Product Description
-------------------
An Allied flight commander and his successor run daylight
bombing raids out of England. Directed by Henry King. Best
supporting O for Jagger.
.com
----
The wartime memories of surviving World War II bomber squadrons
were still crystal clear when this accled drama was released
in 1949--one of the first postwar films out of Hollywood to treat
the war on emotionally complex terms. Framed by a postwar
prologue and epilogue and told as a flashback appreciation of
wartime valor and teamwork, the film stars Gregory Peck in one of
his finest performances as a callous general who assumes command
of a bomber squadron based in England. At first, the new
commander has little rapport with the 918th Bomber Group, whose
loyalties still belong with their previous commander. As they
continue to fly dangerous missions over Germany, however, the
group and their new leader develop mutual respect and admiration,
until the once-alienated commander feels that his men are part of
a family--men whose bravery transcends the rigors of rigid
discipline and by-the-book leadership. The film's now-classic
climax, in which the general waits patiently for his squad to
return to base--painfully aware that they may not return at
all--is one of the most subtle yet emotionally intense scenes of
any World War II drama. With Peck in the lead and Dean Jagger
doing O-winning work in a crucial supporting role, this was
one of veteran director Henry King's proudest achievements, and
it still packs a strong dramatic punch. --Jeff Shannon
P.when('A').execute(function(A) {
A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse',
function(data) {
window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100);
});
});
Set Contains:
-------------
In this two-disc set, the classic World War II drama Twelve
O'Clock High is presented on disc 1 in a pristine full-frame
(1.33:1) transfer, with English mono and stereo soundtracks,
French and Spanish mono, and optional English and Spanish
subtitles. The full-length audio commentary takes a retrospective
approach, with film historians Rudy Behlmer, John Burlingame, and
Nick Redman sharing the microphone for a thorough discussion of
Twelve O'Clock High. Behlmer's expertise focuses on Hollywood
studio history, with emphasis on the making of Twelve O'Clock
High under the direct supervision of hands-on producer Darryl F.
Zanuck. Burlingame is an authority on film music (and in this
case the spare, dramatic score by Fox's in-house composer Alfred
Newman), and Redman serves primarily as moderator, asking
questions and making his own observations about the film's
enduring appeal. On disc 2, "Memories of Twelve O'Clock High" is
a half-hour documentary about the film and its unique place among
World War II films, featuring interviews with film historians Leo
Braudy and Rudy Behlmer and authors Donald L. Miller (Masters of
the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against
Nazi Germany) and Allan T. Duffin (The Twelve O'Clock High
Logbook). Their combined expertise places the film into
historical context, along with a wealth of anecdotal detail,
production history, scene-by-scene analysis and interesting
trivia (such as bald O-winning costar Dean Jagger's
reluctance to play a role without his toupée).
"World War II and the American Home Front" (7:30) is a
featurette about domestic war-support activities during the
period dramatized in Twelve O'Clock High, with war veteran and
Stalag 17 coauthor Donald Bevan providing historical context and
commentary. "Inspiring a Character: General Frank A. Armstrong"
(7:25) is an inspiring, unabashedly patriotic tribute to the life
and distinguished service of Gen. Armstrong, wing
commander of the 8th Air Force Bomber Command (the unit led by
Gregory Peck in Twelve O'Clock High). "The Pilots of the Eight
Air Force" featurette (12:20) profiles the heroic bomber crews of
the 8th Air Force as depicted in Twelve O'Clock High--the largest
aerial strike force in World War II, based in England and
responsible for many of the war's most pivotal air raids over
enemy German territory. Closing out the disc is an interactive
pressbook (allowing viewers to click-and- a few pages of
typical late 1940s newsprint publicity materials for Twelve
O'Clock High) and a gallery of three reproductions of the
film's and lobby cards. --Jeff Shannon
See more ( javascript:void(0) )