In 1949, just a few short years after World War II had ended, a film adaptation of Sy Bartlett’s novel, Twelve O’Clock High, was released to theaters. This was just the kind of film that was being released during the war to bolster morale and help those who had husbands, sons, or brothers in the air force fighting for their freedom and security. But, had it been made just a few years before, it would have likely not elected to portray some of the more dark elements of the novel such as the realities of bombing raids and the low morale of the men based on the lack of real communication over what their air raids were even accomplishing. It also depicted some truly horrific injuries, though these are kept off-screen to appease the production code of the time.
It also depicts the men, pilots, bombers, and navigators dealing with a crisis of confidence and a lack of morale, making mistakes and dealing with apathy and fatalism during a time when we usually see our fighting soldiers being more gung-ho and heroic. Perhaps the most dark take, though, is the cold view the film places on commanders getting too close to their subordinates, stating outright that effective soldiers cannot develop feelings for their fellow soldiers or those underneath them because it clouds their judgment and makes them ineffective leaders. While this is most definitely a view that exists in the ranks of the military, we don’t often see it outright displayed in leaders we are asked to get behind in films from this era. Patton depicted the famous general showing no compassion for the men damaged by the war around him, but we were not asked to like him but be appalled by his attitude. That film also came out in the 1970s, during an era where we as a country were far more critical of our leaders in war.
The setting for Twelve O’Clock High is an American Bomb Group, the 918th, operating in Europe in 1942. This group has gained a reputation as a “hard luck group” and after yet another disastrous mission, group commander Colonel Davenport (Gary Merrill) appears demoralized. His attitude has spread throughout the senior leadership of the 918th, too. When he is ordered to fly another mission the following day at the dangerously low altitude of 9,000 feet, he lodges a protest with his friend, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck). Savage, in turn, confides with Major General Pritchard, the commanding general of VIII Bomber Command, that he believes Davenport has become too emotionally attached to his men, making him no longer suitable for command. This is further supported by Davenport’s refusal to discipline failed navigator Lieutenant Zimmerman, choosing to blame himself for the failures of their most recent mission. Pritchard agrees that Savage is right and relieves Davenport of command, placing Savage in his place.
Savage immediately starts ruffling feathers with his no-nonsense and harsh approach to discipline and morale. He reprimands Air Exec, Lieutenant Colonel Gately (Hugh Marlowe), calling him a coward and assigning him the least competent crewman, ordering him to paint the name “Leper Colony” on his airplane. When Gately protests and threatens to complain to the higher-ups, Savage calls his bluff, forcing the man to accept his new assignment. He also calls out all the pilots, telling them that they need to stop fearing death and accept that they may all die in battle. After his harsh words, every pilot turns in requests for transfer. Believing that they will turn out to be great once their morale is boosted, Savage sits on the transfer requests, which lands him in a bit of trouble when an inspector shows up to investigate this.
Things escalate, though, when he spends too much time flying missions with his men rather than managing from the base. He begins to grow attached to the men, just as Davenport did, and it affects his ability to properly lead them in the face of a truly challenging mission, leaving him catatonic and panicking as they fly into danger over German territory.
It is a disturbing reality that military leaders in times of war have to make the decision to send men into situations that will certainly lead to their deaths. In order to be able to effectively be a leader in those circumstances, you have to be able to separate your feelings from your duty to the mission and your country. Those unable to compartmentalize those feelings and order someone they care for into a sure death situation cannot effectively lead men into battle. It’s a hard reality that most films don’t focus on. Instead, they focus on the heroics of the men in the air rather than those on the ground calling the shots.
That’s what makes Twelve O’Clock High such a compelling war film. It’s also why this film would have been a hard sell five years earlier. Once the war was over and we were looking back on it, we could look at the war from a side more realistic and less glamorous. Gregory Peck exemplifies that, both as the hard-nosed general pushing the men because he knows they are capable of more than they have demonstrated and as the commander who cannot stay behind and send his men out into certain danger without him at their side. The shift in his mentality is subtle but recognizable.
So too is the morale of the men, who all want to transfer out rather than work with Savage. He pushes them, insists they are better than they are at present, and eventually gets them to withdraw the transfer requests. Even more importantly, he gains respect for Gately, whom he initially called a coward. Gately proves himself to be a great leader of men and a good strategist, demonstrating his courage in the heat of battle on numerous occasions. The message is clear: you need to be tough on the men, but you also have to have a degree of humanity if you want them to respect you and give you their all.
This film would not have been possible without ample support from the USAF and the RAF. Many of the flying sequences and mid-air battles were actual footage provided by the military. This added to the illusion that our actors are in actual combat situations. The effect and the script itself were so convincing that many service officers praised the film for being the most accurate depiction of their experience in the war ever committed to film.
Twelve O’Clock High is a gritty film compared to the war films of the past. It took a more realistic approach to air combat and the soldiers tasked with flying those missions. It didn’t sugarcoat the realities of war and the mindset needed to send men to their deaths. It’s powerfully acted and the story is moving, but not morale-boosting the way you would think a war movie from the forties would be. Instead, it is eye-opening, and gives us a little behind-the-scenes look at what many of our soldiers went through in the quest to end the war.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Darryl F. Zanuck
Best Actor: Gregory Peck
Best Supporting Actor: Dean Jagger (won)
Best Sound Recording: Thomas T. Moulton (won)
____________________________________________________
Release Date: December 21, 1949
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Gregory Peck, Dean Jagger, and Hugh Marlowe
Directed by: Henry King
Comments
Post a Comment