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Masterfully scripted by Paddy Chayefsky, this 1964 anti-war film is not quite a classic but nonetheless an unexpected treat and one that deserves resurrection by a new generation of viewers. Set in WWII London, the dark hearted plot focuses on Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Madison, an especially notorious personal assistant to the mentally unstable Admiral William Jessup. Madison's job is to make sure Jessup gets anything he wants, and he has a warehouse full of contraband to back him up. Smug in his self-awareness about his cowardice, he meets Emily Barham, an English war widow who has lost her father and brother as well as her husband to the war. She is repulsed by Madison's manipulative agenda and cavalier materialism, and he finds her priggish and self-righteous. Needless to say, they fall in love. Complicating matters is Jessup's hare-brained scheme to ensure the first casualty of the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach be a naval man. Without a glimmer of irony recognized, the admiral assigns Madison and his colleague "Buzz" Cummings to find the appropriate sailor and film his heroic death.

The sheer audacity of this task is a hallmark of Chayefsky's vitriolic style, and the film is full of his brittle, observant dialogue and sharply articulate soliloquies. You need an actor of consummate charm and cunning to play Madison effectively, and Garner responds by turning in one of the best performances of his long career. He shows not only his deft comedic touch but also a piercing insight into the integrity that can come from an acknowledged lack of courage. Squeezed in between her twin juggernauts of sugar, "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music", Julie Andrews gives an intelligent, passionate performance as Emily that actually eclipses her acting in either mega-hit. The movie's title comes from her character's resistance to what she sees as cheapening her values by becoming more American. Together, they not only spark romantically but also trade speeches of barbed cynicism making Chayefsky's words fly off the page with supple dexterity.

Screen stalwart Melvyn Douglas is a terrifically befuddled blowhard as Jessup, while an especially energetic James Coburn aggressively turns "Buzz" into a monomaniacal yes-man. Joyce Grenfell is superb in her few scenes as Emily's no-nonsense mother. For interested baby boomers, you can even see future "Laugh-In" regulars Alan Sues and Judy Carne in bit parts, as well as the late Sharon Tate. If there is a weakness to the film, it comes from Arthur Hiller's pedestrian direction making the film more episodic than it should. The 2005 DVD package has a sharp print of the film and includes Hiller's informative commentary on an alternate track. He is understandably proud of the film since his subsequent work ("Love Story", "Making Love") has not even come close to the quality of this production. There is also a short, "Action on the Beach", which shows how the realistic filming of the D-Day scene was executed. It would be interesting to see this film in a double bill with Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" to get alternative perspectives on the same event.

This film is being released on cable again here in the fall of 2002. I guess I hope some liberal Hollywood mogul is doing it on purpose, to give us, especially those of us in the US, another good dose of anti-war. The movie seems especially apt for me, for my countrymen, because it is both funny and serious, and, set in England, it gives a pretty good sense of what a people who know war think and feel about it.

I'm afraid I doubt that it's going to have much effect against the probably coming Iraq action, but I'd like to think it might have a bit.

Both James Garner and Julie Andrews do well in the film, and Melvyn Douglas is real good as an American ranking Naval officer who's sane about the "glories of war". The Brit who plays Julie Andrews mother, whose name I unhappily cannot remember, deserves strong mention, too, especially with her scene about the absurdity and stupidity of memorializing the first Allied death in the invasion at Normandy in WW II.

Building up to D-Day, American Charlie Madison (James Garner) arrives in England on May 4, 1944. He is a "Dog-Robber" or a personal attendant of a general or an admiral keeping the highest ranked personnel happy. Emily Barham (Julie Andrews) is the driver given to the brash Madison and she's not very impress with the American at first. She had suffered great losses. Despite that, they fall for each other. His superior Adm. William Jessup (Melvyn Douglas) is going crazy trying to maintain the profile of the Navy. He comes up with a scheme to make the first dead man on Omaha beach to be a sailor and sends Charlie off to the pointless suicide mission.

For this movie, it's the Paddy Chayefsky screenplay that is the most important. His lines are sizzling. James Garner eats up his rants. The 'cowardice as a virtue' speech has no parallels that I know of. His character is deeply complex. Julie Andrews is absolutely winning. The story doesn't portray the military in the best light.

