The Silver Screen Oasis

Another film I see that is on you tube in full is the war movie Against The Wind. I've seen better films, but the performance of Simone Signoret gives the movie a great lift.

Spoiler

She plays Michelle a French girl working as a recruting instructor for the British secret service. She was a vunerable young woman,who after being on a mission in Belgium is betrayed by a lover, who turned out to be friendly with the Germans. However, after a female wireless operator is killed on her parachute drop, Michelle is quickly sent back to Belgium to take her place, as part a group sent over to rescue a fellow spy.

The highlight of the film is when Michelle is pouring her heart out to fellow agent Jack Warner if a farm kitchen, while waiting for a coded message from London. As Warner is shaving, she gets the message that he's a German spy. She picks up a gun, calls out his name and as he turns, shots him several times in the chest.

Though Robert Beatty is the male star of the film, playing a priest undercover as a priest, it's a young Gordon Jackson that wins her heart. It's interesting watching Jackson play a young secret agent, because over 30-yrs later he would star as Major George Cowley in the huge UK series The Professionals. Cowley was an agent himself, but during aand after the war, before forming his crime fighting organization CI5

Thanks for the info that this film is on youtube, I really like Simone S. but you got me with Gordon Jackson. I can't even imagine them together, but I am sure they were good together.

Wendy

Against The Wind, made by Ealing, was Simone's first British movie and I assume her first out of France, which suggests she was just starting out Internationally.
Though I have to wonder what Yves Montland was playing at having an affair with Marilyn Monroe, in the early 60s, when he had wife Simone at home.

Around that time Gordon Jackson seemed to be groomed for stardom, with Millions Like Us so him oppisite leading lady Patrica Roc. However, it seems that after Whisky Galore he became a top character actor with the likes of The Great Escape, Tunes of Glory and The Prime Of Miss. Jean Brodie. However, if you read most tributes about Gordon it will say he's best known for Uptstairs Downstairs and The Professionals, 2 hit tv shows from the 70s and 1980s that eventually made him a star in middle-age. Sadly he died 7-years fter The Professionals was cancelled at 66.

Another intriguing movie find, Stuart.

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April

I'm reluctant to post full films on the site, as I find there more often than not removed from my computer for copyright reasons. Therefor I'd rather still have access to them, so I can watch them hopefully for yrs to come. That's why I don't post full films anymore.

oops! sorry, i won't post youtubes in your threads anymore, stuart.

I wonder if he chose to become more of a character actor, or if it happened over time? I would think he'd be happy to have had such a long and certainly varied career.