Uncertain Glory (1944)

8/10

theowinthrop11 September 2005

Errol Flynn always wanted to prove that he was a dramatic actor of range, not an athletic non-entity who was always demonstrating his abilities as a horseman, a fighter, or a swordsman. That his best adventure films did show him as more than just an acrobat he barely understood. He wanted to play normal types. But normal types look more like Walter Matthau or Paul Muni or Allan Jenkins - they are not the strikingly handsome Flynn.

In 1944 Flynn did this film which was a war picture but not like DIVE BOMBER or OBJECTIVE: BURMA. The film was about a French criminal who had committed a murder and was tried and convicted for that homicide. He is able to escape the guillotine when a bomb hits the prison just as the execution is about to occur. He flees, and manages to get into the countryside. Pursuing him is Paul Lucas, the French police inspector who arrested him originally. Lucas finds Flynn, but at that time an act of sabotage against the Nazis occurs. When the Nazis threaten to kill 100 French hostages unless the saboteurs appear, Flynn offers Lucas a "devil's" choice: If Lucas will not act for the next few days, Flynn will surrender himself to the Nazis as the saboteur (he prefers being shot by a firing squad rather than being guillotined). Lucas has little real choice - unless he is willing to do the same thing instead of Flynn. But will Flynn keep his word or not? As Flynn meets a young girl and finds that they can flee away together, the audience wonders if he'll do the heroic thing or not.

Flynn is pretty good in this cynical part. It is obvious, once he makes the offer to Lucas, that he really planned not to go through with it. It is also true that as the moment of truth arises he gradually sees the hideous tragedy that his self-interest is likely to cause many families. The glimpse at occupied French society is also good, showing the victims and the collaborators. It is almost as good as the picture of that society in THIS LAND IS MINE.

Yet the film, produced by a company that Flynn was involved in, and selected by him, failed at the box office. The public did not quite accept a thinking man's Errol Flynn instead of the adventurous sexy star of THE SEA HAWK or GENTLEMAN JIM. It set back further attempts by Flynn to find straight dramatic parts. It also verified that Jack Warner, Flynn's studio boss, was a really smart man in knowing what the public liked or did not like for their stars.

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7/10

Sharply defined, good moral dilemma, well done!

secondtake3 June 2014

Uncertain Glory (1944)

A rather good war drama, a bit pre-packaged but very well done, as pretty much all Warner Bros films were from this era. Errol Flynn was at a point in his career when he wanted to become a "leading man" in the broader sense, not just a sword-fighting (and handsome) daredevil.

Key to the movie is the quasi-propaganda quality of the movie, set and made during World War II. That's not a bad thing—it's not government propaganda at all, but simply rooting for the good guys, and putting the French (our allies) in a good light (which they deserve).

The plot twist is simple and comes out early, so this gives nothing away—Flynn is a petty criminal who killed someone in a moment of panic, almost by accident, and he's about to have his head chopped off. But then an opportunity (dramatically and beautifully done) suggests a different way to die: for the Cause. The question is whether he can follow through, or whether he'll follow his new romantic (and idealized) love interest to a free new life.

It's all rather good even if contained in movie expectations. The police detective who is guarding and helping Flynn's character is a stalwart of the period, Paul Lukas, and he adds a needed level of gravity and even complexity to the interactions. Flynn is a cheerful presence—very American (even though he's from Tasmania!)—but he often responds rather than leads his scenes. The third lead is the woman, played with wonderful honesty by Faye Emerson.

Part of enjoying these WWII movies is knowing their context, and getting how the audience was wild for a sense of the war, of knowing who was winning, and of sensing how the scene worked, what the French were really like, what the chances were for a soldier caught up in it all. Their brother, their son. And that's kind of what this movie is about, showing heroism, and goodness, and how the war is a just cause and the Nazis are truly horrible (they were). Flynn does what he needs to do here, and if there is artifice and some lack of total believability, that's almost necessary so that a safe distance and cushion is in place.

Not an essential movie, but a really good one, especially if you already like this kind of film and this era.

