Paratrooper (1953)

In 1940, an American claiming to be Canadian volunteers for the British Army's paratroop school.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay), Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) (as Frank Nugent)

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Leo Genn, Susan Stephen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Ladd	...	Canada
Leo Genn	...	Major Snow
Susan Stephen	...	Penny Gardner
Harry Andrews	...	R.S.M.
Donald Houston	...	Taffy
Anthony Bushell	...	General Whiting
Patric Doonan	...	Flash
Stanley Baker	...	Breton
Lana Morris	...	Pinky
Tim Turner	...	Rupert
Michael Kelly	...	Dawes
Anton Diffring	...	The Pole
Thomas Heathcote	...	Alf
Carl Duering	...	Rossi
John Boxer	...	Flight Sgt. Box

Storyline

Alan Ladd is the focus of this story based on the wartime raid on the German radar station at Bruneval. The raid was a combined services operation and the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Brigade was led by Major 'John Frost' (Major Snow). An RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant C.W.H. Cox (Sergeant Box) accompanied the raiders to tell them what to take back to England.

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Plot Keywords:

raf | german radar | north africa campaign | operation biting | commando raid | 

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Taglines:

ALAN LADD At His Greatest - ripping your emotions with thrills!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

1 October 1953 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Paratrooper

Filming Locations:

London Film Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,750,000, 31 December 1954

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,000,000, 31 December 1953

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Warwick Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Colour by) (Technicolor) (as Color by in U.S. print)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first movie made by British Production House, Warwick Films.

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Goofs

The aircraft is also in a natural-aluminum finish. This was standard when the film was made; but at the time the film is set, the aircraft would have worn camouflage.

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Quotes

R.S.M.: I'm sorry for the man who hears the pipes, and who wisnae born in Scotland.

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Connections

Referenced in Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Piobaireachd of Dhonald Dhu
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Standard post-WWII war movie fare

Not too bad for a typical Alan Ladd movie of its time (released in 1953). Not a must-see but it is entertaining. Having seen this movie a number of times, I was recently surprised to see what appears to be a lot of blue screen shots overlaid on backgrounds. Much of the static dialog seems to be shot on a sound stage and then superimposed on whatever was supposed to be going on in the scene.

Of particular interest is the difference in equipment and training between British and American paratroopers. As with most Alan Ladd movies he's portrayed as the arch-typical quiet loner who, when pushed, reacts with sufficient violence as to be given plenty of space. In reality, Ladd was too small to be much of a menace to most (unless he's pulling a trigger). To give you an idea of how diverse his career was at this time, this movie was released in the same year as his hits "Botany Bay" and "Shane".