Reviews

I suppose I have seen this movie at least a dozen times, maybe more. The beginning of the movie, with the soft singing of the Whiffenpoof Song and Bless 'Em All in the background then to the starting of a radial engine (music to the ears of some of us old Air Force types) is perhaps the best segue ever put on film. This film, done in black and white, would have not benefitted from color and perhaps would not have been as good. There have been comments about the writing, mentioning only Sy Bartlett. This is a disservice to the real writer, Beirne Lay, Jr. Lay flew B-17s in Europe as a member of the 100th Bomb Group. He was co-pilot of the B-17 Picadilly Lily, also the name of Gen. Frank Savage's plane in the film. Dean Jagger just about steals the film with his portrayal of Maj. Harvey Stovall, Adjutant of the 918th and certainly deserved the Oscar he was awarded. It is a shame that Peck did not win, losing out to Broderick Crawford. Acting by the other cast members is excellent. With all the stress shown, there is some comic relief in the interplay between Savage and his driver, Sgt. McIllhenny, regarding his bouncing between Sergeant and Private because of several incidents, most notable of which is when the Sgt stows away on a very important mission and manages to shoot down two enemy fighters and damage a third. This is the last episode with the stripes and McIllhenny becomes a gunner on Picadilly Lily. All in all, a fine film by any standard.

I'm sure someone has already laid out the plot of this movie, so I will only comment. It takes place in the 50s and 60s, years after the services were integrated but claims severe treatment for Carl Brashear, a black man who wishes to become a Navy diver. As one who served in the military from 1951 to 1955, I have extreme doubts that any such treatment occurred. The services were integrated in 1948, some four years before the time the story. While some of the divers may not have welcomed Brashear with open arms, I cannot believe that he would have been treated as the movie claims. There is also a disservice to the Navy in the way the uniforms are shown. Made of sackcloth might be the perfect description for the way they look. I have never seen a Navy man wearing such bad looking uniforms. One of my pet peeves with those who dress actors is the sloppy way the decorations are put on uniforms. This movie is no different than most of the past. In conclusion, if you want to see a fairy tale about Navy life, go see this flick. If you want a true representation of Navy life, find another film. I gave it a 3 star rating which was very generous considering the actual quality of the film.

With two screen giants such as George C. Scott and Marlon Brando (even in a cameo), this film is worth seeing. One line from the film that has stuck with me is from Scott to Brando, "You're not in the oil business, you're in the oil shortage business." How true.

Look up "spine tingler," "hair raising" and "spellbinding" in the dictionary and it says, "See The Changeling." No gore, no ghouls, no blood and guts all over the place, just good cinematography and story telling.

If this movie is remembered for nothing else, it must be remembered as the one that started automobile chases in cop shows. Steve McQueen and his dark green Mustang do an excellent job in the film.

A movie that is symbolic of the grit and determination of the men and women of the United States in the early days of WW2. There is some minor comic relief with banter between characters played by Phil Schumacher, Desi Arnaz and Lloyd Nolan.