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8/10

When Hollywood Remembered God And Flynn Had His Finest Hour

oldblackandwhite28 February 2012

Uncertain Gory is a thoughtful, well-made war/intrigue thriller staring Errol Flynn and Paul Lukas. Flynn, whose acting skill was oft unfairly derided as suitable only for swashbuckling, athletic roles, could have easily let himself be overshadowed by Lukas, a high-class dominant character actor known for his acerbic, psychological portrayals. In fact Flynn seems to have been inspired by his co-star and turns in what may have been the best acting job of his career.

While Flynn usually played the dashing hero, and Lukas was often cast in sinister roles, here the roles are reversed. Lukas portrays an upright police inspector escorting scummy lifelong criminal and convicted murderer Flynn through Nazi-occupied France to face the guillotine. As the Germans are preparing to execute a hundred French hostages unless the saboteur who blew up a bridge with a German troop train on it surrenders himself, Flynn suggests he could end his misspent life with a noble gesture by claiming to be the saboteur. He would rather be executed by firing squad anyway, he avers, than face the awful prospect of beheading. Against his better judgment, the inspector agrees. The complications and suspense hereafter hinge on whether consummate conman Flynn is sincere, or is he working the con of his life -- for his life. The ensuing cat-and-mouse game between the wily criminal and the determined, suspicious policeman provides an entertaining, suspenseful story and a pair of brilliantly realized character studies by Flynn and Lukas. Along the way, the criminal picks up the help of a naive, provincial shop girl, Jean Sullivan, a pretty, lithesome flamenco dancer, brilliantly cast in her introductory movie roll. Part of the suspense turns on whether Flynn actually loves the girl or is just using her.

Director Raoul Walsh has cinematographer Sid Hickox use many closeups to catch every nuance of facial expression in constructing deeply psychological and spiritual character studies. As in all Warner Brothers pictures of this era, the marvelous supporting cast sports many familiar and expressive faces. Lucille Watson plays her usual nasty matron as the bitter, manipulative mother of one of the hostages. Faye Emerson sizzles as one of Flynn' hard-bitten molls in the early going. James Flavin, almost unrecognizable in a black mustache and an Adrian helmet, turns in his typical stolid, authoritarian presence in a typically thankless roll as a harried militia captain feverishly searching for the saboteur. But Dennis Hoy is absolutely riveting as the parish priest. He is like Moses come down from the mountain as he roundly denounces as sinful and demoniacally inspired the plans of Watson and confederates to free their loved ones by fingering and innocent man as the saboteur. He is more quietly moving as he asks his congregation to kneel and beg God's forgiveness for their sins and the sins of their country which have caused them to be delivered into the hands of the enemy they hate.

Herein is the aspect of this picture different from what one sees throughout most of the classic movie era or any other time. Characters routinely pray and invoke the help of God, and there is much philosophical talk of God. Though ridiculing and joking at the time, Flynn's decadent thief is seen to be visibly moved as he watches tough cop Lukas kneel to pray in the church they have entered to avoid the Nazis and their Vichy militia toadies. We never know what Lukas is praying for -- his family in Paris? the success of their perilous scheme? forgiveness of his sins? -- but we are moved. At least those of us who are Christians are. Likewise as the escaped Flynn watches old people praying in a farm yard for the deliverance of the hostages and his innocent girlfriend lighting a candle for the same blessing. Such scenes were seldom seen in the l930's or the later 1940's. Hollywood was happy to forget God most of the time. Most of the rest of us are, too, until we start having troubles. World War II was a time of deep, deep, dark, dark troubles for the whole world. So Hollywood, like everyone else, except perhaps the most die-hard of commies, was remembering God. As soon as the war was over, and brighter times returned, God was promptly forgotten again.

Those hoping for a rat-a-tat-tat war action movie will be disappointed by Uncertain Glory. There is little action, though much suspense. This is more of a thinking person's Errol Flynn picture. It may be too philosophical and too Christian for some, but it should be rewarding in any case for the intense, psychological character studies by Flynn, Lukas, and the sterling supporting cast. A fine moral-boosting World War II piece, and top grade Old Hollywood entertainment from "the best of times and the worst of times."