Americanization of Emily is not an anti-war or pacifist film. Its position is anti- glorification of war or heroism. Chayefsky himself was a war hero and awarded a Purple Heart. His position on war is stated clearly by the James Garner character in the amazing garden scene with Emily and her mother, who has been driven mad with grief over the loss of her husband, son-in-law, etc. in the war. Emily takes Charlie's cowardice and throws it back at him. The film was unavailable for years since the widow of the author of the book on which it is based held the copyright and would not release it for DVD. It is finally available for a new generation, and the ideas are still timely and valid. The theme song, Emily, is a jazz classic that has become better known than the film itself.

Acceptable but overlong war comedy with screenplay by prestigious Paddy Chayefsky and being based on a novel written by William Bradford . It deals with an American naval Lt. Cmdr. Charles E. Madison (the role was originally offered to William Holden, while James Garner was considered for the part of "Bus" Cummmings played by James Coburn) , he has a talent for living the good life in wartime that is challenged when he falls in love and is sent on a dangerous mission . Meanwhile , he falls in love with an enticing Brit widow (Julie Andrews' only movie in black and white). But when his Admiral (Melvyn Douglas) suffers a nervous breakdown , it leads to Charlie being sent on a senseless and risked mission dealing with a master plan to have American naval soldier first Normandy with predictable results .

This cynical war comedy contains drama , humor , emotion and romance . Top-of the-range stellar cast who gives magnificent acting as James Garner who is splendid as a coward sponger who takes his life as smooth and risk-free as possible for himself ; Garner always says that this is his favorite of his movies and an attractive Julie Andrews who is frankly well . Very good support cast such as James Coburn as Lt. Cmdr. Paul 'Bus' Cummings , Edward Binns as Adm. Thomas , Keenan Wynn as Old Sailor , William Windom as Capt. Harry Spaulding and special mention to Melvyn Douglas as Adm. William Jessup .

This ironic picture was financed by producer Martin Ransohoff who removed director William Wyler from the picture as Wyler wanted to change Paddy Chayefsky's script. It was a rare instance in which a producer supported a screenwriter over a director, particularly one of Wyler's caliber. As Chayefsky was known to have guarantees written into his contracts protecting his scripts, Ransohoff may have had no choice but to replace Wyler with Arthur Hiller . Nice production design and art direction from George W Davis and Hans Peters , though several war images have been taken from stock shots , some scenes of the D-Day landing scenes were filmed on Mandalay Beach in Oxnard, California . Atmospheric as well as evocative Original Music by Johnny Mandel . Excellent Cinematography in black and white by Philip H. Lathrop though also shown and available in horrible colorized version .

The motion picture was well and professionally directed by Arthur Hiller . Arthur is a good craftsman who has directed all kind of genres as Romantic story : ¨Love story¨ , wartime : ¨Tobruk¨ , Drama : ¨Making love¨, ¨Author , Author¨ ; being his specialty comedy genre such as proved in ¨The out of towners¨, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" , ¨Silver streak¨ , ¨Outrageous Fortune¨, or this ¨The Americanization of Emily¨ .

Simply put, this is one of my all-time favorite movies. I can't possibly agree with the individual who wrote this was possibly James Garner's worst movie. The exact opposite is true. The character of Charlie is callous, and self-serving, but he has a dedication to the admiral that is logical and touching. It is the admiral, after all, who saved Charlie from the realities of war.

Listen to Charlie's speech about how he got there. He started off by going to war with all the ideals of any other Marine, but in the teeth of war he realized he wasn't the man he thought he was and "the glory" certainly wasn't worth it. Charlie is a coward, but not a deserter. He has priorities, which he lists to Emily.

Garner does a fine job in communicating the role of an outwardly selfish and uncaring man struggling hard to suppress his principles.

Julie Andrews' Emily is just the person to bring those principles out. And James Coburn is outstanding as the one person who actually takes the admiral's plan for a sailor to be the first casualty on Omaha Beach seriously.

Very good acting by all. Fine comic performances in a film that is easily overlooked by today's audiences because it isn't the type of humor that hits you over the head with a baseball bat to make its point. Instead, it uses characterization and intelligence.

How sad we are that we are no longer required to think about movies, since so many of them have no thought behind them other than making money.

"The Americanization of Emily" is definitely worth a look if you like smart, intelligent characters with something to say.

