“I wish I could tell you in Arabic, what I think of you in English.” – W. Daingerfield Phelps III
Number of Times Seen – 1 (25 Oct 2018)
Brief Synopsis – Two American soldiers during The Great War get captured by the Germans are become great friends while they try to discover a way to escape.
My Take on it – This is another film that I had never heard of before seeing the Director Lewis Milestone was able to win an Oscar for Best Director – Comedy at the very first Oscar ceremony. (The only time this category existed.)
I was immediate transfixed by the way this story progresses and they manage to mae a very fun film that follows the globetrotting adventures of two very unlikely friends who bond while in captivity.
The story itself is so much fun and works on numerous levels and still find a way to keep the flow of things moving so enjoyably even as the venues constantly keep changing.
This film is able to present its comedy in a straightforward way without the need of slapstick which was the forte of fellow comedians Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.
Despite this different form of comedy, they manage to get these two characters into so much mischief that gets funnier and funnier as things move along.
The scope of this film is quite grand and we get to view some very diverse situations and locations that this duo encounters along the way.
This film does an excellent job blending comedy, adventure, romance, drama and chivalry into a really fun movie that is quite enjoyable to watch.
Bottom Line – Great comedy that is about an unlikely duo that traverse the world during the Great War and learn so much about one another and friendship. The story works on numerous levels yet they still manage to keep the flow of the story going the whole time despite the often changed venues. The humor isn’t done as slapstick like Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton were accustomed to but they find a way to get these characters into so much mischief that it’s so hard not to laugh at the way thing progress. The scope of this film is great and we get to see some very diverse situations along the way. They do a wonderful job blending comedy, adventure, romance and chivalry into one really fun film. Highly Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Lewis Milestone won an Oscar, then called the First Award, for Direction (Comedy Picture), the first and only year that category appeared in the Academy Awards. Milestone beat the only other nominee in the category, Ted Wilde for Harold Lloyd’s Speedy (1928). Charles Chaplin had originally been announced as a Best Comedy Director nominee for The Circus (1928), but subsequently was removed from the category (his nomination for Best Actor also was rescinded) and given a special Honorary Award. Milestone won a second Oscar for directing All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), which featured Louis Wolheim in a World War 1 setting, and was nominated one more time, for The Front Page (1931). (From IMDB)
Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)
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