World War 2

June 6, 2002 - Stax here with a Special "World War II" Edition of The Stax Report! June 6 marks the 58th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied forces' massive invasion of northern France. Rather than put together a list of "The Greatest World War II Films Ever Made," I opted to spotlight a small and rather eclectic mix of (primarily lesser known) films set against the backdrop of World War II (and, in one case, about life after the war). So this isn't meant to be a "best of" list; these are just some personal favorites.

Objective, Burma!, 1945, dir. Raoul Walsh. This exciting Errol Flynn vehicle was excoriated by the British press for its alleged "Americanization" of the Allied efforts in Burma. Captain Nelson (Flynn) and his paratroopers are dropped behind enemy lines in Burma. Their mission is to locate and destroy an enemy radar station and then hike to an old airstrip for pick-up. If they destroy this radar station then the Allies can launch an airborne invasion of Burma. Nelson and his men succeed in destroying it but then find the Japanese waiting for them at their rendezvous. The paratroopers must now trek through the perilous jungle in order to reach their new pick-up site, and with Japanese soldiers in hot pursuit.

Errol Flynn gives one of his best performances as Capt. Nelson. Particularly effective is the scene where Nelson's squad discovers a village strewn with the tortured remains of some of his men. I first saw this harrowing, realistic war film in college. That my jaded peers and I found this WWII movie to be so timeless is a testament to its unsentimental, straightforward approach.

A Soldier's Story, 1984, dir. Norman Jewison. The late Howard Rollins, Jr. (TV's In the Heat of the Night) stars in this adaptation of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Captain Davenport (Rollins), an African-American officer in the U.S. Army during WWII, investigates the murder of hard-ass Master Sergeant Waters (Oscar-nominee Adolph Caesar) at a base in the South. All of Waters' men are black but the base's white commander Colonel Nivens (the late Trey Wilson) suspects the killers were local white good ol' boys, possibly even members of the KKK.

Col. Nivens isn't very helpful or forthcoming with Davenport's investigation because he fears that racial melees will explode if Davenport proceeds.