UnowPriceless
hyped garbage
Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
mark.waltz
Every military archetype is present in this pre-Pearl Harbor training drama that prepared the future "boys over there" just in case. Of course, just in case was can obvious foregone conclusion, so it was just a matter of time and circumstances. Reminding me of the later Pine-Thomas programmers that covered every part of military life without giving away military secrets. These war pictures were important for the parents of the young men going off to an unknown future, not just propaganda but important morale boosters as well.The four young men going into the parachute battalion are as different as different can be. Cocky Robert Preston is the pompous joker of the bunch, while Edmund O'Brien is a commanders son who is a recovering alcoholic. Sweet faced Richard Carlson is a secret coward whose inner tension builds up to being revealed in the film's key scene. Future Jed Clampett Buddy Ebsen is playing a younger version of his hillbilly character, making him the comic relief. Aboard the train to training camp, they meet pretty Nancy Kelly and her gruff father (an excellent Harry Carey), unaware of O'Brien's struggles, but preferring him over the obnoxious Preston who takes an instant dislike to him as well. Is it any real surprise that Carey ends up being their trainer? Mixing the description of parachute battalion training (through stock footage, training films and newly photographed sequences) and romantic complications, this is not bad, but oh so familiar. Of the four young men, O'Brien and Cromwell play the more well defined characters, while Preston and Ebsen are simply "types" and not really given story. Preston does lead a drill much like he would years later lead the boys band in "The Music Man", and Ebsen shows off his rubber legged dancing in one brief sequence as well. It all culminates in a faked battle sequence for training where Ebsen confronts the other soldier he has been searching for ever since the film began for seemingly ridiculous reasons. Absolutely worth catching, but definitely leaves the viewer wanting something a little more substantial once it is all over.
SimonJack
Although it gives a rather light-hearted treatment to the rigor of paratrooper training, this film has considerable value and interest especially for military and airborne history and development. The light- heartedness may be accounted for because of the newness of the paratroops in 1941, efforts to educate the public and military about airborne training, and intentional efforts not to scare recruits away. Its major flaw is in not showing the rigors of training. As a former paratrooper (from the Cold War years of early 1960s in Germany), I thought the easy-go-lucky atmosphere in this film was quite exaggerated. Indeed, reading accounts of the first test platoon and parachute units (some good online sources), informs that the training from the earliest was most rigorous and with considerable discipline.The biggest difference noted in the training from then until now, is that enlistees were then going right into training to be paratroopers -- so, boot camp and infantry specialty and jump school were all rolled into one. This film is important to point out that bit of history in the time just before and during the war. But, since WWII, paratroopers have first had to complete 8 weeks of regular basic training (boot camp), then go to their specialty school for 8 weeks or more (infantry, artillery, communications, medical, etc.), and finally spend 3 to 6 weeks in jump school at Ft. Benning, GA. The latter depends on passing the very rigorous physical abilities test. One has three tries (weeks) to make it. If on the first try, jump school then is three weeks. One other note: the Army Airborne school also trains men and women who go into some other specialty fields and from other branches of the service (Special Forces; Long Range Recon Patrol -- it may be called something different now; Navy Seals; Air Force forward observers -- if they're still used, etc.).Some scenes that other viewers may find strange or questionable are important to have been included because they show things that really happened – in my airborne training and service, and that of two brothers and older and younger paratroopers I've met over the years. Two examples in this film were of men "freezing" in the door and not being able to jump; and of a jumpmaster giving a jumper a boost or shove out the door. The gun scene was overboard – I doubt it has ever happened; but, where the film was quite light otherwise, it may have served to show in earnest the early fear and reticence (anyone in his or her right mind at least has butterflies the first few times up) about going out the door. And, the "yahoo" reaction shown by two or three of the troopers after they have "hit the silk" is a true portrayal of the feeling of elation and somewhat wonderment of hanging suspended in the air and slowly floating to the ground.Some of the training from the earliest days (packing of one's own chutes, and individual jumps), as well as equipment, had changed by the late 1950s and early 1960s, to say nothing of the aircraft used for jumping (from C-47s, to C-119 Flying Boxcars during most of WWII, to C- 130s, to C-124 Globe Trotters, to the Jet transports of later years). Also, the jump chute design and parachute landing falls were soon changed from what was shown in the film -- to a roll, to prevent broken legs from stiff-legged landings. The 250-foot towers as well as shorter jump training towers with cables are in use today. All in all, though, this was a very good film. Most likely, veterans and others interested in military history would not be bored by the repeated jumping scenes. And, I think the considerable cast of known actors for the time, with a fairly decent, if somewhat predictable story line, made it an altogether enjoyable film. I'm sure it brings a smile to any veteran's face – of any branch of service – to think that a recruit in boot camp or initial training would get a pass, or be able to go on a date with or visit a training NCO or officer's daughter. But that's part of Hollywood's license for fiction, supposedly to boost the entertainment value and/or box office take. For the historical and educational value, with a cast of good acting and lots of jumping, I score this fairly high – 9 stars.
Spuzzlightyear
This curious movie, which seems to be part documentary and part drama, tells of three individuals who have signed up for a parachute battalion. This film almost gives the VIEWER a heads up on what it takes to train to drop your parachute. Everything from Jumping exercises to height practice to even detailed instruction on how to pack a parachute! Oh yeah, two of the squad have a bit of a spat over a girl, but the main plot is about the training. What's so curious is that the film was made with the National Paratroopers Batallion in America, but shows some curious habits of the paratroopers that almost put them in a bad light. I'm talking of course of the captain pushing off a scared paratrooper off a plane for his solo flight, and another scene where another scared paratrooper pulls a gun on the plane (!!) and tells them HE'S NOT JUMPING!! Anyways, that's all forgotten of course, because any film that has Buddy Ebsen dancing and doing comedy is fine by me J
dickod
"Parachute Battalion" was filmed with members of the 501st Parachute Battalion performing the actual jump scenes, etc. A member of my family was in the 501st and was killed on D-day after jumping into Normandy.
On the very off-chance that he might be seen in the movie backdrop, I would like to be able to view a video of it but cannot locate a copy. Can anyone help me in this regard?
