Warner Brothers brings out another fine collection of films in this World War II themed set (all available separately). The WWII buff will recognize the titles and will want to snatch up this extremely nice set and save themselves some change than buying them separately.
What the back of the boxes say:
A gifted ensemble cast - including John Garfield and Harry Carey - plays ordinary Americans called upon to do the extraordinary. As if the film itself wasn't a reminder of war's costs, true life underscored that reality. The B-17 seen in many of the scenes would later be lost in action with its crew over the Pacific.
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944): Coaxing a hulking Mitchell B-25 into the sky from a short, 500-foot carrier runway on a bouncing sea is dangerous. Tougher still is doing it with a full bombload. But for Lt. Col. James Dolittle (Spencer Tracy) and the crewmen of 16 B-25s, that’s just the start of the business. Academy Award winning best special effects recreates the squadron’s low-altitude “hedge-hopping” sweep over Japan in this suspenseful saga of the attack that bolstered U.S. morale during the bleak early days of the Pacific war.
This intensive training, the daring bombing run, the subsequent forced landings in China, and the perilous trek to safety: all the valiant touchstones of the true-life raid are captured in a beloved classic whose other stars include Van Johnson, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum. Oscar winner for best special effects.
Command Decision (1948): America's Flying Fortresses are marvels of airborne fury, raining hell in daring World War II bombing runs over Germany. When the Nazis develop a startling secret weapon - jet fighters - one determined U.S. general realizes the Allied victory depends on destroying the jet factories. Even if scores of Fortresses and their crews perish in the attempt. Even if the brass fights him every blood-soaked inch of the way.
Clark Gable heads a top cast in this powerful insider's look at the wrenching choices officers must make in time of war. Based on the stage hit, Command Decision combines thrilling aerial pyrotechnics with tense war room battles to create an indelible portrait of men whose judgment holds the power of life and death.
Hell to Eternity (1960): On a body-strewn Pacific hell, nine Japanese surrender to American troops. Then another handful. Then another. Soon hundreds give up, urged by a lone warrior fighting tough and speaking their language. But the warrior isn’t a countryman. He’s Marine Guy Gabaldon, a non-Asian kid from the streets of East L.A.
From Guy’s cross-cultural upbringing in a Japanese-American family to his heroism as he repeatedly risks his life to save untold numbers of fellow Devil Dogs. Hell to Eternity tells Guy’s rugged, real-life story. He won the Navy Cross…and the gratitude of all America. If his tale were fiction, you might not believe it. But it’s real. And unforgettable in its courage, sacrifice, and honor.
36 Hours (1964): It’s 1950. Maj. Jefferson Pike (James Garner) is in an Allied military hospital under the care of an American doctor. Pike is an amnesiac, and if he could recount the details of D-Day, his last memory, perhaps it would unlock his mind. Only it’s really 1944, and Pike is deep in German territory in a faux hospital built just for him.
James Garner does a heroic star turn as increasingly suspicious Pike and Rod Taylor makes a canny opponent as the duplicitous Doktor in a tense cat-and-mouse, twist-filled wartime thriller. The Nazis only have 36 Hours to pull off their elaborate ruse and get the D-Day plans out of Pike. But if that doesn’t work, they will use any means necessary.
The Hill (1965): North Africa, World War II. British soldiers on the brink of collapse push beyond endurance to struggle up a brutal incline. It's not a military objective. It's The Hill, a manmade instrument of torture, a tower of sand seared by a white-hot sun. And the troops' tormentors are not the enemy, but their own comrades-in-arms. Sean Connery headlines this stark tale of war inside military prison walls. The inmates are soldiers who once defied, rebelled, talked back.
The wardens are sadists who perpetrate cruelty in the name of discipline. The result is shattering as director "Sidney Lumet nails the action... into so taut a frame than an audience can feel every jab in the belly, taste every mouthful of dust" (Time).”
Only one film stands out as being an odd fit in this “Heroes fight for freedom” set and that’s the Hill – which is more of a psychological thriller as one man takes on his own side’s chain of command. The rest are your typical war films and it is interesting to see how each time period (from the ‘40s to the ‘60s) handles these World War II films. Air Force was filmed while the war was still raging and Thirty Seconds over Tokyo was as well and only two years after the raid that inspired it (the real Capt. Lawson, played by Van Johnson in the film, was on set as an advisor since it was based on his book).
So both of those films have more of a “rah, rah, boys” quality than the more cynical atmosphere that would creep into WWII pictures following them. Command Decision is based on a play and frankly it shows since most of the action takes place in what resembles a set on a stage.
However, the cast of Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, and Brian Donlevy all are worth watching. Hell to Eternity is based on the true story of Guy Gabaldon who was raised by Japanese adoptive parents and used his knowledge of the language to eventually persuade 1000 soldiers to surrender all by his lonesome. Since it comes from the ‘60s we get more violence in it like bullet holes and blood (or chocolate sauce since it’s in black & white as all the films are).
36 Hours is entertaining but it gives the secret away too soon and might’ve benefited in keeping the audience in the dark more. Rod Taylor also does a fine job in his role in 36 Hours. The Hill features a fine performance by Sean Connery and also Ossie Davis and although it is an excellent film it feels slightly out of place since instead of a hero fighting for freedom against the enemy they’re fighting against their own country who as put them in a military prison under the command of the power mad. All of these films are really quite good in their own ways (Air Force – 3 stars, Command Decision – 3 stars, Hell to Eternity – 3 stars, 36 Hours – 3 stars, and The Hill – 4 stars).
Air Force, Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, and Command Decision are presented in fullscreen. Hell to Eternity (1.85:1), 36 Hours (2.35:1) and The Hill (1.66:1) are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features are abundant but more of a vintage variety. I might’ve liked some commentaries but I also enjoyed what was on these discs.
Air Force features the 21 minute “Women at War” Technicolor short about the W.A.C.s (Women’s Army Corps), the 7 minute “Fifth Column Mouse” cartoon, the 7 minute “Scrap Happy Daffy,” the 1943 Lux Radio Theater audio adaptation of Air Force (with George Raft, Harry Carey, and introduced by Cecil B. DeMille), and the theatrical trailer.
Command Decision features the 10 minute “Souvenirs of Death” short about guns take as souvenirs falling into the wrong hands, the 7 minute Tex Avery cartoon “King Sized Canary,” and the theatrical trailer. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo contains the 10 minute “A Lady Fights Back” short about the ocean liner Normandie being converted for war, the 10 minute Oscar nominated short “Movie Pests” about annoying folks in the theater, the 6 minute Barney Bear cartoon “Bear Raid Warden,” and the theatrical trailer. Hell to Eternity features 6 minutes of war film trailers (Hell to Eternity, Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra, and Where Eagles Dare).
36 Hours features trailers for other Garner war pictures (Up Periscope, Americanization of Emily, and 36 Hours). The Hill has a 7 minute vintage making of featurette “The Sun…The Sand…The Hill” and war trailers (Operation Crossbow, Battle of the Bulge, and The Hill).
Heroes Fight for Freedom is a fine collection of war films that might have benefited from a commentary or two, but a fine collection none-the-less. A must have for the war movie buff along with some nice vintage special features to sweeten the deal.
World War II Collection Volume 2: Heroes Fight for Freedom is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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