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7/10

Pretty good propaganda film

blanche-215 May 2008

Errol Flynn is headed for "Uncertain Glory" in this 1944 film also starring Paul Lukas, Faye Emerson, Lucille Watson, Sheldon Leonard, and Jean Sullivan. The premise is similar to 1943's "Hangmen Also Die!" in one way - the Nazis have taken hostages who will die unless a saboteur is found. In this case, it's the saboteur who blew up a French bridge and killed Germans. Nazis have taken many men as hostages from a small nearby village. Parallel to this, an Inspector Bonet (Lukas) has finally tracked down a fugitive convicted of murder, Jean Picard (Flynn) who has slipped through France's fingers time and time again - the last time, just as he was about to get the guillotine, the site was bombed, and he escaped. A friend (Leonard) puts Bonet on his trail, and he's eventually caught. En route to another bout with the guillotine, Picard suggests that he'd rather die by firing squad - can't the Inspector say he is the saboteur, save the 100 men, and Picard can still meet his death? After some thought, Bonet agrees. Giving out a report of Picard's death, the name Dupont is given to Picard, someone on whom the Nazis cannot check. The real saboteur, whom they help escape, gives them the critical details - one especially important one - to tell the Nazis.

Raoul Walsh directed this film, which is sluggish at times and obviously just cranked out by Warners - probably one of those ones where Jack Warner whined to Walsh, you have to direct this movie for me. Walsh: Who's in it? Warner: Oh, I don't know. Just do it. According to Walsh, this type of thing went on all the time. It's actually a good story that with a little more in the way of production values could have been excellent.

Paul Lukas is wonderful as a gruff, honest inspector whose patriotism overcomes his honesty and who has bonded with this criminal in spite of himself even though he doesn't trust him and doesn't like him. Flynn does very well in his part - despite Jean's earnest sincerity, you know he wants nothing more than to get away from Bonet as soon as possible, and this whole thing is an elaborate ploy. But he has Bonet half-believing him. Lucille Watson plays a tough woman whose son is one of the hostages and who goes against the village priest to frame someone as the saboteur so her son can be freed.

One of the comments on this site complained about the French people speaking English. I repeat the theatrical rule: when citizens of a country are depicted in their country in a film or play, they would be speaking their own language, not English with a French accent. Therefore, no accent is necessary, Lucille Watson in this movie being the purest example of this. Flynn and Lucas have accents, of course - one just has to pretend they came from different parts of France.

All in all, the two stars make the film worthwhile.

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7/10

Hollywood war effort

richard-17873 May 2016

Warning: Spoilers

No, this isn't Casablanca. It's not a great movie. But it is a good one.

It gives us a somewhat ambivalent view of the French in the 1940s, a people whom many Americans saw as having given up before the German onslaught in 1940. (Why Americans viewed the French armistice in this manner I don't know. The Dutch and Belgians both got overrun as well, and there was no significant American sentiment that they had given up.) This was important, because during the Occupation (1940-44), France was not able to produce its own movies about its attitudes toward the Germans, and so not able to present its own view of itself and its people.

That's what this movie tries to do at the end. After an hour and a half of Jean (Eroll Flynn) being portrayed as an amoral, self-centered criminal, he finally decides to turn himself in to the Germans as the man they are looking for, the man whose surrender will save 100 French hostages. As a self-sacrificing hero, in other words.

It's the most important part of the movie, and it could have used better dialogue than what Flynn is given. Because yes, as a previous reviewer pointed out, Jean suddenly becomes Sydney Carton from *A Tale of Two Cities* : he sacrifices himself to save others. But whereas Dickens gave Carton - and Ronald Coleman - some of the greatest lines in the English language to explain why he did it, Jean/Flynn gets only a very flimsy and not really convincing short monologue. There needed to be something more than the very general "Sometimes a man realizes that there are things more important than just himself." This scene needed a great speech, and it doesn't get one. It also needed to be prepared much better in the scenes leading up to it.

On the other hand, Paul Lukacs gets the final line of the movie, and it is a masterpiece. It suddenly makes Jean a symbol of all Frenchmen, and a very powerful and positive symbol, for which the movie did nothing to prepare us. Still, it is so well done that we don't stop to analyze it.

