Stalag 17 (1953)

Two films, a decade apart, offer very different takes on the Allied prisoner-of-war experience during the Second World War.

The Great Escape, from director John Sturges in 1963, boasts an all-star cast including James Garner, Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough. It's based on the true story of the largest POW escape and the resulting massacre of 50 of the escapees. McQueen's exploits on a motorcycle at the film's end is a lasting image from that film. Shot in colour by director John Sturges, The Great Escape is a must-see film. The book on which it's based, Paul Brickhill's The Great Escape, is also a great read. Here, POWs work together to outwit their German captors who are continually looking for tunnel activity. The film, despite the murder of so many young men, ends on an optimistic note.

Stalag 17, shot a decade earlier in gritty black and white by Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard), centres the conflict on the prisoners themselves. The film ends on a cynical note.

When two prisoners attempt an escape early in the film, Sgt. J.J. Sefton (William Holden) bets the pair will be caught within minutes of slipping out of camp. His prediction proves true and the other prisoners that share the barracks with him are convinced Sefton tipped off the Germans. Sefton's charmed existence in the camp certainly makes him a suspicious character - he bribes the guards, enjoys access to luxuries the others can only dream about - liquor, eggs and makes no qualms about wanting no part of escape efforts. He's dedicated to making himself as comfortable as possible while in captivity. Sefton isn't very nice, but he's no traitor. And, despite what people think of him, he offers many diversions to pass the time, from gambling to moonshine and a telescope to see female prisoners being deloused.

Sefton tries to find the tipster in the barracks as demands for retribution against him escalate. He's in a situation that can't be solved with his business savvy. The stakes get raised when the Germans learn from their source that a recently captured American, Lieut. James Dunbar (Don Taylor), destroyed a train carrying much-needed ammunition. The SS want him.

Stalag 17, as a drama, works very well. Misplaced loyalties and quick judgments take their toll. It's the film's comedic efforts that wear thin on this viewer. Holden deserved his Oscar nomination, and win, for best actor. But the supporting actor nod for Robert Strauss as 'Animal' Kuzawa is baffling. He's infatuated with Betty Grable and longs to meet Russian women who are held prisoner in a nearby compound. His dreams of being with The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs grow tiresome, as do the efforts of his buddy Sgt. Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck) to redirect his attentions.

Stalag 17 does offer an early cinematic nod to post-traumatic stress disorder with Joey (Robinson Stone), a prisoner who doesn't speak after seeing the other members of his bomber crew killed in their aircraft.

Wilder's film, then, is something of an uneven effort. The mystery surrounding the tipster is riveting. The comedy, often, just isn't that funny.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: Several members of the film's cast appeared in an earlier Broadway production including Strauss and William Pierson.

Stalag 17 also earned Wilder an Oscar nomination for best director.

Don Taylor went on to direct with credits including The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) and The Final Countdown .

Fallen Angel (1945)

Deception abounds in Fallen Angel.


Just about every character pulls some kind of scheme in this strong film noir effort from Otto Preminger (Laura).


GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

The funny stuff starts early when a Greyhound bus driver gives the heave-ho to Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews). He's stayed on past his fare purchase. The driver knows all about the falling asleep excuse. Stanton gets turfed in Walton, a small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco.


With little cash, Stanton pretends to be a friend of Professor Madley (John Carradine), a psychic who will soon be rolling into town. That deception gets Stanton a room for the night.


TALES FROM THE CRYPT

It's doubtful Madley has any type of real academic training either. His assistant gets the goods on a community's dead before showtime and feeds details, not too loudly, during the performance.


Stanton, and plenty of other fellows, takes a shine to Stella (Linda Darnell). She's a knockout waitress with all the warmth of a frozen water pipe. Potential suitors, including her own boss Pop (Percy Killbride), think they have a chance with Stella. A fat chance is about as good as it gets for them.


Stella has a racket of her own too, falsifying bills of diners so she can take extra cash from the register.


SINGLE WOMAN, LOTS OF CASH


Stanton's determined to come up with the cash Stella wants security before she'll marry him. He zeroes in on June Mills (Alice Faye), the daughter of a highly respected late mayor. She was also left a nice estate by her dad.


