This film would not have been made, until decades later, had someone not blown the whistle, while it was still meant to be classified. It had worked so well, that they wanted to reserve the right to use it again, if there was a similar war any time in the near future. Since it was made, though, I think they did an excellent job on the film, starting with casting Clifton Webb as the mastermind of the operation. Gloria Graham added a great deal, too, although her character was mostly fictitious. Stephen Boyd as the German spy also added strength to it. I loved the way they demonstrated respect to the corpse, and the extreme care they took to cover every base. How many Allied troops were saved, just that one landing, is unknown, but would certainly have been in the thousands. To sum it up, I feel this was an excellent telling of a brilliant and dramatic event in history!

In order to put the Axis powers on the defensive the Allies decide to invade Sicily. However, recognizing the possibility of severe casualties, an elaborate plan is devised to trick the Germans into believing that, rather than invading Sicily, they are going to invade Greece instead. This will hopefully result in the Germans moving some of their army from Sicily to Greece. But first, the British need a corpse which has recently died of pneumonia for which they plan to put in the sea near the Spanish coast with the hope that the Germans will discover the body. Attached to his arm will be a briefcase with top secret orders detailing the mythical invasion of Greece. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an entertaining World War 2 film which kept my attention from start to finish. I especially enjoyed the scene involving "Lucy Sherwood" (Gloria Grahame) and the Nazi spy named "Patrick O'Reilly" (Stephen Boyd) which carried a good balance of suspense and irony. In any case, this is a decent film for those who might enjoy a drama of this type and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

I came across this old movie on Netflix streaming movies. A very good WW2 caper, it helped the good guys win. Apparently based on real events.It is the springtime 1943 and Allied forces have freed several areas from Nazi occupation. The next logical region to attack is Italy, specifically Sicily. But they judge that to do so likely would result in 30% losses on the battlefield. They need to find a way to get the Nazis to movie some of their defenses away from Sicily.Clifton Webb is really good as Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu who hatches a plan. If they can make the Nazis believe their next target is Greece then invading Sicily will be much easier. But how to do it?Mulling over several ideas, they decide to find a corpse that a family either won't claim or will agree to donate for the mission. It has to be someone who died of pneumonia so the lungs will look consistent with drowning. Then supply the corpse with a uniform, fake identity, and fake letters being carried to African commands explaining the (fake) plan to invade Greece. Then have a submarine carry it to release to be washed up on the Spanish shores.Lots of things need to go right to make this work, so the movie, in a rather deliberate story telling style, takes us through it. Stephen Boyd, still in his early 20s, is the German spy sent to London to check out and see if the dead officer and his letters are real. He has to look up several connections, including the young lady who wrote the love letter found on him. He is given the identity Patrick O'Reilly and speaks with an Irish accent. A very good 1955 movie, good story telling.SPOILERS: As O'Reilly digs up people in London they all begin to suspect that he was there as a Nazi spy, and at the last minutes they figured out if they arrested him, lack of a confirming message to his headquarters would mean the man and message were fake. So they held off, pretended not to know why he was there, he sent the confirming message, the Nazi troops left Sicily which allowed Allied forces to successfully capture the territory.

Really enjoyed "The Man Who Never Was", another good WW II picture made by the Brits even though it was released by 20th-Century Fox. Why do British WW II movies often seem better than our own? Let me answer that one; I think it's because they were fighting a home game, whereas we were 'on the road'. Try "Went The Day Well?" or "One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing" (both 1942), for movies with a realism that is palpable.This one is taut and suspenseful and superbly well-acted. Cinematographer/ Director Ronald Neame is very meticulous in laying out the elaborate plot and keeps the picture moving at a good clip, with help from an assortment of British stars. The star of this exciting espionage picture is...Clifton Webb? I don't know why he was chosen to star in a spy picture, but it works - he's very good. Another surprising acting job is turned in by Gloria Grahame, who also fits in to the plot. Somehow she usually manages to appear sympathetic and slutty at the same time, and here she doesn't disappoint. And her role is a crucial one.I'm not going to rehash the storyline but I just want to emphasize how refreshing it is in 2011 to see a movie for grownups. This type of movie is becoming nearly extinct - in fact, this one was produced in 1956. I knew it wasn't a new picture because there were no gratuitous sex scenes and no potty mouth dialogue - and there was a plot that could be followed by those of us over the age of 12.