A better than average blood and guts epic, Love and War, viewed in November 2006 was the last film made by Citizen Kane, whoops, I meant Howard Hughes. This is in fact a very serious film about the reality of late 20 century wars after the North Koreans invade the South
Robert Mitchum plays Robert Mitchum, in uniform, as a career soldier rising from the ranks as a private to making General by the end of the film. He is action man going to where most others dare not. Charged with the responsibility of rescuing American dependents to the security of Japan, his method is to put UN worker widow Ann Blythe over his shoulder onto the plane. Far from making complaint, (well women like this kind of behaviour don't they?) when he turns up wounded in hospital, she is his, having found out that the building he removed her from was shortly afterwards flattened (or is she?)
Because she rejects his marriage proposal unable to face the prospect for losing a husband for a second time as her first died in 1945, having been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour.
She appears to have made the right decision when she finds him opening fire on civilian refugees which the UN are trying to rescue. Only later she finds out that the refugees were being driven at gun point by undercover terrorists wanting to force the allies to open fire and create an international propaganda victory. If they did not open fire then the infiltrated refugees would be able to pick off US soldiers, a tactic successful adopted in Vietnam and Iraq.
There is also a moving scene when four wives wait as only three planes return.
But the film is also about self sacrificing for the greater good. Using the cover of night, the North Koreans transfer their supplies to the front line, which moves, further, and further south, as the allies prepare their offensive.
There must be no Dunkirk. Mr Mitchum leads a small group with the mission to stop these convoys until the airforce is in a position to destroy during daylight hours, and this is successful but their position becomes critical as the North Koreans throw in their ground forces from all sides, temporarily alleviated with too close for comfort rockets and strafing. When they run out of ammunition and the rescue tanks will take until morning, the commandeering officer elects to fly in with supplies, sacrificing his life, the love and life with his wife and two children. The rescuers arrive and finding only a handful of survivors including Mitchum. On his way out he encounters Ann Blythe working with refugees and she pledges her love and willingness to marry him, praying that he and his comrades return safely to lead a peaceful happy ever life.
This however is more than a shoot em, blitz them and the goodies triumph tale. You are made to share in the pain of the relatives of those who sacrifice. A good film for Remembrance week. If made to day it would have to include the likelihood that some of the deaths would be from friendly fire, and there would be no happy ever for Mitchum or the U N refugee worker. It is really about the need for those who have conventional religions to miss the message of their prophets. You live well because it is right to do so, not because of some reward, and that will include surrendering your life in circumstances not of your time and making.
We shall remember the
Robert Mitchum plays Robert Mitchum, in uniform, as a career soldier rising from the ranks as a private to making General by the end of the film. He is action man going to where most others dare not. Charged with the responsibility of rescuing American dependents to the security of Japan, his method is to put UN worker widow Ann Blythe over his shoulder onto the plane. Far from making complaint, (well women like this kind of behaviour don't they?) when he turns up wounded in hospital, she is his, having found out that the building he removed her from was shortly afterwards flattened (or is she?)
Because she rejects his marriage proposal unable to face the prospect for losing a husband for a second time as her first died in 1945, having been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour.
She appears to have made the right decision when she finds him opening fire on civilian refugees which the UN are trying to rescue. Only later she finds out that the refugees were being driven at gun point by undercover terrorists wanting to force the allies to open fire and create an international propaganda victory. If they did not open fire then the infiltrated refugees would be able to pick off US soldiers, a tactic successful adopted in Vietnam and Iraq.
There is also a moving scene when four wives wait as only three planes return.
But the film is also about self sacrificing for the greater good. Using the cover of night, the North Koreans transfer their supplies to the front line, which moves, further, and further south, as the allies prepare their offensive.
There must be no Dunkirk. Mr Mitchum leads a small group with the mission to stop these convoys until the airforce is in a position to destroy during daylight hours, and this is successful but their position becomes critical as the North Koreans throw in their ground forces from all sides, temporarily alleviated with too close for comfort rockets and strafing. When they run out of ammunition and the rescue tanks will take until morning, the commandeering officer elects to fly in with supplies, sacrificing his life, the love and life with his wife and two children. The rescuers arrive and finding only a handful of survivors including Mitchum. On his way out he encounters Ann Blythe working with refugees and she pledges her love and willingness to marry him, praying that he and his comrades return safely to lead a peaceful happy ever life.
This however is more than a shoot em, blitz them and the goodies triumph tale. You are made to share in the pain of the relatives of those who sacrifice. A good film for Remembrance week. If made to day it would have to include the likelihood that some of the deaths would be from friendly fire, and there would be no happy ever for Mitchum or the U N refugee worker. It is really about the need for those who have conventional religions to miss the message of their prophets. You live well because it is right to do so, not because of some reward, and that will include surrendering your life in circumstances not of your time and making.
We shall remember the
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