John Huston/Victory, dud or better

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stuart.uk
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John Huston/Victory, dud or better

Post by stuart.uk »

Sorry i was of line for a while. i've just changed servers and had teething problems.

Spoiler Alert

one of John Huston's last films was the British made POW comedy drama Escape To Victory. a lot of people reckon it was a dud, though i thought it had lots going for it.

the main theme of the plot was German Officer Max Von Sydow challenging one time footballer Michael Caine to a game between the POWs and German soldiers. however, the whole thing gets out of hand when Germany field their National team and Caine as player manager manages to get access of other Pows from other camps, including Eastern Europeans, who officially don't exsist.

one of the things i like about is that unlike most POW films, it shows the class barrier between Officers and the men, as their kept in seperate camps. Caine at the begining tells Max that if the match is confined to Officers then he's not playing 'I want a decent team, i want the lads.'
this too became apparent when senior British officer Daniel Massey wanted the team to escape on route to the match. this annoyed Caine who said he didn't want his team involved in some upper class game.

from a footballing aspect i wonder how Caine's goal-keeping co-star Sly Stallone felt about appearing with players he wouldn't know to much about, but where nonetheless legends in their on field. men like the Brazilain Pele, rated by many the greatest footballer of all time, Bobby Moore the England captain who lifted the 1966 World Cup and Ossie Ardilies, who played for Argentina's winning side in 1978
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

It's been a really long time. I think I remember after a certain point wanting to compare it to "The Longest Yard."

I think it would have been more satisfying if the game had come earlier and they had gone ahead with the escape.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Movieman 1957:

I would more likely compare it to The Great Escape than The Longest Yard. In 'Escape' everyone had to pull together to get all those clothes and paperwork done, as well as the tunnel, whereas The Longest Yard was just a game albeit a vicious one. I did not see the remake with Adam Sandler but I assume the basic plot is the same. I do recall the sense of excitement towards the end of the game, and whether the guys will finish the game or escape.

Stuart:

Believe it or not, Pele is still a well known name here in the U.S. however, we call the game Soccer not football. It took me a while to get used to seeing 'futbol' listed on the TV cable guide, until I realized it was soccer. Soccer is now coming into its own here however.

Anne
Anne


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Mr. Arkadin
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

If you're interested in a great POW film that dissects class values among other things, check out King Rat (1965) coming up on TCM this month.

This film, along with La Grande Illusion (1937) is perhaps the best POW film ever made.
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

Mr. A., have you ever seen "The Captive Heart"? I started a thread on the Drama's forum, and our lovely Moira posted the following:

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:59 am
I love this different and haunting prisoner of war drama, The Captive Heart (1946) too, Nancy, though I haven't seen it in a long time.

Michael Redgrave & Rachel Kempson in "The Captive Heart"

I thought that it was a beautiful film, with subtle glimpses of brotherly, romantic and platonic love stories told on several levels, from the German guard who is forced to shackle the Allied prisoners by his superiors, but tries to separate himself from the action, to the unspoken affection that springs up between (real life spouses) Rachel Kempson and Michael Redgrave in their letters.

While foregoing much of the derring-do of a Stalag 17 or The Great Escape, it manages to convey the physical and psychological claustrophobia as well as the sometimes surprising strengths of any diverse group. There are some marvelous performances by Gordon Jackson as a blind POW and Mervyn Johns as well. I wish that this were available on dvd in the U.S., but I was delighted to discover that it can be had in used vhs form for very little on Amazon!

If anyone cherishes Redgrave's performances in Dead of Night, The Importance of Being Earnest or as I do, as W.B. Yeats in Young Cassidy, they will probably like this one. BTW, on Sat. Jan. 26th at 10pm Eastern, there is a rare broadcast of another Michael Redgrave movie, Thunder Rock (1942) following an airing of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at 8pm.

I'll add my request for The Captive Heart to be shown over on the TCM Suggest a Movie, Ms. Knitwit. Thanks for the reminder of this good film.
Mr. Arkadin
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Hi Knitwit,

No, I have not seen this film. I do like Redgrave very much and would find it interesting. If TCM does show it, be sure and let us know.


I'm planning on writing something up for King Rat (going through the film again and rereading the book right now). It's a very interesting look at human behavior vs. survival. I'll not write my article here, but I will say don't believe anything you read on cable guide or the little TCM schedule. They are completely wrong and will give you a misguided view of this film.
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