hkhanson Reviews

Mountain Fighters (1943)

Spoiler: many details are here. WWII Ski Training Movie

[9/10 · 7 July 2014]

Excellent Warner Brothers 21minute World War II movie about extraordinary special force Army's 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) aka Viking Battalion, Norwegian/American Battalion & Norwegian Battalion. Mountain troops, known as Ski Troopers, from USA, Norway & few other countries march with skis on their shoulders. Sign reads 'Headquarters Mountain Training Center'. Movie shows officer talking with a Norwegian American soldier telling him he'll soon have a chance to avenge his homeland against the Nazi invaders. Troopers enter their barracks. Sgt. Blake jokes about the recreational ski clothing brought by soldier Kramer. Troopers discuss famous ski jumpers. The troops collect their equipment at a counter including backpack, warm clothing, snow shoes, ski poles and skis. Troopers learn ski walking, 3 Army ways to climb a slope on skis. Troopers must pass down hill Ski Trooper test skiing threw trees to become official members of the Ski Troopers. Movie ends with mountain battle between these US Ski Troopers & three battalions of German Nazi ski troopers. **The WWII US Ski Troopers were in three separate units. The unit most like that in this film was the 99th. The 99th Battalion & also 85th, 86th & 87th Regiments (which became the 10th Light Mountain Division) were present at Camp Hale when Warner Brothers made this movie. The third unit was the First Special Service Force (FSSF of Americans & Canadians). A 2nd Armored Division (known as "Hell on Wheels") tank commander paid the 99th & it's extreme heavy training a complement by stating in frustration "The only damned unit in the whole US Army my Tanks can't keep up with!". **Related 99th WWII newsreel & documentary films YouTube titles: Monuments Men at the Merkers Mine. ; Nazi Gold-Bob Gladson ; Nazi Gold Discovered, 1945 - ; at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - search for: "Nazi atrocities; surrender" (gold, art & Buchenwald) about the $1.2 Billion Dollars of Gold, Silver, Platinum, Currency, Paintings & other Art from salt mines at Merkers, Germany, which the 99th transported in two large convoys, with the 474th FSSF battalion doing a 3rd convoy. The recent movie Monuments Men was in part about this. **The 99th received all the training of a Ranger battalion plus it's mountain climbing & ski training. Being Separate, 1 of 4 special battalions assigned tasks by First Army headquarters, when problems or special tasks arose, the 99th was used the way the Rangers were used. A result was the 99th participated FIVE major campaign Battles receiving the Five following Battle Stars Normandy 6 June - 24 July 1944; Northern France 25 July - 14 September 1944; Rhineland 15 September 1944 - 21 March 1945; Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945; Central Europe 22 March - 11 May 1945. After the Ardennes-Alsace (Battle of the Bulge) Campaign, the 99th was made part of special force 474th Infantry Regiment (Separate) who's three battalions were made from American portion of FSSF + many replacements to fill battalion, remaining survivors of Ranger battalions 1st, 2nd & 4th Battalions + many replacements to fill battalion and the 99th Battalion + a few replacements. The 474th Regiment became a part of General George Patton's Third Army. Patton used the 474th, in his rapid advances, to deal with the many by passed German units which made rapid advance possible but were too large a risk at Patton's rear if not dealt with. **99th related WWII newsreel & documentary films are the liberation of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp for which the 99th provided perimeter security. YouTube titles are: "HD Historic Archival Stock Footage WWII Buchenwald Concentration Camp - Liberation" ; "Buchenwald concentration camp - part 1 of 2" ; "The Most Evil Women In History-Ilse Koch" (aka Bitch of Buchenwald Ilse Koch) ; Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The 99ers saw General Patton throw up upon his exit of one of the buildings on his tour of Buchenwald.

The Bribe (1949)

1949 Police Crime noir film. Don't miss performances of Laughton, Gardner & Price. Taylor is OK.

[8/10 · 30 April 2014]

Spoiler Warning end mentioned! **A compilation summary in my words of highlights & best thats revealed in the reviews & story summaries: Usual glossy high MGM production values. Federal agent Rigby (Taylor), in Central America island to trace stolen airplane engines, falls for the gorgeous wife of his chief suspect. Wife, sultry singer (Gardner) tries to tempt this federal agent from the straight-and-narrow. Taylor seams uncomfortable playing law man who almost sacrifices all for sultry singer Gardner. All in all the love scenes are sincere, probably due to Taylor and Gardner having an affair at the time of the filming, although Taylor was married to Barbara Stanwyck. The final shot-out between Taylor and villain Vincent Price during a carnival, is stylish, interesting, has the elements of death and joy which are effectively juxtaposed and it is both exciting & visually marvelous. The last sequence is worthy of sticking with the movie until it's end.

**In pursuit of the stolen aircraft engines on a Central American island, federal undercover agent Rigby (Taylor) meets his chief suspect Hintten (Hodiak) and suspects wife Elizabeth (Gardner), who's a sultry café singer; and is watched by Bealer (Laughton), a "pie-shaped man" with sore feet. Rigby (Taylor) knows he's on the right track when Bealer (Laughton) offers him money to leave fictional island of Carlotta. When Rigby (Taylor) and Elizabeth (Gardner) are drawn to each other, the gang realizes there's more than one kind of bribe. Everybody sweats. Laughton is fabulous as the slovenly loser whose feet hurt, and Price is excellent, as the head villain. singer; and is being watched by Bealer (Laughton), the "pie-shaped man" with sore feet. Rigby (Taylor) finds he is on right track when Bealer (Laughton) offers him money to leave the fictional island of Carlotta. When Rigby (Taylor) & Elizabeth (Gardner) draw close to each other, the gang realizes there are more than kinds of bribes than money. All sweat in the tropical heat. Laughton is fabulous movie stealer as the slovenly loser whose feet are always hurting, and Price is also excellent, as the head villain.