It seems strange to give a 3 to a movie with such fine talent in it: Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak, George Sanders, Jean Renoir. But this just isn't a good movie. Worse, it's a confusing and very disappointing movie, given the talent at hand.
The biggest problem, for me, was Laughton's initial character. He is portrayed as a cringing coward, a "man" completely unable to control his fear of violence and loud noise. He cowers like the most spineless of worms during an air raid, and clings to his mother, though he is a middle aged man. This makes him extremely unsympathetic.
Then, at the end, we are supposed to believe that the sight of ten men being shot by a Nazi firing squad is able to transform him into the most heroic of men. Everything, including his cringing demeanor, changes 180 degrees.
He could well have been played as Pierre Average, not getting involved in the Resistance attacks on the occupier until he was moved by the shootings. But the transformation from abject coward to mighty hero is simply too great, and too unprepared, to be moving.
There are also historical inaccuracies, but nothing really glaring.
The argument of this movie is very noble, very well-meaning: to show that, despite the Armistice, there are indeed Frenchmen who are still fighting the Germans, so the U.S. should indeed come to their rescue. But this argument is not made convincingly, so it doesn't have the effect it was trying for. Even movies like *Reunion in France* do a better job of this.
The biggest problem, for me, was Laughton's initial character. He is portrayed as a cringing coward, a "man" completely unable to control his fear of violence and loud noise. He cowers like the most spineless of worms during an air raid, and clings to his mother, though he is a middle aged man. This makes him extremely unsympathetic.
Then, at the end, we are supposed to believe that the sight of ten men being shot by a Nazi firing squad is able to transform him into the most heroic of men. Everything, including his cringing demeanor, changes 180 degrees.
He could well have been played as Pierre Average, not getting involved in the Resistance attacks on the occupier until he was moved by the shootings. But the transformation from abject coward to mighty hero is simply too great, and too unprepared, to be moving.
There are also historical inaccuracies, but nothing really glaring.
The argument of this movie is very noble, very well-meaning: to show that, despite the Armistice, there are indeed Frenchmen who are still fighting the Germans, so the U.S. should indeed come to their rescue. But this argument is not made convincingly, so it doesn't have the effect it was trying for. Even movies like *Reunion in France* do a better job of this.