The Way Ahead (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Way Ahead |
_01.png) | |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1944 |
| length | 115 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Carol Reed |
| script |
Eric Ambler Peter Ustinov |
| production |
John Sutro Norman Walker |
| music | William Alwyn |
| camera | Guy Green |
| cut | Fergus McDonell |
| occupation | |
| |
The Way Ahead is a 1944 British military and defense skills drama set in World War II directed by Carol Reed and starring David Niven . The film was personally suggested to lead actor Niven by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in order to raise the morale of the troops for the upcoming fighting on the European continent.
action
In March 1939, two aging Chelsea veterans discuss young soldiers as they recall their own days in the Duke of Glendon's light infantry. Meanwhile, four civilians are living their lives in London, which is characterized by strained nervousness in view of what is going on on the European continent: It is the old Brewer, an inflated Cockney guy and constant complainer, the always optimistic Ted Beck, a travel agent, the calm and detached rent collector Evan Lloyd and the newly wed Jim Perry, who tries to coordinate his duties as a Landwehr reservist with his actual job, that of a garage mechanic. In May 1941, these four average Britons were called up for military service in the Duke of Glendon Regiment. Later on, more reservists join the Hacklefield army camp. The grandiose branch manager Herbert Davenport, his immature assistant Parsons; the Scottish farmer Luke and Stainer, a fat car salesman. At Hacklesfield, Lieutenant Perry was given the job of directing Train No. 9, a small military unit.
With the exception of the sunshine Beck, all the others accept the troubles of basic military training in the training camp with grumbling and growing indignation. Jim Perry encourages her to attend an upcoming regimental concert, but only Beck volunteers. Behind the scene, Perry learns that Private Bill Parsons, who was arrested by the military police at the train station. He had tried to leave the troops without permission to go to London. Upon his return, Parsons explains that he is worried about his pregnant wife, who is being harassed for unpaid hire purchase payments. As a deserter, a heavy punishment awaits him. But the army leadership proves to be gracious; He is promised financial help and given 48 hours home leave. Jim Perry grows more and more into his task of forming a disciplined troop of soldiers out of the pile of difficult-to-tame civilians. His assertive authority doesn't exactly make him popular with his men. When an incident occurs, he and the members of his platoon have a serious argument, which at the same time gradually welds both sides together.
July 1942. The two veterans from Chelsea always complain about the state of today's British Army and are annoyed about the inaction in the face of the anger of the Germans on the continent. Perry Zug, meanwhile, is told to go through a special two-month training session. The guys from Platoon No. 9 suspect with good reason that this could mean an imminent assignment abroad. On a troop transport going south, Lieutenant Perry explains the plan: When Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is on the retreat in North Africa after his defeat at El Alamein, Perry's people will be part of the North African invasion force of the Allies. But, contrary to expectations, it did not happen: In the Mediterranean, the ship that was supposed to cross them was hit by a German torpedo, and after the conflagration had been fought and all supplies were lost, the British soldiers had to leave the ship. They are fished up by a British destroyer and brought to Gibraltar.
In March 1943, the two Chelsea veterans surveyed the news from the theaters of war, this time grumbling about their own government, while the wives of the platoon soldiers meet occasionally and talk about the news their men on the front have sent them. Platoon 9 is now in the stage in a Tunisian village and was accommodated in the café of the staunch Italian pacifist Rispoli. Suddenly, Perry men are drawn into fighting with the Germans. For the first time there is a direct confrontation with the enemy. A wild exchange of fire lets the theater of war sink into the powder fog. Back in London, the two nagging veterans from Chelsea are delighted that their own "boys" have finally faced the enemy bravely, even if it is not entirely clear who has won.
Production notes
The Way Ahead premiered in London on June 6, 1944, D-Day . The strip was never seen in Germany.
Trevor Howard made his film debut here in a tiny role.
The Way Ahead is a further development of the 40-minute training film The New Lot , which was made immediately before and which the same makers - Carol Reed, Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov - were involved in producing.
Reviews
Variety wrote, “There is no plot in the accepted sense, and there is no love story either. (…) The direction of Carol Reeds is competent and reveals the undoubtedly fundamental seriousness of setting up the production as a semi-documentary ”. "Reed's work was comparatively easy given the solid script submitted by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov."
The British Film Institute said: “Where The New Lot limited itself to basic training, this 'new lot' shows action in the Mediterranean: you finish the film, gun and bayonet at your ready, and march through the fighting smoke towards victory, possibly death. That matched the changing mood in the country. In 1944, by the time the film was being prepared for release, the case for conscription was already making its mark. Instead, the audience needed and received a sympathetic picture of army life, showing the wives on the home front what their husbands were going through and making any sacrifice worthwhile. Reed's film ... proved to be a resounding popular and critical success across the UK .. ”
The Movie & Video Guide wrote: "Stimulating British wartime film ... very witty and charming, with an outstanding cast and a fine script by Erich Ambler and Peter Ustinov".
Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: "Memorable semi-documentary ... The warm humor of the early scenes nonetheless doesn't really merge with the final action and tragedy".
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Way Ahead on allemovie.com
- ^ The Way Ahead in Variety, June 21, 1944, p. 12
- ^ Criticism on BFI Screenonline
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 1429
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 1095
Web links
- The Way Ahead on BFI Screenonline
- The Way Ahead in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Way Ahead (US title: Immortal Battalion) in Turner Classic Movies