An interesting dramatic situation is set up in this story, dealing a bit with the significant WWII issue of Collaboration, but more generally with he importance of establishing trust between our soldiers and the people they're stationed amongst. Here it's German-occupied France, but in recent times it could be Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria.
Marisa Pavan is assigned the principal acting role as a Frenchwoman whose dad is killed by townsfolk as a suspected collaborator just as Vic and his men are part of the troops liberating the village. Vic is powerless to save the man, but his daughter blames him and his fellow Americans just as she blames the Germans for his death.
When she leaves town in disgust, Pavan happens to see the Germans setting up a position nearby, camouflaged and perfect to ambush unsuspecting American soldiers. Rick Jason has already assigned Vic to find the girl and bring her back for questioning, as her dad was actually working for the Allies secretly, only pretending that his sympathies were with the Germans to gain their confidence and extract information. The Americans need to know if she has valuable information as a result.
What makes this Edward Lakso script tick is the device of Vic constantly being forced to follow orders that he doesn't agree with, and for good reason. It develops into a battle of wills between feisty Pavan and Morrow, well-acted and credible. Watching Vic being put on the spot over and over again propels the drama. In a well-written monologue (without the expected preachiness) Vic convinces her to help him find the Germans' position and avoid a tragedy.
Kudos to writer Edward Lakso, who wrote for a myriad of tv series I watched over the years (without noticing his credit) and even at the beginning of his career collaborated with Russ Meyer on Russ's ground-breaking short film "The Immoral Mr. Teas".
Marisa Pavan is assigned the principal acting role as a Frenchwoman whose dad is killed by townsfolk as a suspected collaborator just as Vic and his men are part of the troops liberating the village. Vic is powerless to save the man, but his daughter blames him and his fellow Americans just as she blames the Germans for his death.
When she leaves town in disgust, Pavan happens to see the Germans setting up a position nearby, camouflaged and perfect to ambush unsuspecting American soldiers. Rick Jason has already assigned Vic to find the girl and bring her back for questioning, as her dad was actually working for the Allies secretly, only pretending that his sympathies were with the Germans to gain their confidence and extract information. The Americans need to know if she has valuable information as a result.
What makes this Edward Lakso script tick is the device of Vic constantly being forced to follow orders that he doesn't agree with, and for good reason. It develops into a battle of wills between feisty Pavan and Morrow, well-acted and credible. Watching Vic being put on the spot over and over again propels the drama. In a well-written monologue (without the expected preachiness) Vic convinces her to help him find the Germans' position and avoid a tragedy.
Kudos to writer Edward Lakso, who wrote for a myriad of tv series I watched over the years (without noticing his credit) and even at the beginning of his career collaborated with Russ Meyer on Russ's ground-breaking short film "The Immoral Mr. Teas".