You should definitely see this movie if you have any interest in World War II and how Hollywood made us see it. Flynn, Lukacs, and Lucille Watson all give great performances. The love story seems pasted on, but it's easy enough to ignore, as the actress involved - given the symbolic name of *Marianne* - makes no impression at all.

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7/10

"You've always had two great weaknesses: women and Bonet."

utgard146 June 2015

Excellent WW2 movie set in France about a convicted murderer named Jean Picard (Errol Flynn) who is about to be executed when an air raid allows him to escape. Police Inspector Marcel Bonet (Paul Lukas) tracks him down but, before he can bring him in, Picard offers to give his life to save the lives of some French hostages being held by the Nazis. Bonet agrees but the question is will Picard go through with it?

Raoul Walsh directed this underrated little gem from Warner Bros. Errol Flynn and Paul Lukas have a good chemistry. Most of the film centers around the relationship between their two characters. Lovely Jean Sullivan plays the naive young girl who falls for Flynn. Nice supporting cast includes Lucile Watson, Dennis Hoey, Sheldon Leonard, and Faye Emerson. A really good war drama that raises some nice moral questions, as well as having doses of humor and even some romance. And, of course, the added historical value many of these films have. WB is probably my favorite studio of the '30s & '40s and their war films are a good example of why. They made the best and most interesting movies to help the war effort. Always with good actors, writers, directors, and a solid, reliable production.

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9/10

Unheralded, unappreciated, but actually one of Flynn's best

JimB-44 June 2005

Despite being quite a fan of Errol Flynn's, I had somehow managed to go forty years without seeing this movie, largely on the basis of its poor critical reputation. I always loved Flynn's swashbuckling, his insouciance, and especially his poignant performances near the end of his career in "The Sun Also Rises," "The Roots of Heaven," and "Too Much, Too Soon." I expected nothing from "Uncertain Glory," but a clip in a recent Flynn documentary caught my eye with what seemed to be a quite real and touching performance. I finally saw the film tonight and was impressed far beyond expectations. Flynn always harbored a hope of being respected as a dramatic actor, and though I think he achieved that in the previously mentioned later films, I was surprised to find in this 1944 performance a richness and texture every bit the equal of his best dramatic work. The film itself has, like most American movies of its period, certain conventions and unrealities which must be accepted (such as the variance in accents and some melodramatic plot devices), but it seemed to me to be quite believable and realistic within those confines. I was impressed by Paul Lukas, never a favorite of mine in particular, and the story kept me quite involved. Elements of it were quite moving. But Flynn quite simply overwhelmed my every expectation, and I suggest that this film might actually be reconsidered and included among the best pictures of his career. It's certainly one of his best performances.

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7/10

Possibly Flynn's Most Underrated Film

otterman20go6 June 2020

Right after Flynn's rape trial Warner put him in "quickie" inexpensive films not knowing how the public would respond to Flynn films. Uncertain Glory was one of them. Most reviewers of the time panned the film as a minor Flynn vehicle and heroic Flynn nonsense. However, as time has passed some modern day reviewers have re-evaluted this film and some have commented that Flynn gives a really good performance in a pretty darn good cat and mouse drama. And I totally agree. The story is interesting and the interplay between Flynn and Oscar-winning(The Watch on the Rhine) Paul Lukas is terrific. I think this is maybe Flynn's most underrated film. Whenever I watch it I imagine by Flynn's character the ending could have gone quite different and been more unpredictable but knowing the times(1944) and still in the midst of WWII the ending had to be what it was... Patriotic. Again, I think "Uncertain Glory" is a very underrated Flynn movie. *** of **** rating...easy.

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8/10

Good Film

u47756 June 2008

I am like the poster who managed to go 40 years without seeing this movie. I can say that I liked it very much.

Yes it was a war time movie with all the baggage that entails, but the acting and story were good especially for this genre. It had tension and that tension never really let up for long. The turns and twists of the story were well grounded and the actions made sense within the context of some theatrical license. As with most movie buffs, your mind is ahead of the movie. But in this one I was never really sure which way the story would turn until the end. To me, that is a job well done.

I suppose if it were made today, Flynn would have been just as likely to not have done the noble thing. In the interests of a just society, I am glad he did. I too thought it was one of his best performances.

