Wolf Frees Movies
This big-budget, big-studio espionage film is set in the last years of World War II. George Peppard, Tom Courtenay and Jeremy Kemp parachute into Germany, with orders to destroy the Nazis' V-1 rocket base at Peenemunde. Given the order of billing, guess which special operative survives the longest. This being an MGM production, Peppard has time to commiserate with Sophia Loren, the wife of the Nazi collaborator whom Peppard is pretending to be. If you're wondering about the film's outcome, remember who won the war. Operation Crossbow failed badly in its first release; MGM, deciding that the title misled moviegoers into thinking that the picture was a "Robin Hood" derivation, cleared up matters by renaming the film The Great Spy Mission. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, George Peppard, (more)
Based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago covers the years prior to, during, and after the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of poet/physician Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif). In the tradition of Russian novels, a multitude of characters and subplots intertwine within the film's 197 minutes (plus intermission). Zhivago is married to Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin), but carries on an affair with Lara (Julie Christie), who has been raped by ruthless politician Komarovsky (Rod Steiger). Meanwhile, Zhivago's half-brother Yevgraf (Alec Guinness) and the mysterious, revenge-seeking Strelnikoff (Tom Courteney) represent the "good" and "bad" elements of the Bolshevik revolution. Composer Maurice Jarre received one of Doctor Zhivago's five Oscars, with the others going to screenwriter Robert Bolt, cinematographer Freddie Young, art directors John Box and Terry Marsh, set decorator Dario Simoni, and costumer Phyllis Dalton. The best picture Oscar, however, went to The Sound of Music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, (more)
- 1965
In this tale of espionage and adventure set during World War II, Norway has fallen under Nazi occupation, and a factory is producing "heavy water" (a key ingredient in the manufacture of atomic weapons), under the order of the German military. Knut Straud (Richard Harris), a leading figure in the Norwegian underground, joins forces with scientist Dr. Rolf Pederson (Kirk Douglas), who is working with British intelligence agents to destroy the factory in hopes of keeping the Atomic Bomb out of Axis hands. However, while originally Straud and Pederson are only supposed to infiltrate the factory as a reconnaissance force while awaiting British troops, the English army is forced to retreat from their plans, leaving the Norwegians to destroy the factory and scuttle a shipment of the "heavy water" all by themselves. Inspired by a true story, The Heroes of Telemark also features Michael Redgrave and Anton Diffring. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, (more)
- 1960
This crime caper based on a legendary robbery stars Aldo Ray as Norgate, the ringleader of the thieves out to steal a bundle from the Bank of England. But it is a young Peter O'Toole as the guard Fitch who steals the show -- two years before Lawrence of Arabia would make him an internationally acclaimed star. The year is 1901 and Norgate is an avid supporter of Irish Home Rule, avid enough to plan this robbery to get the bullion needed to make his independence wishes come true. He gathers together the necessary crew of brains, brawn, and bravado, and the would-be thieves make their way through a sewer system that runs under the bank. What they do not count on is that Fitch may not be quite as dumb as he seems. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Elizabeth Sellars, (more)
- 1958
Count Five and Die is a neat British-made programmer set just before the D-Day invasion. Nigel Patrick plays a British major who heads a group of special agents, dedicated to misleading the Nazis into thinking the invasion will take place in Holland. The Allied spies, which include American Jeffrey Hunter and Frenchwoman Annemarie Duringer operate under cover as the owners of a documentary filmmaking firm. The plan is nearly destroyed when one of the spies turns out to be a Nazi agent. The title Count Five and Die refers to the length of time its takes for the traditional cyanide capsules (always doled out to secret agents in films of this nature) to take effect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Nigel Patrick, (more)
- 1958
