Customer Reviews

Command Decision

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a larger sense "Command Decision" is not really a war movie but a film about the responsibility of command and leadership. It is one of the few films that effectively explores these topics; and belongs right up there with the original "Flight of the Phoenix" and "The Red Tent". Not having the visual power of those two films (the limited combat/action scenes are almost entirely stock footage), it must focus more narrowly on the human complications arising from the responsibility of command. The contradiction being that while a leader must cease to be human, no one who can do this is fit to be a leader.

Adapted from a stage play, "Command Decision" suffers from a fair amount of "long-windedness". Fortunately the most long-winded character (Major General Kane-played by Walter Pigeon), is well written and has many substantial things to convey. Much like his character in "Forbidden Planet", Pigeon is tasked with inserting historical and philosophical details into the story, and his commanding screen presence makes him ideal for this purpose.

Brigadier General K.C. Dennis (Clark Gable) has the most screen time and most challenging role, as his character is the guy stuck between a rock and a hard place. He is accountable for making the hard decisions that send his men off to die, but has a fragile authority dependent on how much independence his superiors are allowing him at a particular point in time. Gable does fine in this part, probably his best totally "serious" performance. Although the film takes pains to use the German high command to illustrate examples of bad leadership, it is easy to infer that the same mindset applies to the Allies. With many military leaders distorting events to cover their own ass and willing to sacrifice men for their own career advancement and personal ideology.

The premise of the film is the Air Corps discovery that the Germans have developed the first jet combat plane. Based on the real life Messerschmitt Me-262 (shown as a model in the film and in some archival footage), it is called the "Lantze-Wolf" here and considered so effective as a fighter aircraft that full production would allow the Luftwaffe to regain air supremacy over Europe.

The planes are being assembled in three cities deep in Germany. The only hope to delay their full production is "Operation Stitch" (named for its goal of gaining a stitch in time), a plan to attack these sites through dangerous daylight bombing raids. Dangerous because they will be heavily defended and because the bombers will have to go the final hundred miles without fighter escort-since the America fighters do not have the range to reach and return from the target. This type of daylight bombing was called precision bombing because the bomb-site was more effective with better visibility and a lower altitude. The alternative was safer but less accurate saturation bombing at night (insert Dresden here).

General Dennis must decide whether to start the operation, and then when the bombers take substantial punishment he must decide whether to continue in the expectation of additional high losses.

The film takes certain historical liberties as only after a postwar evaluation of the actual ME-262 did anyone really understand its strategic potential (in the hands of well trained pilots) as a fighter aircraft. Until the end Hitler insisted that it be utilized almost exclusively as a bomber. Although able to carry out this alternative role, its bomb load capacity was too little for any significant impact. That the ME-262 is more a footnote to the war than a major element was due more to Hitler's decision than to any allied efforts to limit its production.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

One of my favorite films of all time, I would really like to see this released to DVD. The production design is very stage-like. The first time I saw it, I felt I was watching a tightly, but perfectly composed piece. It was, of course, adapted from a stage play and unlike other film adaptations that use the medium of film to break out of the proscenium, the design of this film is contained. It serves to contain the dramatic tension and the pressure the characters are under. The script is beautifully taut. There is a good lesson in this classic, questions on which we should reflect when it comes to putting our people in harm's way. It shows the terrible burden of the few who are at the fulcrum between the policy makers, always far away from the battle, and the men and women on the point.

I CAUGHT THIS ONE FIRST ON T.N.T;SINCE I AM FROM INDIA,EVEN COMMON WW2 MOVIES LIKE "THE DIRTY DOZEN"&"WHERE EAGLES DARE" COME EXTREMELY RARELY IN A THEATRE NEARBY.THIS 1948 RELEASE IS A WW2 FILM WITH VERY LITTLE ACTION;IT'S MORE OF A DISCUSSION(A RATHER ABSORBING ONE!)ON THE U.S. MILITARY BRASS DURING WW2.CLARK GABLE(IN A MATURE PERFORMANCE) INSISTS ON FLYING DANGEROUS MISSIONS IN ORDER TO WIN THE WAR;VAN JOHNSON IS FINE IN A LIKEABLY FUNNY PERFORMANCE,WHILE WALTER PIDGEON & CHARLES BICKFORD LEND THE FILM IT'S DIGNITY.AN EXTREMELY ABSORBING FILM IN THE REALM OF OTHER POLITICAL THRILLERS LIKE"SEVEN DAYS IN MAY".

I would call this one a "guy's film". This is a late 1940's, post war film with Clark Gable, dealing with a WW2 subject rarely discussed: day-light bombing vs night-time bombing. In those days, most nations believed it was not worth the human loss; but Americans thought it was more effective than night-time bombing. In America's first 18 months of WW2 (Jan 1942-June 1943), we lost a large percentage of our bombers to German aircraft and flak. This film accurately portrays how the Commanders, pilots, the American press & people had to wrestle with the bad-news of human losses from those early WW2 days.

This is a "war film" with little or no fighting action, but concentrates from the Commander's view from an English home base. This film wins very high kudos for the exceptionaly well acted roles and dialogue from the master himself (Gable), as a Brigadier General commanding his own bomber Division. But it gets even better: this film boasts exceptional talent from famous lead & charachter actors in supporting roles: Walter Pidgeon as Gable's 2-star General boss; Van Johnson as the smart-aleck "know-it-all" Enlisted man who adores Gable as a man & leader; John Hodiak as a squadron leader/Gable subordinate & Gable's personal friend; Edward Arnold as a visiting Congressman investigating the high manpower losses; Charles Bickford as the probing newsman who's also concerend; and Bryan Donlevy!

I bought it and highly recommend it!

This movie beats out 12 O'Clock High in my book--It focuses on a conflict of priorities between commanders. Gable is the obvious hero, but it is clear that his boss, looking at the "Big Picture" may have a point as well. If nothing else, entertaining for illustrating the maneuvering over public image that sometimes drove military strategy, even in the years before CNN.

This movie stars Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon as Air Force generals forced to send up bombers during daylight to bomb Germany. As casualties mount their tactics are questioned by Congress and the top brass in Washington. All through it all you realize the stress of combat is not only born by those flying the missions but the officers who send them. One of the best WW2 Air Force movies. Both Gable and Pidgeon give outstanding performances and convey what it really means to be a combat commander. Excellent..!!!

Director: Sam Wood
Studio: Warner Home Video
Video Release Date: January 23, 1991

Cast:

Clark Gable ... Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis
Walter Pidgeon ... Maj. Gen. Roland Goodlaw Kane
Van Johnson ... TSgt. Immanuel T. Evans
Brian Donlevy ... Brig. Gen. Clifton I. Garnet
Charles Bickford ... Elmer Brockhurst
John Hodiak ... Col. Edward Rayton Martin
Edward Arnold ... Congressman Arthur Malcolm
Marshall Thompson ... Capt. George Washington Bellpepper Lee
Richard Quine ... Maj. George Rockton
Cameron Mitchell ... Lt. Ansel Goldberg
Clinton Sundberg ... Maj. Homer V. Prescott
Ray Collins ... Maj. Desmond Lansing
Warner Anderson ... Col. Ernest Haley
John McIntire ... Maj. Belding Davis
Moroni Olsen ... Congressman Stone
John Ridgely ... James Carwood
Michael Steele ... Capt. Lucius Malcolm Jenks
Edward Earle ... Congressman Watson
Mack Williams ... Lt. Col. Virgil Jackson
James Millican ... Maj. Garrett Davenport
Fred Datig Jr.
Bert Davidson
Dennis Dengate
Tay Dunn
Sam Flint ... Congressman
Don Garner
Don Haggerty ... Command officer
Henry Hall ... Congressman
Alvin Hammer ... Machine shop sergeant
Clarke Hardwicke
Holmes Herbert ... Chairman
David Holt
James Horne Jr.
Robin Hughes
John James ... Officer
George Backus
Colin Kenny
Marten Lamont ... RAF officer
William Leicester ... Chauffeur
Peter Martin ... Command sergeant
Gregg Barton ... Sergeant
Frank Mayo
John McGuire
Bill McIvor
George Melford
Howard M. Mitchell
Bill Neff
Barry Nelson ... Cumquat B-Baker crewman
George Offerman ... Waiter
William 'Bill' Phillips ... Jeep driver
Frank J. Scannell
Robin Short
J. Lewis Smith
Buddy Swan
William Tannen
Arthur Walsh ... Photographer
Douglas Walton
Harlan Warde
Wilson Wood
Jimmy Zaner
William Cabanne
Lane Allan
Joel Allen
Bruce Cowling ... Operations officer

During World War II the British Royal Air Force maintained nighttime bombing raids over Europe, while the United States Army Air Corps made large daylight raids. Since the Air Corps was clearly visible, their losses were heavy. American fighter cover did not have sufficient range to accompany the bombers, mainly the B-17 "Flying Fortresses," mainly from the Eighth Air Force, all the way to their German targets and back, which made them highly vulnerable. We lost 50,000 men in the air over Europe during that war.

This is the fictional story of some of the men who fought that air war.

Brig. Gen. K.C. 'Casey' Dennis (Clark Gable) is in command of a bomber division composed of several groups attempting to destroy the aircraft plants in Germany that are producing the Messerschmidt 262 jet fighter (the first operational jet fighter in the Second World War). The German jet was much faster and better armed than our P-51 'Mustang', P-47 'Thunderbolt', or P-38 'Lightning', our three best escort fighters, and was causing massive losses in the air.

Dennis was obstructed by higher ranking generals who were worried about the reaction of the politicians and newsmen who were reporting the high losses to the American public.