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7/10

Errol Flynn at thirty-four.

brogmiller5 May 2022

It was not until Marcel Ophul's 'Le Chagrin et la Pitié' that the myth of unified French resistance during the Nazi occupation was well and truly shattered. In this film from twenty-six years earlier France is likened to a nag who is 'too old to beef and too tough to die.'

This is a formulaic Warner Bros treatment but what a formula! Fluid editing and atmospheric cinematography from Warner stalwarts George Amy and Sidney Hickox with a dramatic score by Adolph Deutsch.

Warners had taken a chance on the unknown Errol Flynn as Captain Blood in 1935 and in Jack Warner's words: "we knew that we had grasped the brass ring in our thousand to-one shot spin." This is the fifth of seven films starring Flynn and directed by Raoul Walsh and as Flynn is the uncredited executive producer for his own short-lived Thomson Company one assumes he had a say in the casting.

Paul Lukas seems the obvious choice following his stunning performance in 'Watch on the Rhine' and it is the dynamic between his Inspector Bonet and Flynn's criminal Picard/Lafont that makes the film work. There is the customary mish mash of accents of course and Hollywood's inevitable 'God' element is here represented by the charismatic priest of Dennis Hoey. The formidable Lucille Watson never disappoints and there is a lovely performance by the enchanting newcomer Jean Sullivan who soon gave it up to concentrate on her first love, dance.

Throughout its forty-year existence Warners had some trash but it was seldom boring or pretentious and this entertaining film, although certainly not a 'classic', is no exception.

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10/10

Fascinating character study, in Flynn's best film role, as a Bogart-like character.

weezeralfalfa6 November 2014

Warning: Spoilers

Yes, better than "Casablanca" or "Tale of Two Cities"! Perhaps my all time favorite melodramatic -type film! In a very tightly constructed wartime melodrama, Flynn plays an imprisoned career thief and one time murderer, whom fate hands a chance to convert an ignominious guillotine execution by the Vichy French into a heroic firing squad execution by their German overlords. The complex, shifting, 'reluctant buddy' relationship between costars Flynn(as Jean Picard) and Paul Lukas(as police detective Marcel Bonet) provides a fascinating character study.

Bonet feels a personal responsibility in recapturing Picard, after the latter climbed out of the rubble remains of his cell, after an errant RAF bomb blasted the prison. Picard goes to the home of former crime partner Henri Duval, for help(money, traveling papers and civilian clothes, including Duval's stylish Fedora hat), then leaves on a train with Duval's hard-bitten moll: Louise(Faye Emerson), hoping to escape to Spain within a few days. But Duval turns out to be an informer for Bonet, and tells him Picard's plan. After capturing Picard in his Bordeaux hotel room, the rail trip back to Paris is interrupted by a saboteur-bombed bridge which killed many German troops, as well. After learning that 100 local village men will be shot if the saboteur(s)is not soon delivered to the Germans, Picard proposes to Bonet that he pose as the saboteur, since he will be executed in any case. Picard gradually makes Bonet feel like he is now responsible for the decision whether the 100 live or die.

Meanwhile, some villagers plan to frame Picard and Bonet as the saboteurs. They are opposed by the outspoken village priest(played by Dennis Hoey). Also, a suspected saboteur has been captured by the local Viche police(James Flavin plays the chief), and they suspect Bonet and Picard of being his accomplices. But, in a sudden turn of events, Bonet reluctantly shows them his police ID and claims that Picard and the suspected saboteur are working with him to find the saboteurs. Picard and Bonet learn the details of the sabotage operation from their companion, then help him escape by small plane to England.

Also meanwhile, the 2 men meet Marianne(Jean Sullivan): a pretty, sweet, starry-eyed, unattached village girl. She's very different from the fast, superficial, city girls Picard is used to. It's mutual love at first sight, and throughout the remainder of the film, their relationship serves to considerably soften the otherwise tense drama. As Bonet fears, Picard seems to vacillate between his promise to turn himself in as the saboteur, and 'running off' with Marianne. Picard gives her conflicting signals, saying that their relationship has to be confined to the next day or two for secret reasons. Later, he proposes that they 'run off' to the French-controlled Caribbean island of Martinique(A former acquaintance, whose name Picard has adopted after Bonet supposedly killed him, went into hiding in Martinique). Picard tells Marianne he will go looking for friends to get some money and traveling papers for them. However, he doesn't plan to see her again, and tells Bonet to meet her, in his place.

