Ubercommando compares 'J Wayne and H Bogart' unfavourably with the cast of this film who were actually serving in the British forces. Well, what about Clark Gable, James Stewart, Tyrone Power, Alan Ladd, Robert Ryan...there is a long list of top American stars who saw active service. On the other hand many British stars saw fit to stick with the acting. To suggest that, in general, American actors were shirkers while the British were sterling fellows is offensive and untrue. It's also worth pointing out that many actors who wanted to join up were specifically asked not to on the basis their propaganda value was greater than their value as individual servicemen, so we shouldn't rush to judgment (and those of us born after the war have no business making judgments anyway.) As to the film, I found it an engrossing account of how men are turned into soldiers. It has much in common with the early episodes of Band of Brothers, although naturally it did not dwell on the horrors of war; after all, the war was still going on and they didn't want to send potential recruits running for the hills. I recommend it warmly but recognize that it will have little appeal for a lot of people.
Review of The Way Ahead
