To my knowledge - I had not seen this movie before this weekend. I was doing some housekeeping, and accidentally changed to this movie for some background noise (was trying to get a news channel). The clarity of the broadcast image, the subject matter and the high-profile list of actors kept my attention and the housework suffered considerably as I was hooked after about 30 seconds! I found it a refreshing look at the basic facts (with some liberties), a compelling performance by Cagney, and an interesting study in set design and filmmaking.
The most interesting thing to me was that this was made only 15 years after the war was over. That is not a very long time (the Belin Wall has been down 25 years now) - and having WWII veterans involved in the production contributed to the air of realism that is present throughout the film. The "Chorus" was interesting the first few times it showed up, but eventually I was able to tune it out and enjoy the rest of the movie!
This film tells a compelling story and should be watched at least once by everyone, and seen more often on TV.
The most interesting thing to me was that this was made only 15 years after the war was over. That is not a very long time (the Belin Wall has been down 25 years now) - and having WWII veterans involved in the production contributed to the air of realism that is present throughout the film. The "Chorus" was interesting the first few times it showed up, but eventually I was able to tune it out and enjoy the rest of the movie!
This film tells a compelling story and should be watched at least once by everyone, and seen more often on TV.