Steve D
Good idea, bad execution.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/24/24
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Hegemony C
Great classic military period piece. A bit hokey, expectations were very different diring the middle of the Cold War, and in 1955.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/01/23
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Audience Member
Nice commercial for the Airforce. You won't see this America / military hating generation enjoying this one any time soon. As far as the story goes, kind of dead, not much going on. But if you like military aviation, this movie's for you. Oh, and while you're at it, grab your gun and serve well, patriot
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Recently, a particular distributor of DVD and Blu-ray discs, Olive Films, as releasing movies that I loved in my youth. Mostly they had been remastering for high definition films released previously only on DVD. These new Blu-ray additions typically lack the extraordinary extras of The Criterion Collection, but the technical specifications are excellent. In most cases, I'm able to watch a favorite film with better audio and video the night experience in the theater. One of the latest additions to this growing list of movies is 'Strategic Air Command.' This movie was one of a long line of jingoistic films Hollywood began releasing during World War II. There are a couple of aspects of this movie that distinguish it. First of all, it was one of the first Cold War films produced by a major studio with the assistance of the American military. Secondly, the star of the movie did not have to research his role or pretend to assume the identity of his character. James Stewart plays a Lt. Col. in the United States Army Air Forces. At the time he was a full bird colonel in that branch of the military. In real life Mr. Stewart was drafted into the military as a private and worked his way up through the ranks as a combat pilot, eventually achieving the rank of Brigadier General. Mr. Stewart channeled his passion for aviation into a film he appeared in only a couple of years after this one. Mr. Stewart portrayed the first pilot ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean and a solo flight, Charles Lindbergh in 'The Spirit of St. Louis'. Admittedly, this is not one of the best examples of his almost 100 screen credits, but it is an entertaining movie that succeeds in achieving its purpose, to reinforce the trust of the American public the ability of the military to protect them from an enemy intent on destroying our way of life. The film that covers the Cold War era resonated with those of us who lived through that anxious time in American history. For the generations that came after us. The Strategic Air Command Is a footnote in their history textbook.
Jimmy Stewart portrays the protagonist of the movie, Robert "Dutch" Holland, following his life and career. Initially, Dutch plays baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals into World War II broke out. He joined the United States Army Air Corps and assigned as a pilot for a B-29 bomber. After the war starts remains a reserve officer in the United States Air Force Reserve, officially remaining on inactive status. Like many of the men returning from war, Dutch goes back to his pre-war profession. Dutch is in St. Petersburg, Florida for preseason spring training when recalled to active duty; he reports to Carswell Air Force Base, located in Fort Worth, Texas to begin his new training as a pilot for the latest technological wonder America has put in the air, the Convair B-36. With the previously unheard of range and payload capacity that ended the nickname 'Peacemaker' since he had hoped that it would serve more as a deterrent than an actual weapon of war. Jimmy Stewart has always had an 'everyman' quality about him that immediately connected with the audience, making them a definite fan favorite. This aspect of his personality allowed him to pull off scenes that would stumble over actors realistically. One example in this film is that Dutch reports for duty in his civilian clothes because none of the new uniforms fit him. He is immediately chewed out by the command of the Teaching Their Command, Hawkes (Frank Lovejoy), modeled after the real-life general who was in charge of Vietnam, Curtis Lemay. This man played a dominant role in the political scene as most of us were growing up. He would eventually run on the same ticket as George Wallace for the position of vice president. References to actual people such as this are a significant reason why those of us of the baby boomer generation can relate to the movie so well.
That starts out with a position on staff within a bombardment wing at the Air Force Base which provides them with a lot of time in the air. Soon, Dutch is given command of his crew and can select someone he worked with in World War II to serve as his engineer. Playing Dutch his wife, Sally, was an actress frequently paired with Stuart, June Allyson. Together they one of America's favorite on-screen couples. Although the discrepancy in height, he was 6 foot three and she was barely 5 feet tall, be quiet some imaginative blocking of the director. A primary focus of this film was the personal lives of the SAC personnel and their families. Sally is a loving and devoted wife but is constantly under stress by the extended absences of a husband and the potential danger he faced. Because of the impressive range of the B-36, Dutch would often be assigned to prolonged missions far off from the United States. These planes were considered the front line of defense during the arm's race that defined the Cold War. The planes highlighted here were the aerial segment of the Nuclear Triad which was created to counter the nuclear capabilities of the Soviet Union.
The film took great care to present SAC personnel and equipment as accurately as feasible. The driving force behind this mandate was Stuart who devoted to the crucial function of protecting the country performed by the US Air Force. Was manifested in how the film lionized the role of SAC in the modern paradigm of the potential use of devastating nuclear weapons. The movie depicts how Dutch and his crew handle the routine aspects of their service woven together with long, tedious assignments punctuated with airborne alerts, unavoidable accidents and even a spectacularly filmed force landing. Most people, both fans, and critics, point out that the real star of the film is the amazing aerial photography. Following the precedent established during World War II the studio received the complete cooperation of the United States Air Force. This afforded the filmmaker access to real military bases for location shots and the ability to realistically portray the cockpits of these complicated machines. These factors combined to reinforce a positive image of the US military in general and specifically the relatively new defender of our nation, SAC. The fifties was an intensely anxious period in American history. The post-War boon in home ownership, employment, and educational advantages juxtaposed to the threats of Communist domination. The American people had to deal with dangers and anxiety more intense than the Axis threat of the previous decade. The arms race was responsible for the proliferation of nuclear weapons capable of annihilating all life on the planet many times over. The fifties also witnessed the infamous McCarthy hears that stirred up the all-pervading paranoia of a witch hunt. The nation was afraid, and films like this served to provide a measure of calm confidence. While technically movies like this fall under the umbrella of propaganda the intentions were well meant. For younger views, please try to keep these factors in mind considering it as insight for a troubled time that occurred before most of you were born.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
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Audience Member
Good film for the period. Col. Stweart, USAFR, actually flew the types portrayed.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
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ashley h
Strategic Air Command is a decent film. It is about a third baseman who reluctantly returns to the air force during WWII. James Stewart and June Allyson give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Anthony Mann did an alright job directing this movie. I liked watching this motion picture because of the action and drama
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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