Low-budget film with the sole purpose of serving as war propaganda for the entire Allied side. The protagonist, an antihero due to his wartime experience, unwittingly and subsequently consciously transforms into a hero. What a more fantastical transformation, when in reality, war often produces exactly the opposite. But well, any ammunition is necessary in the war effort, and what better ammunition than young volunteers, deceived by unfiltered and unscrupulous propaganda.
Well, but this veiled or blatant propaganda seems inevitable for any war-themed film production; you know it, and you have to deal with it.
Cinematographically speaking, the film barely passes with so little money; there are no visual resources for more than a desert as the main setting and the night that conceals everything, flaws included. Narratively, everything is focused on the film's main mission, so no one in the production has made an effort to offer more. Even Fonda, who accepted this supporting role, later regretted it in his biography.
But well, the only thing that saves it is that classic cinema has its charm, a mixture of black and white drama, close-ups that few actors today can endure, and that aura of times past, which in the collective imagination is mistakenly always considered better. Another interesting aspect not to forget is that the film is contemporary to the events narrated, and for war genre enthusiasts, it's always a pleasure to be able to enjoy them, even though it's impossible not to think that while some were giving their lives, fighting in battles or under the oppressive yoke of the occupying enemy, others could indulge in the magical world of the seventh art.
Well, but this veiled or blatant propaganda seems inevitable for any war-themed film production; you know it, and you have to deal with it.
Cinematographically speaking, the film barely passes with so little money; there are no visual resources for more than a desert as the main setting and the night that conceals everything, flaws included. Narratively, everything is focused on the film's main mission, so no one in the production has made an effort to offer more. Even Fonda, who accepted this supporting role, later regretted it in his biography.
But well, the only thing that saves it is that classic cinema has its charm, a mixture of black and white drama, close-ups that few actors today can endure, and that aura of times past, which in the collective imagination is mistakenly always considered better. Another interesting aspect not to forget is that the film is contemporary to the events narrated, and for war genre enthusiasts, it's always a pleasure to be able to enjoy them, even though it's impossible not to think that while some were giving their lives, fighting in battles or under the oppressive yoke of the occupying enemy, others could indulge in the magical world of the seventh art.