COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DAWN 1942 This one is a John Farrow directed flag-waver put out by Columbia Pictures in 1942. It deals with a group of Norwegian civilians who decide to fight back against the German occupiers. Headlining the cast is Paul Muni with support from Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Cedric Hardwicke, Rod Cameron, Alexander Knox, Jean Louis Heydt, George Macready, Ray Collins and Robert Coote.Norway has fallen to the invading Nazis and a small fishing village on the coast has been occupied by a battalion of Germans. The German's are under the command of Art Margetson and Alexander Knox. The two are perfect Nazi swine who have no problem shooting civilians for the slightest reason.The locals soon grow tired of this, and decide to throw a monkey wrench into the German's operations. A bit of sabotage here, a train derailed there, a fuel dump destroyed etc soon has the Nazis angry as hornets. Hostages are taken and several locals are soon placed in front of that old standard, the firing squad.There is also a Quisling among the villagers. Jean Louis Heydt passes info to the German Captain, Knox. The swine is discovered and meets a watery grave as several of the townsfolk decide to sail to England. They are picked up by a British submarine and delivered to England.As it so happens, Muni knows an Admiral in the Royal Navy, Cedric Hardwicke. He tells Hardwicke about the German's building a secret airfield near the village. The Navy quickly lays on a Commando raid in order to destroy the base. Muni leads a shallow draft Navy ship to the site. The Commandos launch a swift assault catching the German types with their drawers down.After disposing of the airfield Nazis, the Commandos storm the village and knock off Knox and the rest of the Huns. The villagers are then loaded up on the ship and the whole group sets out back to England. Muni however buys the big one leading a charge on a German machine gun. The slam bang ending helps to make up for the rather slow pace of the early parts.Director John Farrow also helmed the wartime films, WAKE ISLAND and CHINA. His other work includes, FIVE CAME BACK, CALCUTTA, THE BIG CLOCK, NIGHT HAS 1000 EYES, ALIAS NICK BEAL, WHERE DANGER LIVES, JOHN PAUL JONES, HONDO, THE SEA CHASE and PLUNDER OF THE SUN.The d of p was 4 time Oscar nominated and 2 time winner, William Mellor. His film work includes, A PLACE IN THE SUN, GIANT, TOO LATE FOR TEARS, WESTWARD THE WOMEN, THE UNKNOWN MAN, MY FAVORITE BLONDE, THE NAKED SPUR and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.The screenplay was by Irwin Shaw based on a story from C.S. Forester. Forester of course wrote the H. Hornblower series of novels, as well as THE African QUEEN.Look close and you can see Lloyd Bridges in an unbilled bit as a German soldier.The production was made on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The inlets and such stood in quite well for the Norwegian fjords.On a personal note, I had an uncle who was a crewman on the armed merchant ship that was used in the film.

Its propaganda roots are obvious now but still a well acted war drama about the struggle of Norway against the Nazi machine. Paul Muni is strong in the lead. Famed for parts where he was under heavy makeup like Emile Zola and Louis Pasteur those performances viewed today are heavy and hammy whereas in plain clothes such as here and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang he is far more naturalistic. A cast of fine character actors all add texture to the film. Lillian Gish's part is small and mostly without dialogue but of course she could convey more with a look than most actresses with a telephone book worth of words.

"Commandos Strike at Dawn," from 1942, is another propaganda that demonstrates the spirit of the Norwegians and their commitment to resistance. This one is directed by John Farrow, with a screenplay by a man whose name would become synonymous with long novels, Irwin Shaw, and stars Paul Muni, Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, George MacCready, Ann Carter, Rosemary DeCamp, and Ray Collins.Based on a story by C.S. Forester, "Commandos Strike at Dawn" tells the story of more victims of Quisling, citizens of a small town that is taken over by the Nazis. After Eric Toresen (Muni) sees a friend murdered and another one (Collins) severely beaten, he gets some of the townspeople to form a resistance group. When he realizes that the Germans are preparing for a huge air strike against England, he is determined to get the information to the right people in England and join the fight.Very good film, if a little slow in spots. Muni gives an excellent performance as the bold Toreson, and Ray Collins, Lt. Tragg of Perry Mason, is cast against type as one who vocally opposes the Nazis, and he is very good. This was probably his favorite role, as it's so different from his standard tough cop or crooked politician role. Lillian Gish doesn't have much to do, sadly, as his wife. Neither does Anna Lee, as the daughter of a British military man (Hardwicke) who falls for Muni.Someone commenting here said that this film, and probably by inference, Edge of Darkness, exaggerates the role of the underground in Europe, that most Europeans were passive during the war, afraid of reprisal. That may have been true in some areas - Germany most definitely - but that was not true in France and Norway, both of which had formidable resistance movements. Some people don't like bullies.

For we amateur historians this early WWII American propaganda film is a treasure for its insights into attitudes about the German conquest of Europe.Among the first of a long line of American propaganda films, it was actually filmed on Vancouver Island in Canada, because of its similarity to the Norwegian landscape. Real British and Canadian commandos were used to play the soldiers, both British and German. {The British and Canadians who had been at war for over two years were eager to assist the newly arrived Americans becoming involved}. The cast and crew stayed at the famous Empress Hotel in Victoria, about 10 miles from the filming site.The script was adopted from a story by C.S. Forester, the famous British novelist of naval and maritime stories. The script was done by Irwin Shaw who would become a noted American novelist.The film is probably too idealistic in its portrayal of good-hearted Europeans rising up against their Nazi conquerors. Only after the war did Europeans concoct an heroic resistance. The vast majority at the time however passively accepted German occupation. And for good reason. The Germans took brutal reprisals against any sign of resistance. Unlike in the movie, most conquered peoples kept their heads down and waited for the Allied armies to save them. Nonetheless, the film probably reassured American audiences that Europeans were eagerly awaiting to help liberate the continent from Nazi oppressors.Btw, I had the opportunity to discuss the making of the movie with Ann Carter, who at age 6 played "Solveig", the daughter of Paul Muni's character. I have added some of her recollections in the comments section.Blaine in Seattle, U.S.A.