University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

Aldrich's 'Too Late The Hero':
No Cannes Winner, But Clever

By Paul Chaplin
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Due to a mix-up, "Charly" and
"Jenny" did not arrive in
Charlottesville this week. I don't
know where they are, but I have
been told they will be here this
Thursday for those of you who
were looking forward to viewing
them. In their place, the Barracks
Road Theatre is showing Robert
Aldrich's newest war film "Too
Late the Hero."

Varied Character

Mr. Aldrich has had a very
varied career in film direction. He's
the man responsible for "Whatever
Happened to Baby Jane?" The
Dirty Dozen," and "The Killing of
Sister George." Some consider
Aldrich to be one of the most
personal directors in the Hollywood
system today. "Too Late the Hero"
does illustrate this, and while it
isn't going to win any Cannes
awards, it's a good entertaining
film.

Suicide Mission

The plot deals with a suicide
mission during the second world
war, in which an American is sent
to help a British operation in the
south Pacific. The mission does not
go off as expected and the men find
themselves in a dangerous position
while fleeing back to their base.

What makes the film interesting
I think is the subtle anti-war
attitude projected by Cliff
Robertson and Michael Caine. If
anything, they become two men
trapped in a bottle, concerned only
with getting out and saving their
lives. The Japanese pursuit of them
is extremely incredible, but Aldrich
pulls it off and we find ourselves
believing every minute of the film.

In addition to the clever story,
which is by Aldrich, the direction is
also very good, especially during
the latter half of the film. There are
some very interesting shots from a
composition standpoint, one of
them occurring when a grenade
goes off and as the smoke lifts we
see one, then two, then three
Japanese, until the screen is filled
with about ten of 'em, as rays of
sunlight pierce the smoke.

Good Show

"Too Late the Hero" is an
interesting film, and is highly
enjoyable. I was quite pleased with
Aldrich, who surprised me with his
cleverness. If you're not in the
mood to do any work between now
and Thursday, I'd recommend this
film as excellent entertainment that
is a cut above most of the current
fare in war films, and attempts to
rise to universals without becoming
pompous.