Twelve O'clock High!

[Ruy Horta]

Just finished watching the 1948 classic TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH!, starring Gregory Peck.

Although I've enjoyed the original novel, and had seen the movie before, I'd largely forgotten the whole story.

Must say that I was thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised. The acting was good, the characters more refined than might be expected for a 1948 product of Hollywood. The action is little, but the atmosphere is perfect. Once we get action there is some good WW2 footage mixed in (not always perfectly so, but if you can keep the "accuracy monster" from rearing its ugly head more than ample to suit its purpose).

Although dealing with courage and the realities of war, there is a lot of thinking involved. It almost borders on an anti-war movie at times.

To those of my generation and younger I can really recommend this movie, give it a try.

(bought it in the Netherlands on DVD at less than € 6,-)

[John Beaman]

Ruy:

I'm glad you enjoyed this. It is, in spite of its age, one of the all time classics. In this movie, Americans, indeed, fighting men everywhere, were depicited as heroic but very human. I.e., one could break down as a result of combat. It was a mold breaker for Hollywood in this regard. Peck is superb. Gary Merrill was "blacklisted" shortly after this by Hollywood during the McCarthy era. Fortunately, his lovely wife, Diana was not.

As you watch the film remember that all the B-17s were real. There were still plenty of flyable ones around in 1949. Paul Mantz, notable stunt pilot (Flight of the Phoenix), crash landed the B-17 in the opening scene. The film was shot in Alabama--scrub oaks and persimmon trees everywhere) and at what is now Egland AFB in Florida. It was too expensive to shoot in England.

The drama of opening scene with Dean Jaeger recalling his wartime service has never been topped! When that B-17 engine cranks up with the blowback--whew........!
John

[Ruy Horta]

The opening scene in Saving Private Ryan where it changes from present to past is very similar in style, I wonder if Steven Spielberg got his inspiration from this classic.

Indeed the B-17 wheels up is something else!

[Jim Oxley]

I too agree that it is one of the best WWII movies around. The mood is classic, the atmosphere thick with fear and tension, yet still everyone goes about doing their job.

Very much like it probably was is real life.

[Boandlgramer]

thanks Ruy and John, i will try to get the movie.

[fsbofk]

The story told in the book and movie is based on the challenges of leadership in the real 306 BG. The character of Frank Savage is modeled after General Frank Armstrong, who commanded the 306th in January and February 1943. Even the fictional "918th Bomb Group" is derived by multiplying 306 by 3.

[fsbofk]

Also, you might recall the famous crash-landing scene near the beginning of the movie, and the description of what co-pilot "Cobb" endured in getting his B-17 back to base. His experience is based on the actual ordeal of John C. Morgan, co-pilot in the 92 BG's Ruthie II, during a mission to Hanover on 26 July 1943. Morgan was awarded the Medal of Honor that day, as described on page 64 in Freeman's "The Mighty Eighth."

[dna9656]

I just finished the book, great book, much more descriptive of air combat than the movie. The promotion from Sgt. to MSgt. seems a bit over the top in believability but it is fiction...
The mix of airplane and human parts flying through the formations really got to me...

[dna9656]

Any movie can be interpreted as "Anti War", just look at the bad stuff that happens... Just remember the most anti war people around are the poor sons of moms and dads that have to fight it. Heroes are nothing more than normal people doing what they can (have to do) in extra-ordinary circumstances. That's why most all the people I knew that wore valoric decorations were usually pretty shy about the whole situation. You might find the citation that accompanied the award on a wall (the famous "I love me wall") some where but all in all it's not something bragged about.

[Ruy Horta]

Perhaps anti-war is the wrong way to describe what is in effect a more thoughtful stand on war, as opposed to the glorification of war or the more common glorifying of the hero (or the glorification of violent action, which seems to be a theme in many modern action movies).

Twelve O'clock High! was surprisingly sophisticated for its time and stands out because of this extra quality. It is a shame that today most TV companies seem to prefer to air modern B- and C- rated (TV) movies over cinema classics. It was in the 70-ies and 80-ies that I saw most of the classics and unfortunately I was either too young for much of that time or it is now too long ago to remember the details. I'd love to see those classics again with today's eyes, what **new** drama and excellence to discover.

...and don't start me on coloring B&W movies and footage, which I find almost as hard to stomach as the current "docu-kitch" produced by Discovery and History, which is based on a lot of reenactment and little (quality) narrative.

Perhaps it is easy to romanticize the past, which I don't, but I often think we are becoming less sophisticated (read dumb) instead of the other way around, by rule of the lowest common denominator.

Sorry for the OT-ish rant

Welcome to TOCH!