Kings Go Forth

source: Kings Go Forth

Does anyone know if the racial story that turned out with no one getting the girl allowed it to be played in the South? Was the fact that Natalie really wasn't part black and was a big name make sure it was shown there? I think viewers today underestimate what it was like then and why they wouldn't want to risk profits by hiring a woman not thought to be totally white for a romantic role with men thought to be totally white. Putting it into the past, as in Show Boat, and far away also made it seem more remote and potentially less threatening. That was then but this is now, sort of thing. For some modern viewers it would have been horrible to see Natalie Wood act dead from drowning, knowing that's how she really died. For a woman who was afraid of water, she got wet a lot in the movies.

This film certainly deserves more attention. One of Frank Sinatra's best performances, and certainly very good performances from Tony Curtis and Natalie Wod too. I have heard it flopped considerably in it's day. I guess it's because the original novel (which I haven't read, but which I have heard about) was censored for the screen, or made "happier" (though there's still a fair share of dark moments). Sinatra and Curtis are the American soldiers who both fall for the beautiful French girl Wood (trying an accent on for size), who is also half African-American. Sinatra loves her dearly, but Wood falls for the charming Curtis, with bad results. The film works well as character study of shy, introvert Sinatra and cocky extrovert Curtis. Leora Dana is truly excellent as Wood's mother. While Elmer Bernstein's score tends to overstate the cause at times, this is an involving drama. Unfortunately the war scenes aren't as interesting as the human drama.

You know, from where I was sitting, I thought that this rather oddball, 1958, WW2 drama was really expecting just a little too much of the viewer by asking them to believe that Natalie Wood, as the Monique Blair character, was, in fact, half-black (or "Negro"). I'd say that if Monique's father was, indeed, black (he is never seen in the movie), then, by looking at Natalie Wood who played his daughter, then he must've been the absolute most whitest looking black man on the entire face of the Earth. I kid you not! To me, the casting of Wood as Monique was a grave mistake, especially in a film whose story was apparently striving for believability. There was no way that she could've have ever convinced anyone that she had even a single drop of Negro blood in her veins. Had Wood's character been of mixed-race of, say, Japanese heritage, then, yes, I could've been convinced of that. But Negro!? Ha! No way, Jose! Other than that valid beef, this picture (concerning a decidedly silly, melodramatic love triangle) was corny, clichéd and too predictable (Hollywood-style) to be at all considered worthwhile entertainment. Set in and around a small town along the French Riviera, this film's attempt at dealing maturely with such issues as racism missed the mark, big-time. Though it did contain some intense battle scenes (seemingly thrown in for good measure), these, in turn, did nothing to alleviate the overall monotony that prevailed in this trite, little soap opera.

Maybe 1958 wasn't the best year to present a story like this in a mainstream Hollywood film, but perhaps the producers really wanted to get it out there the best way they could. Censorship and various social taboos made it difficult to present it in a way that would really send it across. As it is, it's somewhat muddled but does contain some entertaining scenes. Sinatra (who also narrates the film in increasingly intrusive and annoying voice-overs) plays a lieutenant stationed in France during WWII. He comes upon a lovely young girl (Wood) who catches his eye and he attempts to get to know her better. However, she is reluctant to let their relationship progress and her mother (Dana), though she admires Sinatra as well, feels the same way. It's all because Wood has a rather shattering secret. Sinatra eventually deals with it okay, but when he introduces his buddy Curtis to Wood, they wind up hitting it off and Sinatra is odd man out. (It should be noted that the young lovers are amazingly insensitive during this part of the movie!) Later, when Curtis mistreats Wood, Sinatra is ready to slit him from ear to ear, but then they are thrust together into a highly dangerous mission behind enemy lines and have to rely on one another for survival. Sinatra does a fine job for the most part and has several simmering scenes with Curtis. Wood, though perhaps not the very best choice for her role, is beautiful and solid as well. She brings quite a bit of heart to her portrayal. Curtis, always at home as a lout and a cad, brings these qualities across well. Even more bizarre casting than Wood is Dana. At age 36, she is done up in heavy (and bad) age makeup in order to play her middle-aged character. It's a role that had to be a slightly daring one in those times and perhaps not too many actresses were lining up for it, but she comes out rather oddly. She does have one extended scene with Sinatra that's good, nonetheless. Few other performers appear at all as the story concentrates on these four people. There are a few interesting battle sequences and a couple of highly-charged dramatic scenes, but the film is never as sensible as one might like. The characters' motivations and feelings seem to change on a dime. Also, elements from the source novel were changed in a way that doesn't help the story remain cohesive. By the end, Sinatra has a war injury that he enacts rather well. It's worth a look for fans of the stars, but isn't nearly memorable enough or powerful enough to leave a huge impression.

Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtiss, and Natalie Wood, make a good trio cast in these roles. The movie, for its day, was a good one, but I think this could be a prime one for a remake. The screenplay had all the right elements in it, but the order was tweaked to make the ending into a Hollywoodish, happier ever after story. The book by Joe David Brown (called Combat Mission) had it end in a much darker way than was acceptable for movies in 1958. It could be done correctly these days, filmed in a dark nor style in wartime of 1943-44. They only worries I would have is with the current rash of remakes hitting the theaters, it would be done sloppily and the cast would be sub par. I could see a remake done with a low/average budget using good, young, unknown actors in the roles with the emphasis put on the accuracy of the original story. Also, an average amount of CGI in the battle scenes (read no overkill), and I think a remake would redeem itself at the box office.

My father owns a paperback edition of the Joe David Brown novel which inspired this film and I recall reading it many years ago. Ever since his Oscar triumph in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953), Frank Sinatra tried to augment his typically light material with heavier stuff: in 1958, he had two of the latter back-to-back (along with Vincente Minnelli’s SOME CAME RUNNING) and, curiously enough, he finds himself with the less showier of the lead roles here. Tony Curtis’ part as the smooth-talking but put-upon charmer is effectively an extension of his Sidney Falco in Alexander Mackendrick’s SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957). The female roles are equally well filled: a lovely 19-year old Natalie Wood plays a young mulatto American raised in France who comes between Army “buddies” Sinatra and Curtis, while 35-year old Leora Dana is cast as Wood’s proud middle-aged mother (she must have quite impressed Sinatra because she was in SOME CAME RUNNING too – as Arthur Kennedy’s wife). The film – backed by a fine score from Elmer Bernstein and including a jam session featuring Curtis and real-life jazz musicians – is well enough made scene by scene and certainly well acted, but the effect is slightly diluted by the unnecessary and ultra-soapy coda (Sinatra losing an arm, Dana dying, Wood gathering together and teaching war orphans – but especially the corny children’ song at the very end). The film is much more of a romantic melodrama than it is a war movie, but the few action sequences therein are good and well spread out throughout the film. Delmer Daves may have been best renowned for his Westerns – but his very first shot as a director had actually come via a war movie, DESTINATION TOKYO (1943), and he eventually returned to the same territory intermittently with PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945), TASK FORCE (1949) and, finally, KINGS GO FORTH itself.

Kings Go Forth (1958) I shouldn't have loved this movie as much as I did. But it touches on those basics of love and life and rivalry and goodness I couldn't help be manipulated. And it's set in Villefranche, one of my favorite places in the world, and it's set during WWII, when life for Europe was its most on fire. And there I was, crying and loving it. "Kings Go Forth" is actually a slightly late in the game WWII flick that shifts attention at first to luxuriating soldiers in the south of France just as the war was ending. It's not as much about war (though there are some remnants of fightings which are tense). It's more about a bunch of decent guys, two of them in particular, and their misunderstandings. And it's about love. The south of France and the Mediterranean is about as decent a setting for romance as you get. It's idealizing (everyone loves the Americans in their Jeeps, which must be half true, but not entirely), and it's all sunny weather and champagne. Except that love is never easy, and it gets more and more intense, sad, and profound. Yes, profound. Tony Curtis is terrific as usual. As Brit Harris he is charming, funny, and clever. Natalie Wood in one of many great roles between "Rebel Without a Cause" and "West Side Story" is rather perfect, except maybe her French accent. But she represents, as Monique Blair, something perfectly innocent and yet ravaged by war. The other lead, the main character Sam Loggins, is played by Frank Sinatra, and Loggins also loves Blair. At first Loggins is noble and lets Harris win the girl's heart, but then it gets complicated. There is a fabulous last war scene for the climax, featuring a special mission needing just two men--our leads, now enemies and distrustful. But in the heat of their battle, Harris gives some real wisdom about character, and Loggins shows true compassion. It's war, the worst and the best of it. And it's the worst and best of love, too, with an ending just slightly hanging in mid-air. Director Delmer Daves pulls off a lot of great, nicely felt films. They often lack an edge of innovation or of real probing triumph, but this is one of those that brings a lot of issues, including racism at its simplest, to a believable story. Don't brush this movie off. And don't be put off by the first twenty minutes or so when the establishing scenes seem like just another good war film. This one goes places, at least for the romantic.