Think of Network or The Hospital, Paddy Chayefsky was seeing into the future and what he saw was ugly. Here we have an insane admiral and how his men, who know he's crazy, stand in line to follow his wishes/commands. An anti war film without sentimentality. Julie Andrews is a total delight as the tough cookie with a razor sharp mind. James Garner has the best lines of his career. His tea with Joyce Grenfell is a superb written scene. Joyce Grenfell as Julie's mother is divine, yes, divine! Melvyn Douglas as the crazy man in charge is the Howard Beale of the situation and what he does with it is pure genius. Highly recommend it.

Arthur Hiller's "The Americanization of Emily" is a film that courted controversy with its subject matter. While the sexual elements of the film were somewhat bold for its time it's the film's anti-war sentiment that pushes the buttons of folks even today.

While anti-war sentiment may have been justified during the Vietnam War (which hadn't really escalated yet) this story is set during WWII. That, in my mind, hurts the film's message. The lead character's self-proclaimed 'cowardice' is difficult to see in a positive light when he's in a war that basically *had* to be fought. I also don't think that the film's ending is really true to what preceded it. Even with these faults, though, Paddy Chayefsky's script shows the touch of a master.

Although the cast didn't get an any Oscar attention there are a number of good performances to be found here. James Garner oozes charisma in the lead role and Melvyn Douglas stands out as the gung ho, but cuckoo, admiral. James Coburn also contributes admirable support while Julie Andrews puts in a solid but unremarkable performance in the female lead.

Hiller's direction is well handled and the film shows ample refinement. The Omaha Beach scene won't leave you thinking of "Saving Private Ryan" but the film's two Oscar nominations for black-and-white cinematography and art direction weren't for nothing. I can't remember anything about the score so it must have been pretty average.

With a film like this, the message of the movie could turn you off entirely. I suggest approaching it with an open mind and not taking it too seriously. It is, first and foremost, a comedy, after all.

This excellent film combines humor and drama in ways I've never seen before. Far from heavyhanded in either department, its notable trait is a kind of circular irony that runs through the film, becoming even more profound in the film's final scenes. Garner plays a man whose ideal is cowardice and self-service. Face dfinally with having to become and official "hero" and wanting no part of it, he has to realize that to be true to himself he has to play this role -- the nobility of any grand gesture of honesty in his cowardice would be too utside of his character! Andrews is magnificent and more sexy than usual as Emily, a girl afraid to have any man who's not a coward! No sentimentality, just good old dark irony. Very well written. Good film!

I first saw this movie in 1964 at the Air Force base where I was stationed. At the time I thought it was an odd choice to show on base, but in those days, I guess the military wasn't so sensitive that they had to censor the films shown on base. The movie practically disappeared for 40 years, and I was pleased to see that it is now released on DVD. I watched the DVD this weekend and was happy to find that the film still seemed fresh and had aged very well.

Watching this movie reminds one of why James Garner and Julie Andrews became stars. They are both extremely likable and have good chemistry together. Garner's character, Charlie Madison, is just a rift on his Maverick TV personae, but is well suited to the character. Andrews, in a non-singing role, is luminescent. She plays a British war widow the way all Americans think of British women. It is a classic portrayal. The star of this film though, is the script by Paddy Chayefsky. Snappy, witty dialog and that strong dose of black humor amply illustrate why Chayefsky should be considered on of the finest script writers of all time. This is equal to his work in Network.

The DVD extras are sparse. There is a 6 minute 1964 MGM featurette on the filming of the Omaha Beach scene. It is only notable by comparison of Mr Garner's treatment during filming to how today's over-indulged, ego-inflated, and under-whelming movie stars are treated. Recommended.

There can be no Paddy Chayefsky without comedy, nor can there be without drama. His work is always serious, channeled with humor, but his presentation is so on-point, so honest, so blatant, that as viewers we are forced to soak it all up, and we are left the better for it.

Set in wartime, the Americanization of Emily looks at changing times in a very changing world. The ‘balloon will go up' any day now, signaling the Invasion of Europe and all around will be forever changed.

It is not solely the warriors, the decision makers, that are central to the battle. Chayefsky knows that, and shows us that war will change all it touches, from the simple Emily (Julie Andrews), a kind, intelligent, sensitive single English woman to the devil-may-care ‘scrounger', Lt Cmdr Charles Madison (James Garner-somewhat a reprise of his role in The Great Escape).

This movie is a romance, and a serious examination of people over-matched by forces outside their control, who struggle to do everything in their control to find their way.

A well-told story, skillfully delivered. It's hard to ask for much more than that.