Ray Milland doubles up as star and director of The Safecracker. Set during WW II, the film casts Milland as professional cracksman Colley Dawson, who is rescued from prison by Army major Adbury (Ernest Clark). Dawson is offered a deal: if he'll agree to embark upon a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, he'll be given his freedom. The mission, of course, is to break into a Nazi safe and steal a list of German spies operating in England. Before one can say "Robert Wagner", Dawson is trained as a commando and parachuted into Belgium for the "caper" of his life. Supposedly based on a true story, The Safecracker was lensed in Europe and released stateside by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Barry Jones, (more)
- 1958
Sea of Sand was distributed in the US in a shortened version, Desert Patrol. John Gregson plays Captain Williams, a martinet mine expert who vows to whip a lackadaisacal patrol into shape. This brings Williams in conflict with patrol leader Captain Cotton (Michael Craig), but also earns him the respect of hard-bitten trooper Brody (Richard Attenborough). The wisdom of Williams' no-nonsense approach is demonstrated when the patrol is besieged by the highly disciplined members of the German Afrika Korps. The film was produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, best known to American TV viewers as the creative forces behind the weekly series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, John Gregson, (more)
- 1958
This British WW II drama takes place in the wilds of Tunis. Major Gerrard (Leo Genn) is ordered to lead a desperate mission to capture a Nazi-held farmhouse. Despite the fact that this undertaking is tantamount to committing suicide, Gerrard has no trouble rounding up volunteers. There's a bit too much of the old "stiff upper lip" in the dialogue, though the action sequences are first-rate and believable. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence in the cast of Michael Caine; he isn't billed, and barely has a line, but he's instantly recognizable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kieron Moore, Michael Medwin, (more)
The Man Who Never Was is the true story of how the Allies threw the Nazis off track in planning the invasion of Sicily. The British Royal Navy exhumes the corpse of a man who died of natural causes, arranging to make it appear as though the dead man was a special services operative carrying the secret invasion plans. The elaborate ruse includes creating a fictional identity for the "spy," then faking a drowning for the corpse and having the body wash up on shore with false information. The plan is complicated by Lucy Sherwood (Gloria Grahame), the girl friend of the dead man, and Patrick O'Reilly (Stephen Boyd), a German espionage agent. The Man Who Never Was moves too slowly to maintain excitement, but it works well on a pure storytelling level. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifton Webb, Gloria Grahame, (more)
- 1954
In this actioner, a Yankee charter pilot finds himself entangled with art thieves who have just stolen the priceless object of the title from a museum. He ends up following the robbers to Battersea. There he saves a young woman from the crooks and helps retrieve the Buddha. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
So Little Time takes so much time to tell its thinnish story. The scene is Nazi-occupied Belgium. Maria Schell plays a proud Belgian aristocrat; Marius Goring is a ruthless but innately decent German colonel who is billeted in Schell's mansion. At first hostile toward each other, the conqueror male and conquered female fall in love. This alliance may be foredoomed, but is fun while it lasts. So Little Time was produced during a period in which German officers were occasionally cast in a sympathetic light (e.g. Erwin Rommel in Desert Fox), but had to die for the sins of Hitler anyway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Bailey, Maria Schell, (more)
- 1950
This espionage drama was based on the true story of Odette Sansom Churchill, who became an unlikely hero during WWII. Born in France, Odette (Anna Neagle) was married to an Englishman who died in battle. When the British Army made an appeal for photos of the French coastline, Odette mailed a set of old holiday snapshots to the War Office. As a result, Odette was approached to serve as a British agent in France during the Nazi occupation. Under the guidance of Capt. Peter Churchill (Trevor Howard) and French resistance soldier Arnaud (Peter Ustinov), Odette's ability to blend in as a typical French citizen was put to excellent use by Allied intelligence. Odette was eventually found out and subjected to brutal torture by Gestapo Col. Henri (Marius Goring), but she never gave up any information on her work. She was then sentenced to death in a concentration camp, and when American forces arrived to liberate the compound, Odette was held hostage by the camp's Commandant (Alfred Schieske), believing that she was too valuable to let go. Anna Neagle consulted with the real life Odette Sansom Peter Churchill (who married after the war) to prepare for her performance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Trevor Howard, (more)
