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The War Lover (1962) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   487 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Philip Leacock
Writers:
John Hersey (novel)
Howard Koch (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The War Lover on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 October 1962 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Drama | War more
Tagline:
John Hersey's Major Novel of World War II more
Plot:
Buzz Rickson is a dare-devil World War II bomber pilot with a death wish. Failing at everything not involving flying... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
Those Glorious Old Vintage Movie Marquees: "The Dirty Dozen" Premieres In New York
 (From CinemaRetro. 3 May 2009, 3:13 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Mixed Bag but Good Overall more (20 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Steve McQueen ... Capt. Buzz Rickson

Robert Wagner ... 1st Lt. Ed Bolland
Shirley Anne Field ... Daphne Caldwell
Gary Cockrell ... 2nd Lt. Marty Lynch

Michael Crawford ... Sgt. Junior Sailen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ed Bishop ... Col. Vogt (as Edward Bishop)
Bernard Braden ... Flight Surgeon Randall
Tom Busby ... Sgt. Farr
Charles De Temple ... Capt. Braddock
Louise Dunn ... Hazel

Robert Easton ... Sgt. Handown
Bill Edwards ... 2nd Lt. Max Brindt
Arthur Hewlett ... Vicar
Chuck Julian ... Lamb
Bob Kanter ... 2nd Lt. Haverstraw
Sean Kelly ... Capt. Woodman
Richard Leech ... Maj. Murika
Justine Lord ... Street Girl
Neil McCallum ... Sully
George Sperdakos ... Sgt. Bragliani
Jerry Stovin ... Col. Emmet
Viera ... Singer
Al Waxman ... Sgt. Prien
more
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono | Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Australia:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X
Filming Locations:
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK more
Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The scene where the B-17 pilot Woodman brings his aircraft in for a wheels-up landing, and navigator Marty Lynch is killed, comes from the film Twelve O'Clock High (1949). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The briefing map the pilots get to see before the raid on Leipzig shows the Netherlands as having an area of reclaimed land that was not yet there during WW II. It's called Eastern Flevoland (or, in Dutch: Oostelijk Flevoland) and wasn't finished until 1957. more
Quotes:
Captain Buzz Rickson: What's the matter Bolland, afraid to die?
1st Lt Ed Bolland: Damn right I am. But you're scared to live.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (1990) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
A Mixed Bag but Good Overall, 24 January 2007
7/10
Author: wmarkley from Ohio

"The War Lover" isn't the greatest movie ever made, but it has some very good elements. The scenes of airmen inside B-17 bombers are excellent, with very good views of flight uniforms, equipment, flying instruments and the cramped conditions. The fearful aspects of aerial combat are also shown quite effectively. Some of the sound effects are muffled, but the general experience of flying on bombing missions over enemy territory is well portrayed.

Steve McQueen gives an excellent performance. While his character "Buzz" Rickson is often arrogant and amoral, McQueen is mesmerizing. He also nicely shows how Rickson has moments of compassion towards others. Its good to see a character like Rickson depicted in a way that's not completely black-and-white. Robert Wagner does a very good job as McQueen's co-pilot, a man with more decency and quiet character than Rickson, but who is also flawed like all of us. Unfortunately, while Shirley Anne Field is beautiful and shows some charm, she does a poor job of acting.

"The War Lover" is especially good at showing the toll of war, and how men of various characters and backgrounds are thrown together in the military. And it is very frank about the sexual promiscuity that is often a part of war. While the movie effectively shows these things, it does so in ways that are not as explicit as many movies of today might do.

The editing of "The War Lover" is quite poor at times, with a choppy quality, and minor characters sometimes pop up here and there in a confusing way. Overall, though, the film is very worthwhile for viewers who are interested in character studies and war movies.

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Favorite Lines woodwingdoc
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Interior Shots of B-17s, Question wmarkley
Very Good overlooked McQueen movie... wulff9
planes and pilots facts n the movie zchicco
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