Before I begin my movie review, I'd like to once again put in a plug for the "Project Blue Book" series, which aired on The History Channel from 2019-2020. I just finished watching Season Two, and I must say that it's not only the best show of it's kind since The X-Files, but in my opinion it equals that series in every respect, and carries on it's motto, that "The Truth is Out There". Unfortunately, it was canceled after only two seasons, and maybe History is not the best venue for straight-up dramatic television. Perhaps they were trying to expand their audience, I dunno, but isn't it huge enough already? The good news is that there is a petition circulating, initiated by a fan of the show on Change.org, to continue it on another network. As of tonight there are over 26,000 signatures, including mine (signed a little while ago). Their goal is 35K.
Apparently other shows have been rescued from oblivion by organised fan support, and I recall that the Twin Peaks sequel received similar assistance from the fan base when David Lynch threatened to walk away after Showtime refused him creative control. The petitions in that case resulted in Lynch getting everything he wanted. He ended up directing all 18 episodes, of what this fan considers to be his overall artistic masterpiece. So as far as petitions go, there might be hope for Blue Book yet. In the meantime, you should immediately binge-watch the twenty episodes that are available. If you don't become hooked, I'll give you your 15 hours back. Hmmm, how could I do that? Maybe become your servant for a day or two?
But the thing is, that would never happen. Because once you watch this show, it's like Lay's Potato Chips, and you know what that means. So start watching. And sign the petition when you're done. Thanks. /////
Now on to tonight's movie, I found an interesting docudrama, produced by the Royal Air Force Film Production Unit, entitled "School For Danger"(1944). The story follows two British agents, a man and a woman, as they train to pose as French citizens during the Occupation of that country. Their physical training is rigourous, for they are set to parachute into the French countryside and then make their way to a village where they will meet their contacts. Their mission is to recruit members of the local populace for the Resistance movement, which will engage in acts of sabotage against the occupying German army. Besides their military training, the pair of agents are taught to speak French in the local accent (they were both already fluent in the language). They must also memorize the details of their new identities, and finally, they are given cyanide pills in the event they are caught.
One cool thing about this film is that the two agents are played by themselves, the real people who lived the mission. In this respect, the movie - which is played as a drama - has the same authenticity as another RAF production we saw recently, "Coastal Command", with it's dashing pilots acting in their own roles in that picture.
The direction in "School For Danger" is a little stiff compared to "Coastal" (and who directs RAF movies anyway?) but it's still chock full of fascinating - and actual - spy manoeuvers. I could watch a hundred of these films and will be looking for more.
Last night's movie was in a similar vein. I got a Youtube recommendation for a flick called "The House on 92nd Street", starring Tyrone Power lookalike William Eythe as a German-American college grad who is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring operating in New York. Like the RAF films, this movie was made with official help, in this case the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is likewise presented as a docudrama with footage of actual FBI operations interwoven with the dramatic narrative. It's kind of mindblowing, and not in a good way, that Nazis were able to set up small intelligence groups here in the US, but I suppose I'm shocked mainly because it is something we never learned in history class.
"92nd Street" was directed by the great Henry Hathaway, and despite being produced as war propaganda, it has more of a traditional "box office" feel to it than do the British pictures. If you take away the newsreel inspired narration, and the footage of FBI employees at work, it plays like a traditional dramatic movie with famous actors, including Lloyd Nolan, who plays the FBI inspector overseeing William Eythe, who has to walk an extremely fine line in pretending to sympathize with the fascistic German nationals living on American soil. Even though Eythe is on his home turf, in New York City, he is hampered by American democratic rules. This is a good thing, and in the movie it shows the power of the 1st Amendment at work.
But his life is also at risk, in his own country by people who are loyal to a foreign power, and because of our legal processes, they cannot be arrested without sufficient evidence, even though they would not hesitate to kill Eythe in a split second if they discovered he was an agent.
Such is the difference in our system from that of the Russians or Chinese, say what you will about America. And now we are at a crossroads trying to decide how to deal with nutcases like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and other Q-Anon crazies in the Republican Party, and - even worse - the Republican wimps who will not denounce them. Again, say what you will about America - and we'd better be careful because folks like Ms. Greene are dead serious in their opposition - but if this were Russia or China, what do you suppose would be her fate? She's fortunate, as are we all, to live in a country with freedom of speech. ////
Having said that, I hope she gets shut down big time. And all these other right wing kooks as well. We didn't go through two World Wars in the last century only to end up with a contingent of crazies fighting for the national directive. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater. Freedom of speech only extends so far, and as the Brits could tell you, fascism is always just around the corner. Better to shut it down now, here in the USA.
See you in the morning. Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment