QThe location and photography are show how?
AAfter the war the proliferation of pictures in the shimmering sandy deserts around the world were typified by the grains of sand. Thus it may look like inferior production if not in a modern digitised format. War films often told in North Africa, or in the New Mexico/ Arizona desert had a glazed watery texture that seemed less than perfect to the audience. The similar patina can be seen in films like "For Whom the Bells Toll", starring Gary Cooper during the Spanish Civil wars. The general maybe an actor used in the other film. Rocky, barren, sparsely populated landscape is shot with the backdrop of a perfect blue sky. Intermingled are shots of genuine attacks from WWW 2 upon military positions, than switch back to the actors on the ground. This editing is not a bad continuity, as the actors approach the action sequences. Great countryside, but the film lacks some colour and definition. It emphasises however, the dirt and grime of conflict; and some hint as to the squalor of the living conditions experienced by the guerillas.
QWho are the main protagonists?
AThe USAF major, who is the main character is shot down flying his P45 Mustang on missions against German supply columns. As he lands he is picked up by the Italian Partisans. These communists take him into a mountain hideaway where he meets a small group of resistance fighters. The leader calls himself "the General" and the others are Aldo, the traitor, Vitorio, who gets shot, and others. The girl involved falls in love with the US major from Rhode Island, as they battle the Germans in the hills.
QWho are the main actors?
AThe cast is an unrecognisable B movie cast familiar to audiences of the 1950's. The old studio system made many movies with relatively unknown individuals who were essentially not Hollywood stars. The 1950's and 1960's were also decades during which many movies were made of the Second World War, as a recollection of the male masculinity and machismo that victory brought the American imperium. This is a typical for the era of romantic heroism shot in a watery colour that emphasises the heat of the location. Competently acted with convincing small part performances, it is not a horror story.
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