This is a little gem of a war film. The real value and sense of the film is its date of making and the place where it was filmed. To answer the first would be 1944 /45 just before the fall of Berlin and the place neutral Switzerland and last but not least the film maker a refugee from Nazi Germany.
The overtones of the movie are compelling and profound but needs to be viewed in aspect to its time of making and the situation prevailing.
The plot revolves around two POWs (one British and one American) who escape from a POW train just after Mussolini has been ousted from power in 1943 Italy and try to make it to the Swiss border first by boat(assisted by a lovely Italian girl) and after being assured that they can rejoin their ranks since an Armistice has been declared.
They are later forced to take recourse of action to once again escape as Mussolini is rescued by the Germans and Italy is once again at war with the Allies. They are then assisted by a local priest to join up with a batch of refugees (probably Jewish but we are never told of their religion, the only clue offered to the viewer is that some are not present in church, are of different nationalities, and one refugee is writing about the plight of minorities in Europe - possibly about Hitlers final solution) all of whom seek the refuge of neutral Switzerland and then possibly America.
The two POWs are joined by a British Major who has been cut off from his regiment and wants to rejoin his ranks but circumstances force him to accompany the refugees.
We are also shown some vignettes of the war atrocities by the Nazis as viewed by the two POWs when they escape in a goods train and of people being separated and sent to concentration camps. All these atrocities are depicted subtly but leave no doubt to the viewer in the message that it conveys.
How the small group struggle to reach Switzerland braving the weather the Nazis and other odds form the rest of the movie. Interestingly the British POW is shown as the strongest member of the crowd as he after being wounded insists on the Swiss army permitting the refugees to stay if he is to accept medical attention being covered by the Geneva Convention. He succeeds in getting the refugees asylum but loses his life due to his injuries in the process.
The film is very evident in its portrayal of the futility of war and its strong anti-war ethos is subtly enveloped in the greater message about war torn Europe. The acting by non-decrepit actors is adequate and at times outstanding. The direction is good but the camera is outstanding.
A must see for all film buffs of the genre.
The overtones of the movie are compelling and profound but needs to be viewed in aspect to its time of making and the situation prevailing.
The plot revolves around two POWs (one British and one American) who escape from a POW train just after Mussolini has been ousted from power in 1943 Italy and try to make it to the Swiss border first by boat(assisted by a lovely Italian girl) and after being assured that they can rejoin their ranks since an Armistice has been declared.
They are later forced to take recourse of action to once again escape as Mussolini is rescued by the Germans and Italy is once again at war with the Allies. They are then assisted by a local priest to join up with a batch of refugees (probably Jewish but we are never told of their religion, the only clue offered to the viewer is that some are not present in church, are of different nationalities, and one refugee is writing about the plight of minorities in Europe - possibly about Hitlers final solution) all of whom seek the refuge of neutral Switzerland and then possibly America.
The two POWs are joined by a British Major who has been cut off from his regiment and wants to rejoin his ranks but circumstances force him to accompany the refugees.
We are also shown some vignettes of the war atrocities by the Nazis as viewed by the two POWs when they escape in a goods train and of people being separated and sent to concentration camps. All these atrocities are depicted subtly but leave no doubt to the viewer in the message that it conveys.
How the small group struggle to reach Switzerland braving the weather the Nazis and other odds form the rest of the movie. Interestingly the British POW is shown as the strongest member of the crowd as he after being wounded insists on the Swiss army permitting the refugees to stay if he is to accept medical attention being covered by the Geneva Convention. He succeeds in getting the refugees asylum but loses his life due to his injuries in the process.
The film is very evident in its portrayal of the futility of war and its strong anti-war ethos is subtly enveloped in the greater message about war torn Europe. The acting by non-decrepit actors is adequate and at times outstanding. The direction is good but the camera is outstanding.
A must see for all film buffs of the genre.