In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a 'hard luck' bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.
Gregory Peck
Brigadier General Frank Savage
Hugh Marlowe
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately
Gary Merrill
Colonel Keith Davenport
Millard Mitchell
Major General Patrick Pritchard
Dean Jagger
Major / Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Stovall
Robert Arthur
Sergeant McIllhenny
Paul Stewart
Major "Doc" Kaiser (flight surgeon)
John Kellogg
Major Cobb
Robert Patten
Lieutenant Bishop
Lee MacGregor
Lieutenant Zimmerman
Sam Edwards
Lieutenant Birdwell
Roger Anderson
Interrogation Officer
Lawrence Dobkin
Captain Twombley, group chaplain
Paul Picerni
Bombardier
Harry Lauter
Radio officer
Barry Jones
Lord Haw-Haw, German radio commentator (voice)
Don Gordon
First patient in base hospital
Kenneth Tobey
Sgt. Keller
Patrick Whyte
Clerk
Peter Ortiz
Weather Observer
Director
Henry King
Novel, Screenplay
Sy Bartlett
Novel, Screenplay
Beirne Lay Jr.
May 11, 2015
8
Under Pressure.
Twelve O'Clock High features one of Gregory Peck's best performances as Brigadier General Frank Savage, a tough no nonsense martinet brought in to shake up a World War II Bomber Squadron. The men are shattered emotionally and after it's deemed that their previous commander (Gary Merrill) has been soft with them, there is no chance of that happening with Savage - but is he himself taking too much on?
Split into two parts, the first half of pic deals with how a group of men in war time can reach their lowest ebb. Fear of the jinx, fear of cracking under the strain, these men are by definition demoralised. Things are further compounded by the appointment of Savage, who drags the group further down the battered emotional scale. Second half softens things for a short while as Savage's methods begin take a hold, then there's the missions, which in turn builds to the film's revelation, which as it happens lets Peck become a revelation as well.
Director Henry King is on form, showcasing the skill of directing an ensemble cast, which sees Dean Jagger add mighty heft to the work of Peck, Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Paul Stewart and Millard Mitchell. The flying sequences are expertly photographed (Leon Shamroy), with the real footage splicing very effective, while the writing allows the piece to exude a realism factor, which then offers up a more humane war film that is delving into psychological stings. 8/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$3,225,000.00