At his Nazi interrogation, Picard is initially dismissed as another probable phony saboteur, trying to save the 100. He looks perplexed when asked some details about the sabotage operation, then is ordered out of the room. He begins to walk out, but turns around and spits out the precise details asked for, impressing the Germans that he must be the saboteur. Did he have a momentary change of heart? Or did he simply require a few moments to recall the details? One would think he would have these details on the tip of his tongue.

When Marianne learns the truth from Bonet, she asks what sort of man was Picard? After some thought, Bonet responds: "He was a Frenchman", implying that he was courageous enough to put the greater interests of his fellow Frenchmen ahead of his own interests.

We see Picard's character gradually transform from a cynical, self-serving, compulsive thief, disrespected by Bonet, into a somewhat spiritual patriot and hero, respected as a friend by Bonet. This transformation was largely affected by Marianne and the village priest.

As Jack Warner apparently predicted, this film was not well received by contemporary audiences, if treasured by Flynn himself, who was itching to transform into a leading man of more mature film roles. Flynn had been typecast as a light-hearted, dashing, action hero, mostly of past historical periods, and audiences generally refused to accept him as a contemporary career thief and murderer, in a film with mostly somber scenes and no real 'action': only implied violence and deaths. Also, the last part of the film is a real tear jerker, mostly due to the acting of Jean Sullivan, as Marianne. Of course, in generally less dramatic circumstances, many love affairs during these years were soon ended by the war-related death of one or the other. Perhaps contemporary audiences didn't want to be reminded of this in film. But the 3 principle actors were well cast, in a superbly crafted screenplay, directed by veteran Raoul Walsh, who directed most of Flynn's WWII-related films released during the war. Currently available in a DVD package of Flynn's WWII-related films released during the war.

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My Poitou

dbdumonteil14 February 2007

The story takes place in Poitou in the Gartempe Valley.A really nice valley ,but which does not look like the one depicted in the film.THe river is actually hemmed in by steep banks .And how strange to hear people from la Vienne department -who have a marked accent - speak English! Geographically and historically ,this is a deeply inaccurate movie.Without any paper ,Picard can travel without any problem from the small village near Poitiers to Paris .Made in 1944,it was ,like so many others ,a propaganda movie ("La Marseillaise" can be heard at the end of Walsh's work.) Forget the background and you have an absorbing movie,the subject of which is still relevant today.Flynn portrays Picard a sentenced-to-death man,who,on his way to the guillotine ,is saved by the gong (He will say later: "the only help I got from the sky was bombs").But a Javertesque cop (Lukas) is hot on his heels and he arrests him again.

A saboteur blew up a bridge over La Gartempe .The reprisals are terrible:if the "criminal" does not surrender by Tuesday ,one hundred French hostages will be shot.Picard suggests a deal to the cop "I 'd rather be shot than put my head in the guillotine ;so let's make a deal: I 'll tell the Gestapo I'm the saboteur and a hundred lives will be spared.But give me three days just to live..." These three days will be full of unexpected twists,of treason,of nasty tricks (the inhabitants of the village trying to find a scapegoat:"you are inspired by the devil" says the priest;the old lady suggesting an old man he give him up cause he 's got no family) ,of moments of happiness (Picard finds love with the gorgeous Louise -a brunette,Lucile Watson ,who I first mistook for Jennifer Jones-) ,but also of doubt and fear.Interest is sustained till the very last pictures.Flynn gives a mature performance ,far from his dashing usual heroes.Excellent supporting cast.

"Uncertain Glory" might have influenced Henri Jeanson and Christian-Jaque when they made their underrated " Le Repas des Fauves" (1964).