Puzzling, yes, but entertaining nevertheless due to splendid performances (and great chemistry) of JULIE ANDREWS and JAMES GARNER. What this is, really, is a more serious version of an idea Preston Sturges had for HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO back in the '40s, the scatterbrained comedy with Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton about a man mistaken for a war hero.

But the questionable element here is what to make of the speeches Julie and James make when they find themselves on opposite sides of the argument on war and the reasons for it. Evidently Paddy Chayefsky was writing this with serious intent on imparting some kind of morality to the tale, but it fails to make sense when you stop to analyze it. Nobody has a clearcut opinion on anything and both Julie and James settle for going along with the phony publicity ballyhoo engineered by JAMES COBURN.

MELVYN DOUGLAS is fine as the officer who is responsible for the dangerous mission that falls into the hands of JAMES GARNER, and all because he was drunk when he proposed it. In the end, he's happy that Garner is still alive and wants to promote him as the Navy's most obvious example of heroism under fire...ironically, a far departure from the truth.

So is the film and its moral ambiguities--but it's still fun to watch for the performances of Andrews and Garner. They're wonderful together and it's no wonder that eighteen years later they were reunited for a smash hit called VICTOR/VICTORIA.

William Wyler refused to direct when he asked for revisions in the script--and I can understand his objections. Nevertheless, it manages to be an above average romantic comedy. It's more a character study of two opposites who are given some great speeches to make about patriotism or the lack thereof by writer Paddy Chayefsky.

Favorite moment: The rain scene where Garner and Andrews tell each other off in the classic manner of screwball comedy.

Unlike most WWII movies of this era, this movie wasn't afraid to take a dark but witty look at military establishment.

James Coburn character takes seriously a delusional Admiral (the great Melvin Douglas) who conceives of a "Tomb of the Unknown Sailor" Coburn assigns a devoutly un-heroic James Garner to storm Normandy Beach to film and retrieve the body of the first sailor killed on D-Day. In an unforgettable scene, a very intoxicated Keenan Wynne is assigned to the project and responds by saying "I may be drunk, but I'm not THAT drunk!".

The writing and dialog are some of the most intelligent and clever that you will ever see in a movie. Near the end of the movie, Julie Andrew gives a brilliant speach that takes Garner's anti-heroic philosophy and spins it back to him in a clever and unexpected way.

This is an anti-war movie and that's fine with me, but they really hit you over the head with their moralizing. James Garner is great as the coward but goes on and on about how smart he is to be a coward and how stupid the rest of us are to go along with all the war jingoism.

Julie Andrews is the co-star and very attractive but her character also feels the need to explain herself in oral essays. People don't act like that in real life. Not now and not in 1964.

Paddy Chayefsky wrote the script and deserves most of the blame for the preaching. Still - it's a good movie though i wish they'd made it in color.

Get ready for a well written, directed and acted film about a very cowardly man in service. He's played by James Garner in an incredible performance. It has been said EMILY is his favorite film and I agree. Along with Garner is an amazing performance by Julie Andrews who looks terrific. A great character study and movie that makes you think. So unlike todays films where the special effects and fancy camera movement take the place of good old fashioned writing and acting. Superb also in support roles are Melvyn Douglas and James Coburn. The only flaw is that the women, including Andrews, don't have that "1945" look. Much too modern looking, especially the hair styles.

For those of today's fans who think Julie Andrews made her film debut in Mary Poppins, they would be wrong. After leaving Camelot on Broadway, The Americanization of Emily was the vehicle with which Julie made her debut. And she sings not a note.

She didn't have to. Beneath all the comedy revolving around the scheming and conniving of James Garner to stay as far away from the hail of bullets as possible are some profound statements about the futility of war and the geopolitics that got the USA in that particular war.

James Garner is in a quintessential James Garner role as set down by Bret Maverick, the part that made Garner a star. He's a "dog robber" a military aide to an admiral who specializes in acquiring certain creature comforts for his boss. Garner became one after serving some combat in Guadalcanal and finding it not to his liking. Fortunately for him, he had the connections to get out of that situation unlike several thousand others. Not a very admirable man.

But despite herself, stiff upper lip Britisher Julie Andrews finds herself falling for him. There's is one rocky romance.

Through a combination of circumstances Garner finds himself going to the front on D-Day to film the Naval Engineers disabling the mines in the water at Normandy Beach. Once again, it's not to his liking.

