The fleet breaks through

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The fleet breaks through
Original title The Navy Comes Through
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1942
length 82 minutes
Rod
Director A. Edward Sutherland
script Roy Chanslor
Æneas MacKenzie
production Islin Auster
for RKO Pictures
music Roy Webb
camera Nicholas Musuraca
cut Samuel E. Beetley
occupation

The fleet breaks through (Original title: The Navy Comes Through ) is an American war drama made in 1942 by A. Edward Sutherland . The main roles in the film about an old cargo ship that it alone with a fleet of Nazis receives are with Pat O'Brien , George Murphy and Jane Wyatt occupied. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

The script was adapted by Earl Baldwin and John Twists and is based on the short story Pay to Learn by Borden Chase . Chase's story, which was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post in 1939 , was the only one to receive the honor twice.

action

A Navy jury trial is taking place in Washington DC. Chief Michael Mallory states that he is convinced that a negligence committed by Lieutenant Thomas L. Sands caused an explosion on board their ship, which resulted in deaths. Although Sands passionately contradicts this version and asserts that he has not charged any guilt, he is more or less forced to resign because he cannot prove his testimony. As a result of misunderstood pride, he broke up with his girlfriend, the nurse Myra Mallory, Michael Mallory's sister.

As after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the entry of the United States into the Second World War takes place, Myra joins the Navy at as a nurse. Her brother has been used as the commander of a gunboat and is supposed to accompany and protect a merchant ship of the Navy, whose voyage is to go across the Atlantic to Belfast.

Sands, who is called "Tom" by his comrades, has also volunteered for the Navy and is assigned to Mallory's crew, of all people. Other crew members include Joe "Babe" Dudson, a lively young sailor; the Cuban Tarriba, who believes that with his commitment to the United States he can also do something for the liberation of his country; Richard "Dutch" Kroner, an Austrian violin virtuoso who is on the wanted list of the Nazis; and Berringer, a former boxer. After settling in on the ship, Tom's dubious past is making the rounds among the men. Then, however, after leaving port and being at sea, the ship is attacked by a German submarine, wounding the recruit James Bayliss. Since there are no medical facilities on board, Mallory signals to an escort ship that is responsible for medical care that he needs help. A doctor comes on board, accompanied by Myra in her capacity as a nurse.

When a little later thick fog makes the journey difficult, that is not the worst danger, because the captain has received the message that a German battleship is also in the area. Myra has since found out about Tom's presence on board and is determined to see him again. Mallory lets Tom know this, but at the same time warns him that Myra must forget him, otherwise she would never be happy. Although Tom never stopped loving the young woman, he invents a fantasy story to give Myra the opportunity to break away from him. The next day, just as “Dutch” is playing a waltz on his violin, the ship is attacked by German combat bombs, with Myra being injured by falling debris and falling unconscious. Tom immediately leaves his post to get Myra out of danger. Unfortunately, Berringer, the only man who can testify why Tom has left his post, is fatally injured in the next attack, so that he fails to witness. So Tom is again unjustifiably accused and the suspicion of cowardice is in the room.

Babe, who operates a shortwave radio as an amateur, is able to intercept and decipher a radio message from the Germans, which says that a German submarine is very close to her on the way to a German supply ship. Mallory can convince the captain to intercept and attack the ship. To their astonishment, the Germans surrendered with almost no resistance. When Mallory and his people want to board the German ship, Tom is the one who expresses concerns because all of this is uncomfortable to him and seems far too easy. He succeeds in finding out that the Germans have deposited a torpedo with a time fuse on board, which is supposed to blow up the ship at the time they want. With this knowledge, the men succeed in putting the detonator out of action. Mallory then devises a plan that his men should dress up as Germans in order to attack and sink German submarines. As these gradually emerge in front of them, they can sink them. However, when two appear at the same time, they can sink one, but the second submarine torpedoes the ship, whereupon a fire breaks out. Tom risks his own life to pull Mallory out of the flames and bring him to safety. A merchant navy ship rushes to their aid just in time and sinks the attacking submarine.

Tom's courage lets Mike Mallory realize that he misjudged him completely. As a result, he will be restored to the rank of officer before the ship has reached its destination. Of course, Tom and Myra find each other again. Tom says goodbye to the naval base and looks forward to new assignments with Mike.

production

Production notes

The shooting stretched from June 2 to the end of July 1942. Vernon L. Walker (photographic effects) and James G. Stewart (sound effects) were responsible for the special effects in the film , who received an Oscar nomination for their work . Renié Conley was responsible for the costumes , the artistic directors were Carroll Clark and Albert S. D'Agostino .

