his men for Lt.Pauling, Jan Marlin, to convince them to have drunk disorderly and a bit psychotic, that's after he got a Dear John letter from his girl back home, Pvt. Mason, Tom Tryon, to go along with them on their pre-invasion jump that could well have cost them all their lives by him screwing things up.Sobering up after a night of heavy drinking Pvt. Mason got his act together and in the end was responsible for getting his unit the 502th out of the mess that they, by over shooting their landing zone, got themselves into. From that point on it was a fight for survival for the paratroopers who were desperately trying to link up with their main force some 20 miles away. It was local French farm girl Marianne, Jackie Beer, who helped the paratroopers in her being able to speak and understand German that kept German POW Hans, Robert Boon, from alerting his fellow Nazis on the radio that there was something up, the 101st, behind their lines.Pvt. Mason who was at first accused of alerting the Germans by killing one, with his bayonet, just as he was about to open fire on him later proved his worth to the airborne unit by saving his commanding officer Lt. Pauling's life by taking his hand and guiding him back to the advancing allied troops after he was blinded by a flash from a Nazi's gun muzzle.Realistc film about the D-Day or pre-D-Day invasion with the American & allied troops suffering almost as many losses as the Germens did. We get to see just how hard it was to make the invasion a success with the mostly green US troops, many in combat for the first time, up against the best that the German Army had to offer. As for French girl Marianne she in the end became an honorary 101st Screaming Eagle for the help she provided in keeping the lost in the woods US paratroopers from all getting killed and captured by the German troops. As for Pvt. Mason he soon forget about his Dear John letter from the states and finally got down to business in fighting the war that he ignored, by drinking himself drunk, for so long.
bkoganbing Screaming Eagles is the story of a company that dropped into France hours before the dawn of D-Day and what happened to them. If you saw The Longest Day and remember the characters of Robert Ryan and John Wayne you know what the total mission of the 101st Airborne Division was. This film could probably be edited right into The Longest Day, but for the presence of Tom Tryon who starred here and was also one of the many stars in The Longest Day. Jan Merlin plays the Lieutenant in charge of Dog company and just before zero hour for them, Private Tryon gets himself stinking drunk as soldiers are wont to do on occasion. But this wasn't the time for it and the rest of the squad reluctantly takes him along. Of course Tryon pulls himself together and comes through for his unit as you would expect he would in this film. The odyssey of this company is the subject of the film. Very few make it through to link up with the rest of 101st Airborne.Merlin spouting all kinds of philosophical dicta was out of place in a war film of this kind. And quite frankly in the real world Tryon would have been sent to the stockade and court marshaled. Then maybe he might have gotten to the continent later in the war.Former Miss France Jacqueline Beer makes an appearance in Screaming Eagles as a French farm girl who helps our GIs. The film is an Allied Artists Production and shot on the cheap. Still it is entertaining and exciting in spots and the battle sequences are well done. War film fans might like it.
patsw Tom Tryon's first movie. He is over the top as being the most unlikeable soldier in the 101st Division. Some 20 miles behind German lines on Day-D minus 12 hours they are casually taking prisioners. They encounter a tri-lingual French woman for sweet talking the Germans who let them pass thru to the American lines in the North. It's all highly improbable. The bad attitude shown by Private Mason (Tryon) should have gotten him transfered into a less critical position. I think of all the unlikely things in this movie, the fact that no one beats the stuffing out of Mason is the most unusual thing about the movie. Another strange thing about this movie, is that the unit doesn't accomplish its mission, you get reminded at the end what they were supposed to do in the first place.
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