Tonight We Raid Calais (1943)
A British commando is on a one-man raid to destroy a bomb factory in Nazi-occupied France. He must enlist the aid of French farmers to complete his mission.
- John Brahm
- Waldo Salt
- Rohama Lee
- L. Willinger
Rating: 5.4/10 by 5 users
Alternative Title:
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 20 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: world war ii, nazi occupation, occupied france (1940-44), calais
John Brahm delivers a quickly paced and decently focussed tale of British commando "Carter" (John Sutton) who must make contact with the French resistance and arrange for them to help him target a vital Nazi munitions factory for RAF bombing. What now ensues is sometimes quite a potent look at just how the French were living under the rule of their conquerors. "Odette" (Annabella) and her father "Bonnard" (Lee J. Cobb) have him living with them, and must tread a very fine line between staying alive and keeping their family safe whilst helping the Briton ensure the destruction of the plant. Let's just say they don't agree on the best strategy and in desperation the jeopardy gets distinctly more real for "Carter"! Neither the writing nor the acting here is especially notable - indeed Cobb is a little fish-out-of-water, but the film itself manages to convey a degree of the menace lived under by those occupied families. It was made mid-war, so does have a certain propagandist function to it, but in the main this is quite a tautly directed wartime adventure with just a hint of a conscience.
