Hollywood marches off to war

Perhaps more than any other cinematic genre, the war movie has taken on many variations over the last 100 years, whether it be a propaganda vehicle, an action-adventure, a semi-documentary, a straight drama, a biography, a romance, a thriller or even a comedy. The famous adage may be that “war is hell,” but that’s not the case for filmmakers.

With Memorial Day upon us, several studios have released vintage war films on DVD that exemplify the diversity of the genre.

“Commandos Strike at Dawn” (Columbia TriStar, $20), released in 1942, falls into the propaganda format. Austrian native Paul Muni stars in this moderately entertaining drama about a small Norwegian village’s reaction to Nazi occupation. Ably directed by John Farrow -- Mia’s dad -- the film also stars Anna Lee. The print used for the DVD transfer is of mixed quality.

Also new from Columbia is the 1957 action-adventure “Hellcats of the Navy” ($20), which is best known as the only on-screen pairing of former President Reagan and the then-Nancy Davis. Directed with no finesse by Nathan Juran, the World War II submarine flick is considered a camp classic, but it’s not bad or cheesy enough to qualify as a true camp wallow. Truth be told, it’s strictly a low-budget bore. Arthur Franz also stars.

Fox Video has two terrific examples of the semi-documentary-style war film ($15 each): 1947’s “13 Rue Madeleine” and 1960’s “Sink the Bismarck!”

James Cagney and Richard Conte headline “13 Rue Madeleine,” a crisp, taut thriller that finds Cagney as a feisty Office of Strategic Services agent training a group of recruits for an important pre-D-day mission in France. One member of the group, however, is a Nazi spy bent on thwarting their mission.

“Sink the Bismarck!,” an enthralling retelling of one of the most famous naval battles during World War II, chronicles the British navy’s hunt for the German warship Bismarck as it preyed on English battleships and destroyers for eight days. Based on C.S. Forester’s novel, “Sink the Bismarck!” features stalwart performances by Kenneth More and Dana Wynter. Renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow appears as himself. The DVD also features a Fox newsreel of the real sinking of the Bismarck.

Released just six years after the end of World War II, “The Desert Fox” (Fox, $15) offers a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of the famed German military genius Erwin Rommel (a fine James Mason). The film focuses on his growing disenchantment with Hitler (an over-the-top Luther Adler) and his involvement in a thwarted attempt to assassinate the German dictator. Jessica Tandy stars as Rommel’s loving wife. Mason would return to the role of Rommel two years later in Robert Wise’s “The Desert Rats.”

Also on tap from Fox is director John Huston’s lovely 1957 war drama, “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison” ($15). Deborah Kerr received an Oscar nomination for her luminous performance as a young nun who is stranded with a tough but tender Marine (an equally impressive Robert Mitchum) on a Pacific island overrun by Japanese troops. Initially, the two are at odds with each other, but Mitchum soon finds himself falling in love with his beautiful but saintly companion. And she grows to respect and admire his courage and determination to save them both. Georges Auric supplied the romantic score.

Although some of the aerial footage is exciting, the lavish 1966 World War I epic “The Blue Max” (Fox, $15) never really takes flight. George Peppard plays a flying ace who is obsessed with winning the Blue Max, a medal that Germany awarded to its fliers for shooting down 20 enemy aircraft. The move also stars Mason as a German general, Jeremy Kemp as Peppard’s rival and Ursula Andress as a manipulative femme fatale.

Debuting this week from MGM is Robert Aldrich’s masterful 1956 World War II drama “Attack” ($15). Set during the Battle of the Bulge, “Attack” stars Eddie Albert in a superb performance as an alcoholic, psychotic commander and Jack Palance as the stalwart platoon leader who finds himself battling not only the Germans but also Albert’s insanity and indecision. Lee Marvin also stars as an ambitious battalion commander who refuses to relieve Albert of his command because of his political connections back home. Gritty, gripping and surprisingly violent for the era, “Attack” is one of the best war films ever made.

The offbeat 1962 Korean War film “War Hunt” (MGM, $15) also explores the dark side of combat. Directed by Denis Sanders from a script by Stanford Whitmore, “War Hunt” stars John Saxon as an enigmatic American soldier who leaves his platoon each night to set out on his own to kill the enemy. Robert Redford, in his film debut, plays a naive young soldier assigned to the platoon. Also look for Tom Skerritt and Sydney Pollack in their film debuts.

Also new from MGM is the 1969 all-star epic “Battle of Britain” ($15). This big-budget account of the great air battle does feature some spectacular aerial footage, but dramatically, it’s strictly earthbound. The cast features seemingly every British actor alive at the time, including Harry Andrews, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Edward Fox, Susannah York and Robert Shaw; it’s directed by Guy Hamilton. Freddie Young supplied the gorgeous cinematography.

Rounding out the recent war releases is the suspenseful “Cloak and Dagger” (Artisan, $15) starring Gary Cooper as an American scientist working on the atomic bomb who is recruited by the government to get military secrets from Germany regarding its development of atomic weapons. Lilli Palmer also stars. Fritz Lang, who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, directed. The print used for the DVD transfer leaves a lot to be desired.