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6/10

The reluctant martyr

mik-194 November 2004

Debonair French thief, and accidental manslaughterer, Jean Picard is being led by police commissioner Bonet to the guillotine in Occupied France, but he persuades Bonet to let him give himself up to the Gestapo who are looking for a saboteur who blew up a bridge and who have taken 100 innocent Frenchmen as hostages to force the saboteur to come forward.

Made in Hollywood during the war and set among Frenchmen 'Uncertain Glory' is uncertain about its loyalties, now that there is no American in sight. The Vichy regime is no discernible problem, although the apparent lack of French civil courage is. The real saboteur is not about to give himself up, it seems, whereas Picard, who is a thief and not a saboteur, is expected to do no less. It is implied that he owes this to France, but the logic is a bit hard to follow, and Paul Lukas as Bonet is so self-righteous and Old Testamentish of countenance as to be downright annoying. In the end then, Picard, newly in love and what not, sees that he must do as a man must do, and surrender to "something bigger than (himself) for which he is willing to die, perhaps even happily". I, for one, was utterly unconvinced.

Having said that, even a half-bad, often very staid, even tame movie by Raoul Walsh is a decent movie by any other director's standards, and Errol Flynn at this stage in his career couldn't go wrong. He is heartbreakingly handsome as the dapper Picard, and his nobility at the very end doesn't fail to impress.

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5/10

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS)...Manages to summon lukewarm interest after a promising start...

Doylenf20 April 2005

UNCERTAIN GLORY is one of those films that promises more than it delivers. What might have been a tense cat-and-mouse chase between a police inspector and his quarry during the German occupation of France in World War II, has emerged as no more than a fairly interesting story with a rather unconvincing ERROL FLYNN nobly turning himself in as a sacrificial lamb against the slaying of 100 Frenchmen.

Flynn, for the most part, is right on target with his performance. But it's the final scenes where he becomes noble enough to want to sacrifice himself that are hard to believe. This is probably more the fault of the script than the actor.

PAUL LUKAS does a decent job of the man on his track for fifteen years who finally has a chance to see that he gets the guillotine. But after an interesting start, with Flynn about to be executed, the story goes astray when British fliers bomb the area and he is able to escape. None of the subsequent incidents are developed with enough force to maintain suspense.

Jean Sullivan as Flynn's brief female love interest adds nothing to the film's overall impact--but Faye Emerson and Sheldon Leonard at least give some spark to their supporting roles. The same cannot be said for Lucille Watson, an excellent character actress wasted in an unconvincing supporting role.

Certainly not one of Flynn's best films--nor could Raoul Walsh's direction help this uninspired story--but it has enough to keep the viewer fairly well involved until the nobility angle sets in.

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6/10

A Thoughtful Errol Flynn

bkoganbing10 May 2008

In 1943 Paul Lukas became one of those select few character actors who had the good fortune to win a Best Actor Oscar and quickly rise to the ranks of leading man, only to fall back. The film he won for was Watch On The Rhine where he repeated the role he did on Broadway.

That Oscar merited him co-equal billing with Errol Flynn in Uncertain Glory in the following year. Of course Lukas fell back into the ranks of distinguished character players, Uncertain Glory didn't do too much to maintain him.

It wasn't a great film for Errol Flynn either. He plays a gentleman thief whose last job cost a night watchman his life and merited him the guillotine. Even in Nazi occupied France the police was diligently doing their job against your run of the mill criminals.

But the RAF saves him at the moment of execution with a bombing raid. Flynn escapes, but is recaptured by Lukas. However on the way back they are delayed because some Resistance people blew up a bridge with a German troop train. The Nazis are using their usual methods to find the saboteur. If the saboteur is not found by a certain date, 100 French hostages will be executed.

This gives Flynn a brilliant idea to claim responsibility for the sabotage because if he has to die, at least die a hero. Lukas agrees and phones his superior Douglass Dumbrille that he killed Flynn while trying to escape.

Of course that's all Errol needs now that the authorities are no longer looking for him and Lukas has his neck stuck out. Flynn's found himself a girl friend in the village in newcomer Jean Sullivan who was little heard from after Uncertain Glory.