The producing studio RKO Pictures changed its brand logo in this film, a radio tower in that the beeps now formulated the word “victory” instead of “RKO”. A milestone was the use of a special moving machine that made the sky, horizon and clouds and was used by D'Agostino and Clark during filming. The device was developed to simulate the effect of the movement of water against the horizon. The waves were projected using muslins , which were illuminated by rotating spotlights. Clark was awarded an Oscar for Science and Development in 1943 together with F. Thomas Thompson . Material from the junkyard is said to have been used for the cannons used in the film.

The working titles of the film were: Pay to Learn and Battle Stations . The film was preceded by a foreword with the content that the navy is now taken for granted, but that its backbone is not ships, planes and submarines, but men.

background

The role of Thomas Sands was originally intended to be Eddie Albert , as noted by Hollywood Reporter , who was to be replaced by Randolph Scott before the role finally went to George Murphy. Robert Stevenson was initially discussed for directing , before going to A. Edward Sutherland. For Islin Auster the film marked his debut as an RKO producer and for Lee Bonnell it was his last appearance before joining the United States Coast Guard .

publication

The film was first shown publicly in San Francisco on October 27, 1942 , a little less than a year after the United States entered World War II . This premiere took place on Navy Day in the United States at the Treasure Island Naval Base in San Francisco. On October 30, 1942, The Navy Comes Through ran generally in the United States.

The film was also released in the following countries: Mexico, Sweden, France, Belgium (Brussels), Denmark, the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Portugal, Japan and the Philippines (Davao). It has also been shown in Brazil, Greece, Hungary and Italy.

In Austria the film was first released in December 1945 under the title The Fleet breaks through . In Germany it was not shown in the cinema or on television.

Film music

Review

Although the film did not receive a favorable rating and was overshadowed by more ambitious projects, it remained popular during the war years. In the state-sponsored radio series Anchors Away , parts of the film were made in January 1943 with Henry Fonda , who was actually in the Navy at the time, and Sands took over the role. O'Brien and Murphy took over their roles again in May 1943 for the performance of the story at Lux Radio Theater , O'Brien re-played his role in a revival of Lux in November.

Although the film is now far from being the most memorable, it was surprisingly successful at the time, raking in $ 542,000 in profits thanks to a patriotic domestic audience eager to witness American exploits on the front lines to become.

criticism

Thomas M. Pryor of the New York Times found the plot of the film to be clichéd and trite, but the film had a good sense of melodramatic tempo. He also confirmed to the main actors, as well as to the other participants, that they play their roles well and adequately solve the tasks set. However, RKO's attempt to glorify brave men of the sea got into the treacherous shallows of banality.

For Variety , the film was an action-packed, exciting marine adventure with strong romantic elements and particularly effective battle scenes.

Harrison's Reports said that the film was a pretty good war melodrama, and although the story was more of a fantasy, it was presented so excitingly that interest in it never waned.

Film Daily reported believed the film was aimed primarily at men who enjoyed exciting entertainment.

Award

Vernon L. Walker and James G. Stewart were at the Oscars 1943 in the category "Best Special Effects" for an Oscar nomination, but had a disadvantage compared to farciot edouart , Gordon Jennings , William L. Pereira and Louis Mesenkop that the trophy for their Work on the pirate film Pirates in the Caribbean Sea (OT: Reap the Wild Wind) .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Rob Nixon: The Navy Comes Through (1942) Articles bei TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h The Navy Comes Through (1942) Notes at TCM (English)
  3. ↑ The Navy Comes Through (1942) Screenplay Info at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ The Navy Comes Through (1942) Original Print Information at TCM (English)
  5. ↑ Thomas M. Pryor: Movie Review: The Navy Comes Through
    In: The New York Times , November 12, 1942. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  6. ^ The Navy Comes Through , Critique in the Variety, New York, Oct. 14, 1942, p. 8.
  7. ↑ The Navy Comes Through , Review in Harrison's Reports, October 17, 1942.
  8. ^ The Navy Comes Through , Review in Film Daily, New York, October 6, 1942.