Last Chance is a must see gem for the war film buff (like myself). I got a copy of it through the Millcreek distributor's 50 Combat Movie Pack which is a 50 public domain film box set (purchased through Amazon for under $20.00 "used" or less then 50 cents a movie). The print on the version I got was pretty rough at places, but this story really tugs at the heart strings so it's worth the effort to see.
The story takes place during the collapse of the Mussolini government in 1943 Italy, a situation that I am intrigued in to start with. Brit and American POW's are on there way to more secure territory for safekeeping in Germany. When their train is blasted many of them run to the woods, that is where our story begins.
Along the way we are focused on two lone POW's who venture to the Swiss frontier and all the people they meet along the way.
Will they escape? How many of them will live? It actually is a movie that seems very real in what could have happened and may for all I know be based on a real life story. In two scenes I got so caught up in it that I got pretty emotional, which in a war movie for me means it's good.
I cannot rate it highly on too many technical merits, it's production values resembled late 50's American TV to me, but I will give it a good A grade for realism, the refugess and POW's do not have a "polished" look to themselves like a Sinatra had in Von Ryans Expess (another movie about the same topic that I loved but for different reasons), these characters look very very real, so I will say that while it was made on a low budget, it has a lot of heart and more than makes up for it.
Since it's public domain you may be able to find it easily online, I highly recommend it, its very powerful at times and very truthful for a movie that was released in 1946. Its very contemporary to this day. 9 of 10, a very pleasant surprise to watch.
The story takes place during the collapse of the Mussolini government in 1943 Italy, a situation that I am intrigued in to start with. Brit and American POW's are on there way to more secure territory for safekeeping in Germany. When their train is blasted many of them run to the woods, that is where our story begins.
Along the way we are focused on two lone POW's who venture to the Swiss frontier and all the people they meet along the way.
Will they escape? How many of them will live? It actually is a movie that seems very real in what could have happened and may for all I know be based on a real life story. In two scenes I got so caught up in it that I got pretty emotional, which in a war movie for me means it's good.
I cannot rate it highly on too many technical merits, it's production values resembled late 50's American TV to me, but I will give it a good A grade for realism, the refugess and POW's do not have a "polished" look to themselves like a Sinatra had in Von Ryans Expess (another movie about the same topic that I loved but for different reasons), these characters look very very real, so I will say that while it was made on a low budget, it has a lot of heart and more than makes up for it.
Since it's public domain you may be able to find it easily online, I highly recommend it, its very powerful at times and very truthful for a movie that was released in 1946. Its very contemporary to this day. 9 of 10, a very pleasant surprise to watch.