The course of the war was, indeed, in reality, affected by just such considerations, as it is in every war. This is a far better film, and reflected the reality of that particular war far better than I expected. I appreciated it. It was a well-acted, well motivated drama.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

If anyone has any doubts about why Clark Gable was the alpha dog among Hollywood's leading men from the mid-Thirties through the Forties, Command Decision is the film to see. This all-male movie tells the story of Brigadier General Casey Dennis (Gable), who in 1943 unleashes Operation Stitch on three German cities where German jet fighters are being developed. These fighters, if produced in any quantity, will be able to sweep Allied fighters from the skies and give the Germans air superiority again. But Operation Stitch means that the massed U. S. bombers flying in daylight must go far beyond Allied fighter protection. The first day of Operation Stitch eliminated one of the three target areas, but at horrendous cost...48 bombers were lost and more than 500 men. Dennis has the reputation among many of being a hard case. "Dennis is one of those boys whose brain is fascinated by guts," says one. "He loves this lousy war." Now General Dennis has ordered the second day's maximum effort, only to be faced with arrival at his headquarters of Major General Roland Kane (Walter Pidgeon), his superior who is fighting in Washington for more strategic bombing resources and who knows the kind of losses Operation Stitch is causing may make him lose that battle. On top of this, a Congressional committee has arrived, and among this group is Arthur Malcolm (Edward Arnold), a blow-hard Congressman who is not about to take any blame for combat losses. Looming over Dennis' shoulder is an old friend, Brigadier General Clifton Garnet (Brian Donlevy), who has arrived with Kane. The possibility that he may replace Dennis is apparent.

Among all these players, including the large number of skilled secondary actors such as Charles Bickford as a reporter, John Hodiak as a group bomber pilot and close friend of both Dennis and Garnet, and the actors who play key members of Dennis' staff, Gable effortlessly dominates the movie...and he does so while being part of an ensemble before ensemble acting was talked about. Gable is crisp and efficient, as well as able believably to establish the cost these losses are having on him. He gives a first-rate performance.

One of the reasons this movie works so well is that it hardly is a war story. Command Decision gives us a battle that takes place amidst the high political stakes of senior leadership. On the one hand, there is the argument for the allocation of resources for decisive action now that can probably lead to major benefits later. On the other hand, there is the argument that failing to bring along public opinion now can lead to grave losses and poor decisions later. So do we accept the horrendous loses in bombers and crews to wipe out right now the potential threat of German jet fighters, or do we take it slower with easier targets that can build public confidence in strategic daylight bombing? Since this movie was based on a successful stage play, there are great stretches of competing dialogue. That this doesn't become a dull set of debating points is because the dialogue is for the most part sharp and focussed, delivered with skill and conviction, and with little actorly bravado. Gable, Pidgeon and Donlevy do very well. The movie has its share of cliches -- the ever-resourceful, wise-cracking sergeant (Van Johnson); the humorous tear-jerker speech of a husband-to-be with a silly name, Captain George Washington Bellpepper Lee; the obsequious public relations underling; the birth of a baby which usually means the tear-filled death of the new father; the cynical, burned-out pilot who gets a dramatic change of heart -- but on balance they don't seem too bothersome when placed against the clash of strategies and ideas we're witnessing.

Command Decision is a well-crafted movie. Now, if only strategic bombing had ever accomplished even half of what all the air generals have always promised it would.

It's worth noting that Paul Kelly, a fine character actor, starred as General Casey Dennis when Command Decision opened on Broadway. The 1948 Tony award for best actor was split three ways that year. Tonys went to Henry Fonda for Mr. Roberts, to Basil Rathbone for The Heiress...and to Paul Kelly for Command Decision. Kelly was a distinctive actor who made a ton of B-movie programmers. I'm glad he finally had a chance to show what he could do and be recognized for it.

"Command Decision" is that rare WWII era studio offering that attempts to penetrate the fog of patriotism and expose the myth of the good war. While no one will deny the Nazi menace in Europe had to be destroyed to prevent a return of the dark ages, the day to day routine of the U.S. 8th Air Force's program of daylight bombing was as ruthless and cold blooded as any campaign fought then or now. "Maximum effort" and missed targets are not too subtle reminders that precision bombing was one of the great fictions of WWII. When an American commander, stoically played by Army Air Force veteran Clark Gable, attempts to destroy a German jet fighter program with a series of very dangerous bombing raids, the politics of winning the war take center stage. Based on the play by William Wister Haines, "Command Decision" comes as close as the times would allow to telling the behind the scenes story of America's air war over Europe. Directed by Sam Wood, MGM spared no expense in producing this 1948 classic with an all star cast and some of the best in-flight footage of B-17s this side of William Wyler's famous documentary, "The Memphis Belle." For those who flew the missions as well as those who love this film, please can we have "Command Decision" back and in DVD?

This movie from 1948-49 is one of the very best movies about the U.S.A.A.F in World War II EVER made, and without a doubt one of Clark Gable's finest. Excellent cast too. If I could, I would have given it 8 stars.