Film Snail

War

Madame Spy

Madame Spy

December 11, 1942

Joan Bannister is the wife of globe-trotting war correspondent David Bannister. Returning to the US, Bannister becomes suspicious when Joan begins keeping company with known Nazi functionaries, notably the sinister Mr. Peter. Suspecting that his own wife may be the elusive “Madame Spy” wanted by American authorities, Bannister is in for quite a few surprises.

China Girl

China Girl

December 9, 1942

Two-fisted newsreel photographer Johnny Williams is stationed in Burma and China in the early stage of WW II. Captured by the Japanese, he escapes from a concentration camp with the aid of beautiful, enigmatic 'China Girl' Miss Young. The two arduously make their way back to friendly lines so that Johnny can deliver the vital military information he's managed to glean from his captors.

Went the Day Well?

Went the Day Well?

December 7, 1942

The quiet village of Bramley End is taken over by German troops posing as Royal Engineers. Their task is to disrupt England's radar network in preparation for a full scale German invasion. Once the villagers discover the true identity of the troops, they do whatever they can to thwart the Nazis plans.

Army Surgeon

Army Surgeon

December 4, 1942

Drama about military doctors and nurses during wartime.

Thunder Rock

Thunder Rock

December 4, 1942

David Charleston, once a world renowned journalist, now lives alone maintaining the Thunder Rock lighthouse in Lake Michigan. He doesn't cash his paychecks and has no contact other than the monthly inspector's visit. When alone, he imagines conversations with those who died when a 19th century packet ship with some 60 passengers sank. He imagines their lives, their problems, their fears and their hopes. In one of these conversations, he recalls his own efforts in the 1930s when he desperately tried to convince first his editors, and later the public, of the dangers of fascism and the inevitability of war. Few would listen. One of the passengers, a spinster, tells her story of seeking independence from a world dominated by men. There's also the case of a doctor who is banished for using unacceptable methods. David has given up on life, but the imaginary passengers give him hope for the future.

The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya

The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya

December 3, 1942

Japanese Navy air cadets train for the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the HMS Prince of Wales.

Divine Soldiers of the Sky

December 1, 1942

In September 1942, the film company Nipponeigasha released Sora no Shinpei, a 55-minute documentary on the training of the Japanese army’s paratroopers. The movie was supported and supervised by the Army Aviation Headquarters and clearly belongs to the genre of kokusaku (national policy) films that fully complied with the government’s wartime ideology. The film followed a group of young soldiers through all stages of their training, starting form initial gymnastics, parachute packing, leaps from a mock-up aircraft and a jump tower up to their first deployment out of a flying aircraft. The movie and its eponymous theme song became widely popular. It was even screened in the occupied territories with the local audience reportedly waving their hands and stamping their feet to greet “the saviors” descending from the sky.

The Balloon Goes Up

The Balloon Goes Up

December 1, 1942

Balloon unit WAAFs catch German spies.

The District Secretary

The District Secretary

November 30, 1942

A story about a Secretary of the Communist Party District Committee who is leading partisans in their fight with the Nazis during WWII.

Miss V from Moscow

Miss V from Moscow

November 23, 1942

Set in the shadows of wartime Paris, this 1940s drama directed by Albert Herman stars Lola Lane, Noel Madison and Howard Banks. When a Soviet secret agent discovers her uncanny resemblance to a dead Nazi spy, she infiltrates the enemy and works to save U.S. ships from German submarines. Assisting her on her mission are French underground agents, along with an American serving in the British armed forces.

The Gaucho War

The Gaucho War

November 20, 1942

The story of the irregular forces on the north of Argentina, fighting against the Spanish Crown for the independence.

'Neath Brooklyn Bridge

'Neath Brooklyn Bridge

November 20, 1942

The East Side Kids find a young girl in the apartment of a man who has just been murdered. Believing her to be innocent, they hide her in their clubhouse while they try to find the real killer. The killer, however, used a baseball bat as his murder weapon, and the bat has the fingerprints of one of the gang on it.

Scrap the Japs

Scrap the Japs

November 20, 1942

Sailor Popeye, faced with many menial tasks, fastens a couple of mops to the prop of his plane, substitutes water for bullets in his machine gun and goes about cleaning the deck of the ship.

Eleventh Hour

Eleventh Hour

November 20, 1942

Using Clark Kent as a cover, Superman travels to Japan as a saboteur during the war.

The Day England Falls

The Day England Falls

November 19, 1942

Newspaper Train

Newspaper Train

November 15, 1942

The story of how newspapers were distributed during the Blitz, stressing the importance of an accurate and objective press on the home front.

George Saakadze

George Saakadze

November 14, 1942

The film tells about the struggle of the Georgian people under the leadership of the great commander George Saakadze for a centralized state.

War Dogs

War Dogs

November 13, 1942

A young boy donates his pet, a police dog, to the army to be trained as a war dog.

To the Shores of Tripoli

To the Shores of Tripoli

November 9, 1942

Chronicle of a spoiled rich boy who joins the Marines with an off-handed attitude and finally becomes a battle-wise soldier.

Beyond the Line of Duty

Beyond the Line of Duty

November 7, 1942

This short film in support of the war effort focuses on the training and missions of Army Air Corps Captain Hewitt T. Wheless just after the U.S. entry into World War II.