Garner and Andrews get good support from the supporting cast consisting of James Coburn, William Windom, Joyce Grenfell and Melvyn Douglas as the battle fatigued admiral who's Garner's boss and who got him in the situation described.

One of my favorite scenes involves two sailors, Keenan Wynn and Steve Franken who get assigned to Garner to make the film. The three of them get cockeyed drunk and Garner's immediate superior James Coburn finds them in a state of uselessness. He has them hauled aboard the transport with the cargo.

One of the great things this film had going for it was the Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer title song of Emily. They were a hot combination of movie song writers then, having one back to back Oscars for Moon River and Days of Wine and Roses. Frank Sinatra, Jack Jones, and Andy Williams are some of the artists who recorded that song back in 1964.

I can't give the ending away, but let's say that Garner through a bit of sophistry winds up doing exactly what he said he never would. But then again as Garner says, he's not interested in some great philosophical truth, just the momentary fact of things. He and Julie Andrews together are what counts most.

As a Chayefsky fan, I sorta held off on this movie because it was presented to me as a mere anti-war film. I'm a little bit tired of anti-war films. I think we all are... But here I am, finishing my second viewing of this movie on back-to-back nights, and with great pleasure I can say that The Americanization of Emily is not a simple anti-war film. True to the Chayefsky name, this is one of the most original, well-crafted movies you will ever see. This is screen writing at its best: where conventional romances and gags are turned into a statement on the human condition, and you can laugh and, at the same time, hear your own thoughts put more eloquently than you could ever manage.

The Americanization of Emily is not content to stop at anti-war. It moves on and on, sometimes so quick it may be a little jarring at first or seem a little preachy, and maybe it is, but, for all it's flaws (the love song is eerily similar to Spartacus's love theme), this film could easily enter a top ten list. I don't want to hype it up too much, though. I may only like it because I agree. I also don't want to neglect director Arthur Hiller's great contribution (keep an eye out for the 3 minute take in the hotel room.) If you're a Chayefsky fan (which should be just about everyone), however, or if you enjoy the absolute mastery of craft exhibited by Hollywod during its Golden Age, you'll love this film. I highly suggest it. I really do.

War is one of the most controversial topics. An argument in favor is that it's necessary to protect freedom and democracy (and then there's there responsibility to protect, also known as R2P). An argument against is that it inevitably results in civilian casualties. But we rarely hear of the potential humor that can arise in it. "The Americanization of Emily" focuses on just that. The relationship between a US officer (James Garner) and a UK driver (Julie Andrews). The humor here is closer to what we saw in "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" than to "Catch-22": nothing biting or cynical, just zany. And they do a good job with it, while also prompting us to question the overall purpose of war. In the end, worth seeing. Not surprising, considering that the screenwriter is none other than Paddy Chayefsky (of "Network" fame).

Watch for "Laugh-In" co-star Judy Carne as one of the unnamed girls, and an uncredited Sharon Tate as one of the many babes.

Save for James Coburn's scenery chewing performance, and James Garner's eternal likability factor, this dog wouldn't even rate a chicken bone. The nearly unanimous favorable comments here just makes me ponder my sanity. First of all, it's a Vietnam era satire that craps all over the sacrifice of D-DAY veterans, noble in its intentions but hopelessly missing the mark on what it is trying to say.

Second of all, the story is set in 1944 but almost every sensibility from hairstyles to evening gowns to the much later than 1940's jazz playing on Coburn's bedroom radio is totally early 60's. Julie Andrews had almost the same hairstyle Maureen O'Hara had in The Parent Trap. This kind of inept attention to detail fools only viewers who really haven't got a clue what they're looking at.

Thirdly, the screenplay must be Paddy Chayefsky's worst - a self indulgent, preachy and fluffy satire that hasn't the faintest idea what it is exactly...a romantic comedy, a romantic drama, a farce or an anti war statement. None of this meshes into a cohesive whole. A rambling mess.

Just awful. Mind numbing. After 90 minutes I was just desperate for it to end. Possibly the worst film of Garner's I've ever seen. Julie Andrews made two or three films that were nearly or equally bad as this. Darling Lili anyone? People who love this film should open their eyes. It's an unauthentic WW2 movie, a misguided - and unfunny - Vietnam era satire, and a driveling attempt at a romance. When James Coburn steals a film out from under the likes of Garner and Andrews you know it's bad.