The stage hero

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Movie
German title The stage hero
Original title The Secret War of Harry Frigg
Country of production USA , UK
original language English
Publishing year 1967
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Jack Smight
script Peter Stone ,
Frank Tarloff
production Hal E. Chester
music Carlo Rustichelli
camera Russell Metty
cut J. Terry Williams
occupation

The episode hero (original title: The Secret War of Harry Frigg ) is an American-British comedic war film directed by Jack Smight from 1967 . The film first appeared in Germany on February 9, 1968.

action

During World War II, five brigadier generals, three Americans, one British and one French, are captured by Italians in a bathhouse in Tunisia. You will be interned in a luxury villa in Italy. Colonel Ferrucci is the commandant of the guards. It soon becomes clear to the Allies that the five prisoners are not even thinking of escaping their luxurious prison. They also find it difficult to establish a hierarchy of command because of their equal rank. The military spokesman Homer Prentiss instructs the soldier Harry Frigg to induce the generals to flee quickly. So that Frigg has authority over the captured generals, he is promptly promoted to major general.

Frigg jumps over Italy with a parachute. He allows himself to be captured and is also brought to the villa. Soon he blamed the generals for their inability to organize and put into practice an escape plan. When Frigg meets the owner of the villa, Contessa Francesca di Montefiore, his interest in fleeing decreases. He keeps the generals busy with a training program.

When the night in which the escape is to take place, German officers come to the villa and announce the surrender of the Italians. The prisoners are to be taken to a German camp. Away from luxury and the Contessa, Frigg concentrates again on the escape. The escape succeeds, as a reward he receives recommendations from the liberated generals with which he can operate a military station. He chooses the villa as the location.

background

Henry Bumstead and Alexander Golitzen were the outfitters for the film. The costumes were made by Edith Head . Leading actor Paul Newman's brother Arthur acted as production manager.

Reviews

The film was only partially a success with the critics. The lexicon of international films describes the production as “a military grotesque set in World War II, which, after cleverly fooling about military etiquette, slips into slapstick with emphatic derision of the Germans.” Cinema magazine also considers the film unsuccessful: “As a comedian Paul Newman is less convincing, but the two Brit generals are quite funny. Conclusion: War antics with silly misfires. " Prisma Online :" Here Newman plays a similar rebellious man as in A Handful of Dirt . Unfortunately, many mannerisms seem exaggerated. So this film will not necessarily do Newman's credit. ” Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times has the feeling,“ The film is ashamed of itself. ”He finds the film“ disappointingly boring. ”The Protestant film observer arrives a similar assessment: “Unimportant entertainment film in a lengthy staging.” Only variety gains positives from the film. For them the film is an "amusing war comedy [...] that causes a lot of laughs."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The stage hero. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ http://www.cinema.de/kino/filmarchiv/film/der-etappenheld,1304115,ApplicationMovie.html
  3. ↑ The stage hero. In: prisma.de. prisma-Verlag , accessed on September 23, 2017 .
  4. ↑ https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-secret-war-of-harry-frigg-1968
  5. ↑ Evangelical Press Association, Munich, Review No. 124/1968
  6. ↑ Review: 'The Secret War of Harry Frigg'. In: variety.com. Variety , December 31, 1967, accessed September 23, 2017 .