Last night, another excellent film I'd never heard of : "Operation Crossbow"(1965), a WW2 movie in the mold of "Guns of Navarone" and the later (and recently watched) "Where Eagles Dare". In other words, it's an action/adventure flick rather than a full-on combat movie, involving the infiltration of an enemy stronghold. In this case, it's infused with a historical aspect you'll find quite interesting.
Have you ever heard of the Peenemunde rocket base? If not, you surely know of the V-1 and V-2 "flying bombs" that were developed by the Germans toward the end of the war. The "V"s are sometimes referred to as "revenge" or "desperation" weapons because by the time they were ready for use, the Allies had already invaded France and Germany was near defeat. Still, Hitler felt that if enough "V"s were launched, say 20,000 and especially the V2, London could be destroyed and the tide turned. In that respect he thought the V2 was a last minute game changer. The Peenemunde base was located in northeastern Germany on the coast of the Baltic Sea, and in the movie, British Intelligence has discovered it's existence through aerial reconnaissance. Photographic analysis has further revealed the probability of a rocket being developed there, and the decision is made to bomb it. Peenemunde is more or less put out of commission, but the Germans respond by moving their V2 operations underground, at what appears to be a base on the inside of a mountain.
That is the overall setup, but what's so interesting about "Crossbow" is some of the history it provides. For instance, a fair amount of time is devoted to showing the development of the V-1. You've probably seen a picture of it; it looks like a little jet with a tube on top. In the movie, the Germans are testing it, launching the V-1 on these long upwardly slanting rails toward the ocean. But the tests reveal a navigational issue, a rightward tilt, so their engineers modify the weapon to include a cockpit. Now a crack pilot will fly the V-1 in further tests to analyse the problem. After several pilots are killed, a woman named Hanna Reitsch volunteers. She was a legendary female test pilot and a favorite of Der Fuhrer. She successfully completes her test of the V-1 and figures out the deficiency. From that point, the V-1 is immediately used to bomb London, until the British line their coast with anti-aircraft guns and begin to shoot them down.
This attention to historical detail is fascinating, and gives the movie an extra dimension missing from similar pictures. In "Crossbow", stars George Peppard and Sophia Loren don't even appear until the 30 and 45 minute marks, respectively. In Loren's case, though she has star billing, it's only to attract box office. Her role as the wife of a Dutch scientist is brief though important (and heart wrenching).
Once the V2 program is moved underground, the only way to attack it is from the inside, through infiltration. Peppard plays a USAAF Lieutenant whose engineering background and fluency in German make him a perfect candidate for the British undercover scheme. They plan to deliver several "rocket scientists" into the facility, under false identities taken from dead men. The "scientists", supposedly Dutch and German nationals either forcibly or voluntarily working for the Germans, will then perform their assigned duties while taking notes on the rocket facility, it's procedures, formulas and protocols.
Ar first, Peppard and his fellow spies are only asked to report their findings back to headquarters. But the German security is tight. "Crossbow" is the ultimate "You vill show us your papers"! movie, and when one of the fradulent "scientists" is discovered and executed, a much closer scrutiny on the rest of them requires a change in plans. A bombing raid is then scheduled to destroy the facility, but only if Peppard and his fellow impersonators can "mark" it for the Lancasters making a night run. This means they'll have to find a way to open the doors of the launch room and turn on the lights. Naturally, everything will hinge on this and the climax of the film will be a hair raising fight to the finish.
I found "Operation Crossbow" surprisingly good. In another historical note, there is a scene depicting the test of a four engine rocket similar to the ones used in our space program. The German project manager explains to Peppard that it's for an all-new weapon, "our New York bomb". In other words, it's gonna be the world's first ICBM. Thank God they didn't develop it in time. But again, the attention to detail is appreciated. Director Michael Anderson (a former assistant to Anthony Asquith and David Lean) stages the rocket test in such a way that it looks straight out of stock footage from the Santa Susanna Field Lab. I've got a whole DVD set of Apollo program tests of the Saturn V rocket, and the scene in the movie compares for realism. For the record, Anderson also directed "The Dam Busters", an absolute must-see movie about the RAF.
I think "Operation Crossbow" should be seen as well, and as a bonus, we've got our old pal John Mills back too! His role is only minor, but I discovered the movie in a JM search, so I mightn't have found it if not for him. The dvd I watched was good but obviously from a VHS transfer. Are you listening, Criterion? "Crossbow" cries out for restoration. It's not often you get a war movie that works on so many levels - historically, technically and as an action flick with plenty of suspense. For all of this, it warrants Two Huge Thumbs Up. I know I've kept you busy in recent days, but I must once again ask that you watch it tonight. We're on a roll of late, and it really is that good. /////
The previous night we watched "Shed No Tears"(1948), a Noir ala "Double Indemnity". Wallace Ford and June Vincent play a married couple who fake his death to collect on a life insurance policy of 50 Grand. Ford's twenty years older than Vincent; the only reason she married him was she thought he was rich. It turned out he wasn't, huge bummer. Now, to keep her, he's proposed the insurance scam, in which he'll check into a hotel, set fire to the room, then throw a body out the windum that's wearing his watch. It'll be so badly burned and smashed, from the fire and the fall, that it'll be impossible to identify, except for the watch. That'll "prove" the body is Ford's, and they'll get the insurance dough.
You may be asking : where did they get the body to throw out the windum?
Why, from the morgue of course! Where else does one score a corpse when one is planning an insurance scam? It helps to know the coroner, but Ford's got that angle covered. His real problem is gonna be the wife. June Vincent is not a nice lady. In the Rotten Dame department, she ranks right up there with the gal from "Detour". What happens is that, after the fire and discovery of the body, Ford takes a hike to New York. Nobody'll find him there, so for all intents and purposes, he's "dead". June Vincent is then supposed to put on a convincing act for the cops and insurance investigators, collect the 50 Gees and take a plane to NY. There she'll meet up with Ford and they'll leave the country. But what he doesn't know is that she's got a boyfriend on the side, both younger and more handsome than Ford (whom she couldn't stand anyway). So yeah, she's got other plans for the insurance money, like absconding with her boyfriend. This isn't gonna sit well with Wallace Ford, believe me.
But in the middle, things are gonna get really complicated. Ford's son gets involved because he believes his Dad was murdered. In other words, the plan to fake Ford's death has worked. So the son hires a Private Eye who's a total shark. This guy's a regular Clifton Webb, real smarmy and insulting. He figures out what's actually going on and decides to play everyone against everyone else, so he can blackmail the lot of them and take the money for himself.
But June Vincent's no dummy and it won't be as easy as he thought. She's also hard as nails, yet sometimes that's a downfall. Poor, passive Wallace Ford is the elephant in the room. He won't forget, which makes him extra dangerous.
It's not a classic, but "Shed No Tears" still rates Two Solid Thumbs Up, for it's complexity and the scowling performance of Vincent, who I hope and pray was a nice lady in real life, cause man she's just awful here, haha. /////
Well, so there you have it. Another must-see and a worth-watching Noir. As I say, we've really been on a roll, and I can't even recall our last bad movie (shhhh........don't jinx it, Ad!). It's time to head out for my hike. My recent music has been "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys, a box set of Bruckner Symphonies, and more Al Stewart. Tonight, maybe some Caravan or Gentle Giant. Have an awesome afternoon, and tons of love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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