I'm 53 years old and have seen about all the old movies there are, especially Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and other Bogart vehicles. But my wife found this at the movie store and neither of us had heard of it before and my wife is an expert on old movies (memory like an elephant). Anyway, I thought it was surprisingly good even if some of the speeches about why people fight and die are a little melodramatic.
shareI'd seen it at Borders books and music for some time but it was too pricey. Recently picked it up on sale and glad I did, exceptional film. As for the melodrama, yes its present, though countless films from any genre can be accused of the same, its intended and without it there's be countless films lacking in emotional impact. The "why" as to the fighting and dying were simply put in the context of a speech delivered by one or two characters. Does it hold true? Most certainly not for everyone in combat but for many, yes. With today's climate we remain complacent so such motives are sometimes foreign to us. You'll notice Bogart and his crew in many instances remained "matter of factly" so the melodrama wasn't overbearing there.
shareWell, in a way you are lucky. I'm 56 and I would love to see this movie for the first time now. I have seen it many times over the years and love it, but it sure would be cool to see it for the first time now. What a gem.
shareWell I'm 55 and I just saw it for the first time.
Like the previous poster, I'm a Bogart fan, and yet I didn't know it existed until I obtained it in a box set recently.
Really, really enjoyed it - with the presence of the British/Commonwealth troops and the plotline, it was rather reminiscent of some of the UK films of that era, such as "Ice Cold in Alex".
Mike
"Ice Cold in Alex" was made later. I think it's the greatest movie of it's genre.
shareIm 40 and I recall seeing this on tv when I was a young kid when dad was watching it.. became a huge bogie fan later in life and have seen it several times since.. not a bad war flick.. nothing spectacular.. bogie always delivers for me.
-- “A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz.” Humphrey Bogart
I had the same experience watching it on a Memorial Day a couple years past. Given that I'm a fan of both Bogey and War Movies, I was surprised it had never come my way.
Probably not on DVD and only small play on TV.
How funny! I saw this for the first time at age 54. Looks like a lot of us came late to the party. Great film.
"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's living!!!"
Augustus McCrae