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Reviews
The Gallant Hours (1960)
Good Movie, Bad History
This movie, produced by Robert Montgomery, a navy veteran of WW2 who acted in the excellent film "They Were Expendable," is a fine story; but it just is not true. It conflates several battles into one, a not too terrible violation of the real history; but then moves the killing of Adm. Yamamoto six months earlier than it actually happened. I love Cagney, and he does well in this film, but it is all in the service of a lie. Watch this film for entertainment, and for the very effective voice-overs when new characters are introduced, describing their civilian careers and their ultimate end: dead, wounded, or survivor. The music is very good, too. STILL, THE MOVIE IS A LIE!!!!!!
Allied (2016)
Logically and Historically Absurd
This movie is full of stylish and attractive film-making, but the story is ridiculously unbelievable. It opens in "french Morocco" in 1942. In November of 1942, French Morocco was invaded and conquered by US and UK forces. The assassination of the German "Ambassador" - there were no diplomatic relations between "Morocco" and Germany at the time - was carried out by our movie's heroes: Max and Marianne. They escape to England, marry, and have a girl child named Anna. When we see the happy family later, Anna is at least one year old. The movie must now be in - at least- early 1944. At that time, there were no German spies in England, or Scotland,Wales, or Northern Ireland, either. All had been identified, jailed, or turned. See Masterman, 1972. Had Marianne raised her hand, and said, "I am a German spy," she would have been welcomed into the Allied intelligence network. Even had she not, there would have been no evidence against her. Meh, movie; terrible history.