Under Two Flags (1954)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Under two flags |
| Original title | The raid |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 82 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hugo Fregonese |
| script | Sydney Boehm |
| production | Robert L. Jacks |
| music | Roy Webb |
| camera | Lucien Ballard |
| cut | Robert Golden |
| occupation | |
| |
Under two flags (original title: The Raid , loosely translated: "The enemy attack") is an American feature film from 1954 by Hugo Fregonese . The script was written by Sydney Boehm . It is based on the novel "Affair at St. Albans" by Herbert Ravenel Sass . The leading roles are cast with Van Heflin and Anne Bancroft . The work was first shown in the United States on August 4, 1954. In the Federal Republic of Germany the film could be seen on the big screen from December 5, 1958.
action
The film is set in 1864 at the time of the American Civil War . Under the command of Major Neal Benton, seven officers from the southern states managed to escape from the North American prison camp in Plattsburgh . Your destination is St. Alban. The group wants to razed this city to the ground in retaliation for the fact that Atlanta was reduced to rubble by the Yankees . Neal Benton poses under a false name as a wealthy Canadian who wants to settle in St. Alban. The banker Anderson helps him find accommodation. So the officer ends up in the house of the young war widow Katy Bishop, which she lives with her nine-year-old son Larry and the one-armed Captain Foster. The latter is extremely taciturn, despite the fact that he is a recruiting officer in the city . It doesn't take long before Benton becomes friends with the boy and falls in love with his mother. Although the woman reciprocates his feelings, Benton does not lose sight of his goal.
Benton inspects the area on the pretext of looking for a suitable piece of land to buy. He soon discovers an abandoned farm that is well suited to carry out the attack on St. Alban from it. His people, who are also living in the city as civilians, are informed precisely. When the city is looted, it is in the name of martial law. That's why - as soon as the time comes - they will wear their uniforms, as will the volunteers who have been recruited by Colonel Tucker to reinforce them.
One circumstance forces Benton to postpone the date he had set: Several soldiers of the Northern Army are currently spending the weekend in St. Alban, because a traditional bazaar is taking place here. The highlight is the auction of a captured southern flag. Katy succeeds in winning the trophy.
Two days later, one of Benton's men is almost a traitor when he is intoxicated and tries to announce the southerners' plan. Benton can only prevent this by shooting the guy in front of the citizens. From now on, Benton is a hero to little Larry, whom he admires as much as his fallen father. Soon, however, the child's admiration gives way to shock when he discovers his father's friend in the uniform of the hated enemy, just as Benton gives the signal to attack.
The roller of fire has struck St. Alban. At the last minute, Benton and his group reached the limit. When Katy reads Neal's suicide note, in which he appeals to her understanding, she bursts into tears. She will forgive him.
criticism
The Lexicon of International Films has a predominantly positive opinion . It draws the following conclusion: “Small, effectively made and acted war drama and conscience drama after a historically guaranteed event.” In the later online edition (Two Thousand and One), the verdict was no longer so good: “What a contemporary image from the Civil War wants, turns out to be a war adventure that only captivates in a few moments. "
source
Program for the film: Illustrierte Film-Bühne , Vereinigte Verlagsgesellschaft Franke & Co. KG, Munich, number 4609
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lexicon of International Films, rororo-Taschenbuch No. 6322 (1988), p. 4001
- ↑ Under two flags. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .