Tonight's movie was "Immortal Sergeant" (1943) starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, found in a Library search for WW2 flicks. Fonda plays a Canadian corporal serving with the British Army in North Africa, early in the war. Two quickies must be pointed out :
1) As Canada was part of the British Commonwealth, they entered the war almost immediately, over two years before America. So, Canadian troops sometimes fought alongside the British.
2) Please remember the correct pronunciation of "British". Don't forget to roll and extend your Rs and make a strong "B" sound to start with, like a punch in the nose.
You could also take a few moments to ponder the whole "Britain", "Great Britain", "United Kingdom", "British Commonwealth" and "England" thing. We talked about it in a blog not too long ago, and lo and behold, Chris Hayes brought it up on MSNBC the other night, because Trump apparently got the various titles all mixed up. This was without doubt the only time I would ever say I sympathize with Trump, and whatever you do, don't quote me on that or take my words out of context! But even Chris Hayes agreed that the whole thing is confusing, and I only mention Trump because he was the reason Hayes brought it up. I bring it up because I mentioned it first. If I ever go to England, I am going to knock on the door of Buckingham Palace and ask, "Excuse me, but what's the deal with the multiple names, and could you please explain which is which"?
The whole thing is so Veddy Brritissh. They are still under the impression that they run the world, and perhaps they do. Or if they don't, they haven't become aware of it.
Well anyway, back to "Immortal Sergeant". Canadian soldier Fonda and his British platoon are sent off on a reconnaissance mission deep into the Libyan desert to scout Italian troop placements. Right here you have an unusual WW2 story, simply because the opponents are Brits and Italians, who are almost never mentioned in WW2 films, maybe because they were defeated fairly quickly. But Italy had control over Libya for a time (remember that Fiat was made in Libya), and the two countries were allies during the war. But anyway, Fonda is a good soldier, follows the orders of his trusted Sergeant, but when the Sergeant is killed by a sudden attack in the desert, Henry Fonda must take over the platoon and he doesn't want to. He is mild mannered and feels he cannot be a leader. But the dying Sergeant orders him to take command, and he does so. Because of the extreme hardship he and his men find themselves in - lost in the desert without water - he slowly summons up the fortitude to become the man the Sergeant envisioned him to be. During a long segment at a desert oasis occupied by German troops, newly confident Fonda starts to "channel" the Sarge. He hears the dead Sergeant's voice guiding him through the situation, giving him confidence to make an almost impossible sneak into the Kraut captured Oasis territory, in order to fill some water bottles for his men.
In doing this, his proves his mettle. He is no longer a loyal but meek follower. Now he is a leader.
Interspersed with the war scenes are flashbacks, daydreamed and sleep-dreamed by Fonda, of his girl back home, Maureen O'Hara. The flashbacks are taken before the war, when he was competing for her attention with a very outgoing writer, a bon vivant who is sure of himself. The two men are friendly, though opposite in nature, and Miss O'Hara at first seems to favor the writer, because he is exciting. She sees something more in Henry Fonda's character, however, behind his reticence.
The flashback dream sequences serve as memories to motivate Fonda to take hold of a command he never wanted, in order to get him through the horrible situation he and his troops and in. he has his "eyes on the prize" of Maureen O'Hara, who he had been too unassuming to win over before the war. Now that he has been through a trial by fire, he knows she will be his, and even the garrulous writer agrees in the end. This time I've told you the whole plot, but it's really only the framework.
"Immortal Sergeant" is a different kind of World War Two film, almost an arty, introspective one that centers on a handful of soldiers and just a single mission. It's not a broad, expansive war film, thought there is some intense combat footage. It's more a human story, of a man finding himself and his inner strength in the toughest of situations.
I am not normally a huge Henry Fonda fan, even though he was a very good actor, just because he had a cold onscreen persona compared with other male stars of the Golden Era. That's not just my critique but what many have said about Fonda's onscreen presence, "earnest but cold". What came across as cold was probably an inner shyness or just a less than effusive personality. Not everyone is larger than life, take it from yours truly.
But Henry Fonda was still a major star despite his persona, and he was very good in almost every movie he was ever in. And he was perfect in this story about a man overcoming impossible odds in war, to find his inner strength. ////
That was all the news of the day, though I did have a nice evening walk at Aliso.
Only two bunnies were seen. Must have been their night off.
See you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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