After weeks of taping this off the THIS movie channel, I finally watched Kings Go Forth on my DVR. It's World War II in France as an officer played by Frank Sinatra gets a recruit who's an expert in radio in Tony Curtis. During a weekend pass, Sinatra goes to the country village and meets Natalie Wood who goes on dates with him. After several other passes, he also meets her mother (Leora Dana) and declares love for her. She doesn't reciprocate. I'll just say that a secret is revealed and Curtis later gets involved. For a while, I thought this was a straight through war story with some of the battle scenes in the beginning but then gets more into the romance side before going back to battle again. Concerning the love story, when things go to a head and one smacks the other, I was really riveted and wondered how it would tie with the war story. Unfortunately, after the confrontation about one killing the other, as another battle with the Germans was under way, the TV screen went black with the audio on as moving pictures flashed back and forth with them freezing each time, even during commercial break. As it continued this way through the end, I can't right now say how compelling this drama really was. It was fine before that, though. So on that note, right now I'm giving Kings Go Forth a 6.

Loving triangle , hormones and war rage in this sensitive story set against the backdrop of WWII France . The usual premise is the following : Frank loves Natalie who loves Tony ; the plain and simple triangle is interwoven with racism and warfare scenes . The film contains human drama , passion , emotion , tragical events , character description in deep and complemented with a loving triangle and battles . These elements provide the setting for this piece of dramatic deeds , giving it its own special quality and ambient . Toward the end of World War II, two American soldiers 1st Lt. Sam Loggins (Frank Sinatra) and (Cpl. Britt Harris Tony Curtis) fighting in Southern France become romantically involved with a young, American woman called Monique Blair (the role of Monique was originally written with Dorothy Dandridge in mind) . When Sinatra asks for her hand in marriage she refuses because of some secret reasons . She chooses one to love and the other to befriend . Her background will reveal more about them than her . They'd been through the living hell of war , eating dirt , crawling on their guts , but the real was to come when they fell in love with the same girl . As big and brave and bold a love story as has ever been exploded on the screen¡ . At the end the soldiers take on a dangerous assignment behind enemy lines with unexpected consequences . This wartime movie picture is an enjoyable tale with an interesting characterizing about a few characters , tragic drama and evocative outdoors from French Riviera , including some war scenes . The film utilizes an oft-used storyline of the war movie genre which has two soldiers in love with the same girl . This stirring as well as intimate story is a passionate retelling and a touching triangular drama . The storyline relies heavily on the continued relationship among them ; in spite of , the movie results to be better than average , being surprisingly good and compellingly realized . Based on a novel by Joe David Brown with thought-provoking screenplay by Merle Miller . Nice acting by trio protagonist , all of them give fine performance along with a fine support cast such as Karl Swenson and special mention of Leora Dana as mummy Blair . Thrilling as well as moving Original Music by the maestro Elmer Bernstein . Atmospheric and adequate Cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp . The motion picture was professionally directed by Delmer Daves , though not particularly satisfying on either race front or the war . Daves was a good professional , he began as a technical adviser on films with a college background . Soon afterward he entered films as an actor, and after appearing in several pictures he began collaborating on screenplays and original stories. He wrote scripts for many of Hollywood's best films of the 1930s and 1940s, including The Petrified Forest (1936) and Love affair (1939) . Turning director with the classic Destination : Tokio (1943), Daves often wrote and produced his own pictures. Of the many films he made, the westerns he did were especially close to his heart ; as a youth he had spent much time living on reservations with Hopi and Navajo Indians . As he was a Western expert such as proved in ¨The hanging tree¨ , ¨3:10 to Yuma¨, ¨The last wagon¨, Jubal , ¨Drum beat¨, ¨Return of the Texan¨, ¨Cowboy¨ and the notorious ¨Broken arrow¨ .