The Way Ahead
Time Out says
Scripted by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, this is more complex than Dick Lester's scornful '60s parody of it in How I Won the War suggests. Reed achieves his transformation of a bunch of lazy, quarrelsome civilians into a proficient fighting force with a minimum of machismo and glory. Unlike today's sinister professional force, this is a people's army. Niven's officer is a car mechanic up from the ranks, and Hartnell's thin-lipped sergeant scourges out class differences with a rigorous application of army discipline. Despite a framework which stresses regimental traditions and military valour, the film's celebration of the ordinary man as soldier leaves a residue of radicalism.
Details
Release details
Duration:
115 mins
Cast and crew
Director:
Carol Reed
Screenwriter:
Eric Ambler, Peter Ustinov
Cast:
David Niven
Stanley Holloway
Raymond Huntley
William Hartnell
James Donald
John Laurie
Leslie Dwyer
Hugh Burden
Jimmy Hanley
Renee Asherson
Trevor Howard
Stanley Holloway
Raymond Huntley
William Hartnell
James Donald
John Laurie
Leslie Dwyer
Hugh Burden
Jimmy Hanley
Renee Asherson
Trevor Howard