Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Blistering performances.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

What makes this film interesting to watch, apart from being a bloody good story, is it was made in 1944 and therefore designed as both entertainment and propaganda. Pre D-Day this film is preparing the audience for the trouble and potential defeats ahead. So interesting for historical insight. One of my favourite actors, David Niven, took time off of his day job (a war time army officer) to play a war time army officer, a reservist called up for the duration. With his seasoned sergeant to help, we follow the progress of new recruits as they are transformed in basic training from civilians to soldiers. Then as they go overseas to fight we follow there struggle, the film ends with them advancing forward bayonets fixed - the way ahead, in part preparing the audience for the onslaught of D-Day.Great classic film, proper story, good acting and historically interesting too. Great Sunday afternoon entertain, to watch with a cold beer.

This was one of several freebies in a newspaper with the catch-all title 'War Films' (Tunes Of Glory takes place entirely in peacetime, A Matter Of Life And Death is only peripherally concerned with war) and I put off watching it based on a vague feeling it would turn out to be jingoistic crap. Having watched it at last I've been disabused of that prejudice; formulaic it may be (it follows the tried and true formula of introducing a group of conscripts at a train station and remaining with them through basic training until they wind up in North Africa pitted against Rommel's panzers. In other words it's our old friends the Hollywood bomber crew with English accents. Peter Ustinov had a hand in the script and also takes part as a sort of cut-rate Akim Tamiroff in Five Graves To Cairo and acquits himself as well as any in the fine cast. David Niven fails to steal it as the one 'name' on view and gives basically an unselfish performance allowing the likes of Stanley Holloway and Leslie Dwyer to polish their lovable cockney sparrer images. Carol Reed handles it well and it stands up remarkably well.

I often have to check myself before I rate a film made so long ago. I must remember the technology, the social mores and the wartime atmosphere and societal desperation of the period. Taking all that into account, I can still rate this film no more than so-so. The basic story has been done ad nauseum...that of following a group of soldiers from basic training into their first combat experiences. It's the acting that really hurts this film. There are few known names in this film and even David Niven delivers a poor performance. The soundtrack on the DVD that I purchased was rather muddy, but that may be the result of the age of the master film. I purchased a 3-film DVD and this was one of the films. The first two were pretty good, so the disappointment in this one was tempered by that. Overall, I say it's SO-SO.

This is a good film that was intended to bolster morale during World War II. The cast is very good and headed by David Niven. This is a story primarily of 8 men of different backgrounds who survive their basic training and end up driving Rommel out of North Africa. The film is primarily about how men develop character when push comes to shove and there isn't a whole lot of action. Good story and worth seeing for the strong cast alone.