A truly remarkable figure in military history is given an alternately dignified and silly tribute in this nicely appointed biographical film. Douglas plays a U.S. Colonel who is approached to advise the military operations of the scattered tribes and groups that are about to form Israel. To his wife Dickinson's dismay, he leaves soon after the close of WWII and works to organize and stimulate the rather ragtag factions in place. In flashbacks, his previous exploits in the war (including his parachute jump into D-Day and his dismantling of the concentration camp at Dachau) are briefly shown. Once in Israel, he works alongside present leader Brynner, though they are occasionally at odds. He is assigned a curvy and attractive liaison in the form of Berger. The forging of Israel is a far more complicated and massive undertaking than seemingly possible and many lives are lost on both sides as a result. Finally, Douglas is able to help make it all happen, though ultimately he is unable to see the fruits of his labor. Douglas gives his typically solid, square-jawed performance, providing his character with guts, bravado and foresight. Dickinson barely bothers to get dressed in her thankless, clingy role. Most of the time she is in bed, getting out of bed or about to go to bed and spends the bulk of her screen time fretting about the fact that Douglas isn't around enough. The story is set in the forties, yet she is given a bouffant Mary Tyler Moore-ish flip (though they do stick a flower in it in one scene to capture the period detail!) Berger is luminous and exceedingly appealing, though she isn't given a chance to really show her bravery and heroism as other females in the Israeli army are. Given the circumstances, it's easy to see why Douglas is tempted by this (fictional?) woman. The film features rather flashy supporting roles by three big names of the day. Sinatra shows up late in the game as a pilot who pitches in to help the cause. He tosses off a zinger or two before trying to fight armed Arab jets with seltzer water! Wayne (billed as "The General"!!) seems like he's only going to show up briefly and toss around his heft, but he's actually in the film for quite a while and adds some dramatic weight to it. Brynner seems unduly subsidiary when one is used to seeing him as the King of Siam, ordering everyone around and getting it done! However, he does a nice job in his role. Topol is enjoyably hammy as an egotistical Arab sheik. The film is attractively shot and has some large scale action scenes along with some impressive crowd scenes (no CGI here, folks!) It also features a very rousing and beautiful score by Elmer Bernstein. In truth, the story should have focused more on the military and strategic accomplishments of its subject and less on his (supposed) melodramatic romantic entanglements. A sequence near the end involving the building of a road and the testing of it is a winner. The potential for it to be a deep and meaningful portrait are diffused somewhat by a script that calls for Douglas and others to make pithy, clever comments in the heat of tragedy. It winds up being a soapy, cartoonish sketch of a man who truly accomplished a great deal. Additionally, (**SPOILER**) - the real Marcus was shot by a guard in part because he was draped in a blanket, making him appear more like an Arab in the dark. Here, he's wearing his regular uniform and carrying a rose! How threatening is that? It was a senseless change for him not to be wrapped in a blanket, especially since he - in this version - had just come from a rendezvous with Berger.
Review of Cast a Giant Shadow
