A modest ‘find,’ this variation on WWII ‘Impossible Mission’ whoppers follows the fortunes of a boatload of post-war Jewish refugees, Concentration Camp survivors among them, being smuggled past British Gatekeepers and into Israel. Dana Andrews makes like Humphrey Bogart as a mercenary ship’s captain who sticks his neck out for nobody, eager to get paid and get out before he’s trapped at the landing site by incoming British troops. Stephen McNally, looking like a handsome hawk, is the Jewish/Israeli illegal alien liaison man, running the operation bringing in all those displaced European Jews; Marta Toren (an Ingrid Bergman type in her best Hollywood role) is the girlfriend/radio propagandist; Jeff Chandler is top Undercover Op’s chief. Passengers and motley crew forced by missteps & bad timing into playing cat-and-mouse games with the advancing British troops. George Sherman, more comfortable in action fare, pushes a lot of coarsely sentimental reaction shots at us, but comes into his own directing logistically believable skirmishes that pepper Robert’s tightly developed script. (Also acting as producer, Buckner learned his lessons well working for Hal Wallis at Warners.) Ending in true Hollywood fashion: Christmas Eve with Bethlehem aglow in the background. The film remains little seen, possibly because the Brits come off so poorly diplomatic objections were raised and Hollywood apparently self-censored after early runs.* After all these years, no need for you to continue the boycott.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Note how peripheral the Arab population is to the storyline. An ominous omission.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: *Similar material in the first half of Otto Preminger’s EXODUS/’60 never up for censorship in spite of an even worse view of the incompetent British. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2012/06/exodus-1960.html
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