They Raid by Night

Product Description

British special agent Capt. Owen leads a squad of commandos into Nazi-occupied Norway to rescue a top general imprisoned in a death camp. Communications expert Sgt. Harry and Norwegian resistance fighter Lt. Falken parachute with Owen behind enemy lines t

Customer Reviews:

A classic British WWII propaganda film from 1942.......2004-08-26

Britain was many months away from its finest hour when They Raid By Night was produced in 1942, but propaganda films such as this one helped sustain the morale of a people suffering through the vagaries of war. I'm fascinated by British propaganda films of the early 1940s, and this one is particularly interesting. The action of They Raid By Night takes place not in England or Germany, but in occupied Norway. The general of the Free Norway movement is being held in a prison camp well inside enemy lines, and the British are anxious to get him out safely. A motley group of three soldiers are sent behind enemy lines to make good the escape. With a convoy on its way to pick them up, all the trio have to do are parachute into Norway, find and rescue the imprisoned Norwegian general, make their way back to shore, and wait to be picked up. In command is Captain Owen (Lyle Talbot), who is joined by a scrappy little communications specialist (and borderline comic relief) named Harry and a Norwegian resistance fighter named Falken. These guys aren't Hogan's Heroes, as they keep getting caught; luckily for them, though, the German soldiers and their traitorous Norwegian collaborators are on a similar wavelength as Colonel Klink.

Of course, this film was made to deliver an important message. What can a mere three men do against the tens of thousands of enemy soldiers in Norway? Plenty. Is Norway worth liberating? Certainly. While some Norwegians betrayed their country and collaborated with the enemy, a secret but large majority of Norway's citizens are ready, willing, and able to stand up and take their country back. Those collaborators aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, either, and fate will not allow them to go unpunished for their misdeeds.

For obvious reasons, this is a low-budget film; even the somewhat grainy aspect of the picture does nothing to make the fake backdrops look real. The fighting action is also a little on the lame side; remember when you were a kid and really milked your fall whenever a friend "shot" you - that's how many of these German soldiers go down. This really doesn't matter, though. The only thing that bothered me is the fact that Lyle Abbott, after giving a pretty good performance, seems to read the lines of his big speech at the end.

There are better British World War II propaganda films, but They Raid By Night remains an inspirational, entertaining, and historically significant film.

[5 WAR MOVIES PACK] NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY / BLACK BRIGADE / HALF-SHOT AT SUNRISE / THEY RAID BY NIGHT / FIVE FOR HELL

Average customer rating:

[5 WAR MOVIES PACK] NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY / BLACK BRIGADE / HALF-SHOT AT SUNRISE / THEY RAID BY NIGHT / FIVE FOR HELL

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video
Product Features:

No Substitute For Victory "JOHN WAYNE"
Black Brigade "RICHARD PRYOR"
Half-Shot At Sunrise "BERT WHEELER"
They Raid At Night "LYLE TALBOT"
Five For Hell "KLAUS KINSKI

ASIN: B000H3FL3G

They Raid by Night (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]

Average customer rating:

Good, Early War Movie
Hollywood At War

They Raid by Night (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]
Director: A2ZCDS.com
Manufacturer: A2ZCDS.com
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000AB0Z68
Release Date: 2005-10-03

Description

War movies do not get better than this. Despite apparent constraints on the budget, director Spencer Bennet deserves a pat on the back for his realistic portrayal of the war. There are several outstanding features in this film that even the most casual observer is unlikely to miss. First, unlike most WW II narratives, the story is set in fascinating Norway. Second, the cast was handpicked to perfection. Lyle Talbot's depiction of a British commando and Victor Varconi's portrayal of a German commander deserve Oscars. Third, the story is as true-to-life as any avant garde war narrative that rolled out of Hollywood's studios in the forties. Devoid of unnecessary frills, the story is fast paced and stacked with edge-of-the-seat suspense. A dash of humor provides some welcome relief amidst tense drama.

All in all, this story of a commando team that is air dropped into Norway to rescue a General and fly him to England is a pretty enjoyable affair and one that the entire family can enjoy together.

Customer Reviews:

Good, Early War Movie.......2006-11-27

You know, it's interesting. The recent war has been going on for more than three years now and only a couple Holywood films have been made about it.

Yet, as this film demonstrates, almost as soon as World War II started, Holywood started cranking out films about the evils of the Nazis and the heroics of allied forces.

I wonder if, perhaps, this isn't because that without television news, the war in Europe seemed more abstract and fanciful than the current war does with it's pictures of real battles on the television every night.

This is one of the first World War II movies made after Pearl Harbor and it shows. We don't see a lot of Americans involved in teh fighting - mostly because we had yet to train and ship out very many soldiers.

Instead, you see the allies in battle - which is clearly meant to prepare Americans for what would happen to their soldiers a few months later.

Other that that it's a typical war movie with a spy twist. The bottom line is that they need to rescue a man who has become trapped in Nazi occupied Norway.

You get the typical battle footage and spy talk, but it's more interesting than a lot of similar films. That's because it's shot in a pseudo serial manner - so it comes off like an early episode of 24 - which leaves you on the edge of your seat before the next thrilling episode is about to start.

This is a very interesting film with a good deal of suspense.

It is also very well restored and the sound quality is excellent.

Hollywood At War.......2006-05-02

As soon as the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hollywood realized that if they wanted to make a lot of money - and get governement support - they needed to make movies t hat propped up and supported the war effort.

They Raid By Night is one of the first and best examples of this genre of Pro-War Cinema. The deal of this one is that they need to rescue a solider stuck in Norway before the Germans get to him.

As you would expect they carry off the raid by night and spirty him away to Germany one step ahead of hte Nazis.

The production values are very high and there is a minimum of dialogue and a good deal of suspense. The remastering is well done with well synched sound.

DVD:

DVD

DVD