Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942)

Réalisateur:

Edward Dmytryk

Scénaristes:

John D. Klorer (story)
Joseph Krumgold (screenplay)

Date de sortie:

8 janvier 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drame

Accroche:

A helpless girl trapped between desperate cons and enemy rats in a lonely lighthouse!

Intrigue:

After Pearl Harbor, convicts at Alcatraz prison live in fear of bomb attacks, driving Champ Larkin and...

Plot Keywords:

Alcatraz | Nazi | Lighthouse | Prison | Spy

Avis des utilisateurs:

B propaganda film

Ensemble

James Craig	...	Champ Larkin
Bonita Granville	...	Anne Porter
Frank Jenks	...	Jimbo
Cliff Edwards	...	Stormy
George Cleveland	...	Captain Porter
Erford Gage	...	Paul Brenner
Tala Birell	...	Baroness
John Banner	...	Fritz Weinermann
Otto Reichow	...	Max

Durée:

62 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Allemand

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Rapport de forme:

1,37 : 1

Son:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Classification:

Spain:7 | USA:Approved (PCA #8697)

Société:

RKO Radio Pictures

Anecdotes:

The name on the crate the escapees were clinging to in San Francisco Bay is "H. Schlom". Herman Schlom is the film's producer.

Goofs:

Erreurs factuelles: The movie is set in 1943. The lighthouse keepers are depicted as members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The Lighthouse Service was disbanded on July 7, 1939. At that time, all lighthouse functions were assumed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Lighthouse personnel in 1943 would have U.S. Coast Guardsmen.

B propaganda film

James Craig and Frank Jenks escape "Seven Miles from Alcatraz" in this 1942 propaganda film also starring Bonita Granville and John Banner.

Champ and Jimbo (Craig and Jenks) escape from Alcatraz, as the title says, and manage to get to a lighthouse. They walk into an interesting situation. One of the employees is on the side of the Nazis and feeding messages to the Germans about a submarine - it seems the Germans are trying to invade San Francisco. When they realize what's happening, the crooks and the people at the lighthouse band together, as the Nazis themselves show up.

Bonita Granville marvelously underplays, very different for her, and lets James Craig overplay, not only his role, but the narration as well, with every single line reading in the same snide voice and every character action indicated beforehand. Jenks is good as the sidekick, and it's great to see "Hogan's Heroes" star John Banner young and good-looking as one of the Nazis.

These films were important to the war effort, and this one demonstrates that even criminals were willing to put their own needs aside to fight their country. One of the Hollywood Ten, director Edward Dmytryk was responsible for "The Caine Mutiny," "Broken Lance," and "Crossfire," but also only mediocre such as "The Left Hand of God" and "Soldier of Fortune" and downright schlock such as "Where Love Has Gone" and "The Carpetbaggers." You never really knew what you were going to get with him. I'd say in this case, he did his best with what he had as far as story and cast. And it moves pretty quickly.