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The Way Ahead [1944]


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Editorial
Synopsis

Boasting a script by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, The Way Ahead [1944] is a rousing version of a familiar WWII genre: an officer must hammer a small group of disparate characters into an effective fighting unit as quickly as possible. David Niven stars as tough-minded Lieutenant Jim Perry, who has to put a reluctant and sometimes comically inept group of raw recruits through fantastically realistic basic training exercises. When the troops hit the beaches of North Africa, they finally begin to understand the purpose behind their training.



Fantastic propaganda
Review date: 2008-06-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

Great film. One can only imagine the frame of mind of those originally watching it during the war. Brilliantly avoids the trap of portraying characters as heroes, they're just normal flawed fellows... who you don't necessarily like, until they're the tight knit fighting unit we see at the end. Isn't propaganda clever?
David Niven is fantastic - a role model for every Englishman.
The rest of the cast are exceptional too. The last shots, soldiers advancing bravely through the smoke, was surely lifted for the opening credits of Dad's Army years later - and both featured the brilliant John Laurie.

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Reviews


One of the Greatest
Review date: 2008-01-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is one of the most affecting films I have ever seen, and makes me wonder how I could have passed so many years of life and never seen it before. It's difficult to pin down why it is so good - after all, to simply describe the bare bones of the plot would not make it sound anything special - but I think the sheer quality of the script is probably the most important thing. That is not, however, the only good thing about it: the direction, acting, and even the special effects are all exceptionally good. Above all, every character in the story is so realistic, and interesting to the viewer. As for David Niven's performance, that is close to perfection. If I had to mention just one specific scene from the film, I think it would be that unforgettable moment when, in a run-down bar, somewhere in the Western Sahara, the men start singing 'Lily of Laguna'. That must surely be one of the most memorable scenes ever put on celluloid. If that scene doesn't move you, nothing will. If, like me until a few weeks ago, you have never seen this film, buy it now, and experience a beautiful piece of cinematic history, made in England during the dark days of World War II.

A Classic
Review date: 2007-07-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

This movie shows what can be done when talents such as Ustinov and Ambler are told to make an Army training film and they then managed to come up with a classic like this.
It's the story of a diverse bunch of Brits grumbling their way through basic training, being put through their paces by David Niven and William Hartnell (who played the first Dr. Who) with the ultimate result in the end of being turned into a first rate fighting unit.
My favourite scene is the one just before the War starts, when David Niven as a T.A. private (that's a National Guardsman in "cousin-speak"), is being instructed in the use of a 1916 Lewis Gun by means of a large picture - The real thing would not have been available, and then being turned out of the training hall by a Dance Band arriving!
I like nmollo's comments above about not having seen a Brit war film where we are not portrayed as "crazy and eccentric".
Well apart from Los Angeles, UK probably has had more crazy and eccentric people than any other place on earth. Why else would we have put up with the weather when we could have emmigrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada or even the USA?
Great film. Worth watching over and over again.
Buy and enjoy

Great propaganda movie
Review date: 2007-06-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

One of those with characters drawn from disparate backgrounds who end up pulling together. They spend the first half of the film whingeing about absolutely everything (they remind me of some colleagues I have known). How's Captain Niven going to cope with this management problem? He happens to turn up at the house where the "boys" have been going for tea and baths and, over the cucumber sandwiches, they discover he's a good chap really. I'd like to have seen more of the "wives' club". Niven is desperate to put on a concert but the platoon are initially too bolshy to play. A bit of an in-joke, as Stanley Holloway was a music-hall comedian famous for his recitations (the terrible fate of young Albert...) and eventually reveals his lovely singing voice as they croon Lily of Laguna in a godforsaken bar with Rommel not too far away. One of the most interesting characters is Evan Lloyd, the gloomy Welshman who unlike the others doesn't have much of a back story. Has he been soured by a life of telling people the council can't repair their gutters or install a bath? Of course, given the movie's origins as a training film, he could be there to show trainees that the unlikeliest recruits may be officer material. But with William Hartnell as Sergeant you can't go far wrong - he reprised this role in Carry on Sergeant which is a more light-hearted go at the same plot (no war and nobody dies, but the end, with the gang marching past to brass instruments played by thick-legged girls, still makes me cry).

A good Black & White WW2 film
Review date: 2007-01-31 Rating: 8 out of 10

This movie follows the call up and training of various men, called up to fight in WW2.
It's interesting to see the men from different backgrounds, (the important business man, the travel agent and the labourer) all get lumbered into the same boat.
The men are portrayed well, not heroes nor idiots, just ordinary men.
They grumble and complain about how they are being treated unfairly, being shouted at and made to do pointless exercises. As the film goes on, you see the men bond before being shipped off to combat, this too is well done with the combat scenes being so understated as to be believable.
This film was used at Sandhurst for many years to help train new officers.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Leslie Dwyer
John Laurie
David Niven
Stanley Holloway
James Donald

Creators:
David Niven (Primary Contributor)
Stanley Holloway (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115061232
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2004-05-17
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1945-06-03
Language: English (Original Language)

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