bsmith5552 "The Commandos Strike at Dawn" is a film that I must admit, I had never heard of. So it was an enjoyable experience watching it for the first time.The setting, filmed in Canada, is a small Norwegian fishing village just prior to WWII breaking out. At a wedding we meet the main characters, Eric Toreson (Paul Muni), Johan Bergesen (Ray Collins), his wife (Lillian Gish - looking lovelier than ever), Admiral Bowen of the British Navy (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), his daughter Judith (Anna Lee) and son Captain Robert Bowen (Robert Coote, the town Pastor (Rod Cameron), School teacher (George Macready) hotelier Karl Arnesen (Louis Jean Heydt) his wife Hilma (Rosemary DeCamp) among others.Toresan is attracted to Judith and a possible relationship develops. But as WWII looms Admiral Bowen, his daughter and son return to England. WWii breaks out and the Germans invade Norway and sent a detachment to the little village headed by a Colonel (Arthur Margetson) and his brutal captain (Alexander Knox). Almost immediately, Johan Bergesen is taken away for "questioning" returning later as a broken man.Toresan and the other townsfolk try to follow the German rules but the atrocities continue. Finally Toresan has had enough and forms a resistance group. He later kills the German Colonel and is forced to flee for his life, leaving his young daughter in the care of a friend. In hiding, Toresan learns about the building of a German air base.Fleeing to England in a hidden boat, Toresan and the others learn that Karl Arnesen has informed on them and they take care of him. Reaching England, Toresan informs the British about the German airfield and offers to lead them to the spot. Before leaving on his mission, he renews his acquaintance with Judith and the possibility of marriage is discussed. Robert Bowen is assigned the task of leading the commandos for their strike after dawn.The commandos surprise the Germans and destroy the air base. Toresan's daughter was supposed to have met her father following the completion of his mission but has been captured by the Germans. Toresan and Bowen lead the commandos on a mission to free the young girl but.................................................................................Paul Muni as always gives an excellent performance as the fisherman forced into a role for which he is ill prepared. Lillian Gish returns to the screen in an all too brief brief role as a patriot's wife. Alexander Knox is suitably evil as the German Captain. You can't help but notice the six foot four Rod Cameron in an early role. Also George Macready who would go on to play sophisticated heavies makes an early appearance. And watch for Lloyd Bridges as the German soldier asking for directions. Walter Sande and Philip Van Zandt also appear in small roles as Germans.Filmed in the middle of the war, the ending offers hope for the future at a time when the outcome of the war was as yet unknown.

mark.waltz That's what this Norwegian fishing village is told by the arriving Nazis within minutes after being informed it would be "life as normal". Nazi normal means giving up all of your extra blankets, not being allowed to sing your own national anthem and allowing the Nazis access to your place of residence any time they knock (if they knock).Practically the same story as Warner Brothers' slightly better "Edge of Darkness", this was made first, and is an entertaining resistance drama with a superb cast, some patriotic speeches and a rousing finale. What I noticed is that much of the dialog has the innocence of a child's prayer with many of the adults speaking as if they were pre-teens while the adults of "Edge of Darkness" were clearly more mature and less stereotypical provincial. Still, with Paul Muni as the leading head of the resistance, there are some gripping moments, particularly the scene where Muni discovers that one of the Norweigans plans to use a dog whistle to notify the Nazis of their intended escape to England. Then there is the tense moment where Muni and his daughter hide in the well of a Norwegian woman who has been informed by the Nazis that her own grandson will be executed if Muni isn't caught.The lovely Anna Lee plays a British noblewoman who is visiting the town in the opening scene for a wedding and encounters Muni when he makes it to England. To think that this lovely actress (around in British films since the 1930's) wouldn't become a superstar until she took on the long-role of the beautiful Lila Quartermain on "General Hospital" is hard to believe. Her on-screen charm is winning and her film career is certainly worth a further look at outside the overly friendly neighbor from "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" and the cheery nun in "The Sound of Music".The silent screen legend Lillian Gish is wasted in a pointless role as the long-suffering wife of the independent thinking Ray Collins who is extremely moving in a scene where he is released from a Nazi prison. (Gish's role is basically the same as Ruth Gordon's devoted wife in "Edge of Darkness", with less screen time.) Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who would be leading the Nazis into Norway in 1943's "The Moon is Down", plays the British leader here who happens to be Lee's father. Here, the villain is Alexander Knox who would go onto be an American hero in title title role of "Wilson". My personal favorite moments are the book-burning sequence where one of the Norweigans tells the Nazi standing over the burning pages that he too has written a book and hopes that one day they'll burn that one (a real slap in the face to the Nazi standing there) and the giggling children who refuse to stop singing their National Anthem as the Nazis raise their flag.

blanche-2 "Commandos Strike at Dawn," from 1942, is another propaganda that demonstrates the spirit of the Norwegians and their commitment to resistance. This one is directed by John Farrow, with a screenplay by a man whose name would become synonymous with long novels, Irwin Shaw, and stars Paul Muni, Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, George MacCready, Ann Carter, Rosemary DeCamp, and Ray Collins.Based on a story by C.S. Forester, "Commandos Strike at Dawn" tells the story of more victims of Quisling, citizens of a small town that is taken over by the Nazis. After Eric Toresen (Muni) sees a friend murdered and another one (Collins) severely beaten, he gets some of the townspeople to form a resistance group. When he realizes that the Germans are preparing for a huge air strike against England, he is determined to get the information to the right people in England and join the fight.Very good film, if a little slow in spots. Muni gives an excellent performance as the bold Toreson, and Ray Collins, Lt. Tragg of Perry Mason, is cast against type as one who vocally opposes the Nazis, and he is very good. This was probably his favorite role, as it's so different from his standard tough cop or crooked politician role. Lillian Gish doesn't have much to do, sadly, as his wife. Neither does Anna Lee, as the daughter of a British military man (Hardwicke) who falls for Muni.Someone commenting here said that this film, and probably by inference, Edge of Darkness, exaggerates the role of the underground in Europe, that most Europeans were passive during the war, afraid of reprisal. That may have been true in some areas - Germany most definitely - but that was not true in France and Norway, both of which had formidable resistance movements. Some people don't like bullies.

dexter-10 Although another of the "common folk against Nazi invasion and occupation" films, this one is better than most. The acting on all levels ranges from good to superior. The plot is complete and dynamic, and the technical elements, like music and setting, are extremely good. Amazingly, the accomplishments of Norway's underground during World War Two are more dramatic than those portrayed in the film. In addition to sabotage, the underground was able to cross and recross the Swedish border, many times to save Nordic Jews. In this instance, reality exceeds the fictional world of the movie industry. This is a well written dramatic film, well worth seeing and preserving!