andrewg-747-30514 Reviews

Raiders in the Sky (1953)

In the end a moving and accurate testament to Bomber Command

[2 September 2011]

I quite love this film. It DOES feel a bit talky because it's predominantly so ground based...but the depiction of Wing Commander Mason's 90th "op" puts it into a class of its own. I love the audio in the raid of the Pathfinder commander...Has such an urgency and veracity which is irresistible. I agree that it's not in the same class as "12 o'clock High"...For me the film Gregory Peck should have won his Oscar for..it truly is a "maxium effort"..but it's an elegant and high quality cinematic testament to the heroism of Bomber-Command. I like too the Aussie pilot played by Bill Kerr in his darker blue RAAF uniform. We Aussies were there in high numbers like so many Commonwealth aircrew who included my Pilot-Officer Uncle Arthur(Nash)shot down with the loss of all in a Wellington bomber on a night raid over Dusseldorf.

Paratrooper (1953)

Shoddy looking dog of a war film

[2/10 · 27 April 2011]

One of the worst WW11 movies I've ever seen.And I reckon I've seen em all. That's the greenest looking North Africa I've ever seen and the final action(considering the acting talent at hand) is utterly unconvincing, unremittingly bad visual effects and the bazooka minefield escape all seems a bit pointless as relief by the Scots is not far away.The memory of the great John Frost is so much better preserved in A Bridge Too Far..and Alan Ladd in the leading role, with the whole clichéd redemption thing going on..just phones it in.The only reason I haven't rated this film awful(1)is the work of Leo Genn..great actor/great voice...apart from that .. truly astonished at its craptacular badness...Intriguing though to see regular 50/60's Nazi Anton Diffring turning up as a British para.