Stanton, who appears to have no interest of religion in his life, turns on the charm on June when she's rehearsing the organ at church. It's all an act. He even tries to rendezvous with Stella when he sees her at a dance hall while on a date with June. Stanton and June quickly marry, much to the disapproval of her sister Clara (Anne Revere), who was burned by a man in her own past.

"He's a charlatan," she warns her sibling.


Even when Eric disappears on their wedding night (!) to seek out Stella, June stands by her man.


When Stella turns up dead, a former big-city cop, Mark Judd (Charles Bickford), is determined to prove Stanton killed the woman. He, and June, flee. Did Stanton kill her? If not, who? Will he still try to fleece June out of her savings? Will they actually fall in love?

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH = ZERO


"I got everything by talking fast in a world that goes for talking and end up with exactly nothing," Stanton notes in a candid moment with his definitely better half.


Fallen Angel works for many reasons -- a great cast, terse dialouge and a whodunnit plot that should keep audiences guessing until the end.


Did June kill Stella so she wouldn't lose her man? Is Clara responsible, wanting to prevent her sister from the same pain she endured? Did a spurned suitor of Stella's murder her?


Watch Fallen Angel and find out.


RATING: 7.5/10


FUN FACTS: Jukebox salesman Dave Atkins is played by Bruce Cabot. He was in the original King Kong with Faye Wray. His last film was Diamonds are Forever.

Anne Revere was Mrs. Green in Gentleman's Agreement. That film is also reviewed on this site.


In a commentary accompanying the movie, film noir historian Eddie Muller notes many of the crew who worked on Laura teamed up again for Fallen Angel.

John Carradine appeared in plenty of horror films (Captive Wild Woman, Voodoo Man). It's great to see him in a dramatic role as Professor Madley. Heck, he was even in The Grapes of Wrath.

Percy Killbride was perhaps best known as Frank 'Pa' Kettle in a series of Ma and Pa Kettle films.

Laura (1944)

Here's a few different ways to have fun watching this great American film noir from 1944.

Count how many times Dana Andrews lights up a smoke.

Keep track of the snippets of the film's theme that pop up during its 88-minute running time.

Jot down whenever a scene happens at night, in the rain, or in the shadows. This is film noir, after all.

Or, make a checkmark every time a character delivers a zinger of a line in director Otto Preminger's classic tale shot in gorgeous black and white.

Let's give credit where it's largely due.

Laura, based on a novel by Vera Caspary, was penned by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhart and Ring Lardner, Jr. This team has done a fine job with this crime film.

Several participated in other major Hollywood films.

Dratler penned Call Northside 777 with James Stewart.

Hoffenstein was a contributing writer on The Wizard of Oz.

Lardner helped craft M*A*S*H, the film, and many episodes of the long-running television series.

Laura is a great showcase for Clifton Webb, who deservedly received an Oscar nomination for his role as Waldo Lydecker. It's Lydecker who falls for Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) after initially snubbing her in a great restaurant scene. Webb gets the lion's share of great lines and he delivers an incredible performance.

Lydecker is a well-known radio columnist loaded with cash and connections. He doesn't take kindly to his young love when she starts to make time with Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). Carpenter is making time with another woman and appears to have disturbed
Laura is murdered, but who's responsible?

Andrews (The Ox-Bow Incident) is solid as Det. Lieut. Mark McPherson, a no-nonsense homicide investigator who appears to be falling in with a deceased Laura.

Price is so well-known for his long resume of horror film that it's a pleasure to see him a dramatic role -- and doing a fine job too. "I'm a natural born suspect," Carpenter notes shortly after Laura's death. He had long relied on his family's estate to survive, but Laura recently gave him a job at her firm. Lydecker is quick to point out to Laura how Carpenter is not being faithful to her.

Laura is a benchmark in Tierney's career. It's one of the biggest roles in Andrews' career as well. He appeared in The Ox-Bow Incident a year before. Judith Anderson, who appears as Carpenter's love interest Ann Treadwell, appeared in Star Trek III 40 years later.

Great dialogue, strong production values, fantastic characters and a good whodunit make Laura well worth watching.

The version I watched included two A&E documentaries on Tierney and Price, a deleted scene, an extended version and commentary.

Here's a last little bit of trivia for you. Grant Mitchell (Arsenic and Old Lace and The Grapes of Wrath) had his scenes cut from the film.

Rating: 9/10