Errol Flynn was trying a more thoughtful role, but he looked bored a lot of the time. Lukas was fine and I do disagree with another reviewer who said he was Javert like. He was anything but. We do see Lukas with his family, he has a life outside the Surete. Also Flynn's character is not Jean Valjean. He's a career criminal at the top of his profession and the Surete is naturally interested in catching him.

In the supporting cast I like Lucile Watson as the mother of a hostage who will do anything to save her son and Dennis Hoey as the village priest who is a fine moral example for his flock.

Uncertain Glory is second rate Flynn and usually not mentioned by devoted fans of Errol as one of his better films.

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7/10

Perhaps not among Flynn's best but it's still very good.

planktonrules1 October 2010

Warning: Spoilers

This is one of the only Errol Flynn films I hadn't yet seen until today. Although it was made by Warner Brothers, it is not all that famous and isn't shown on television that often.

The film begins in France during the German occupation. A career criminal (Flynn) is about to be guillotined for his many crimes. However, just before the deed could occur, Allied bombers blow up a nearby munitions dump--and destroy the prison--allowing Flynn to escape. Eventually, however, a dogged police inspector (Paul Lukas) catches up to Flynn and plans on bringing him back for the execution. However, in the interim, the Underground has blown up a bridge and destroyed a train filled with German soldiers. And, as a result, the Germans plan on executing 100 innocent men unless they find the culprit. So, instead of executing Flynn, they plan on having Flynn take credit for the bombing--allowing his execution to save many others. But, considering that Flynn is a total reprobate, it often seemed very, very doubtful if he actually will do what he'd promised--and might just be using this plan to help him bide his time until he can somehow escape.

In many ways, the character in this film seems almost autobiographical for Flynn. No, I am NOT saying he was a murderer or career criminal, but there are many similarities. Scenes where Flynn is talking about his wasted life and relationship with God sure seem like he could be talking about his real-life self! As for this plot, it is very unusual and made for a very atypical sort of propaganda film--but it somehow works. Decent acting and typical top Warner Brothers production values make this one worth seeing--even if it's not among Flynn's best.

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7/10

FLYNN, THE LOVEABLE SCOUNDREL...!

masonfisk11 May 2022

Errol Flynn shines his pearlies in this 1944 drama which takes place in France. Caught & convicted, Flynn is about to be executed (for a murder) & the authorities are so sure of their decision, the man who caught him, played by Paul Lukas, is in attendance but right at the moment his body meets the gallows & being they're in the midst of the German occupation, a bombing strafe occurs leaving everyone covered in rubble but more importantly Flynn a free man. Flynn hooks up w/his old running mate but overextends his hand when he makes a play for his woman, which prompts him to rat him out to Lukas who captures him. Escorting him back to the powers that be, Flynn & Lukas are embroiled in a train bombing as the Nazis scour a small town looking for the culprit which inspires Flynn to volunteer, at least to Lukas, that he should turn himself in as the bomber since he's going to die anyway. Helping him along w/his cause is a young lovely, Jean Sullivan, but clearly Flynn is using whatever means he can to get away. Will the cad finally change for the better or let innocents die just because? Flynn is wonderful here doing right as he does wrong w/Lukas a perfect foil for his wanton selfishness & other than a few missteps in having American actors playing French citizens (James Flavin as a flic comes off being more Brooklyn than Paree), director Raoul Walsh keeps the script bouncing along till the very bittersweet end.

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9/10

He Was A Frenchman !

redryan6420 June 2018

THIS STATEMENT ABOUT the Errol Flynn character by co-star, Paul Lukas, summed it all up so beautifully !

AS FAR AS being typical fare for the swashbuckling Mr. Flynn, it most definitely was not that. It was, however, a very intelligent mixture of several film genres. It was an excellent specimen of the hybridization of the Detective Story, the Good Buddy picture and at he same time managed to be a not so subtle reminder of the importance of the on going conflict known as World War II.

ANOTHER ASPECT THAT we find deeply en-grained in the films' pedigree is that of the then little known and underused story of the "Anti-hero." This dramatic device would prove to be a top box office element of pictures of the 1970's; but quite possibly had no one known identity during this period.

SET IN NAZI occupied France during 1943, the production team does a fine job of giving us authentic looking French cities and towns and likewise achieves the same effect when it comes to the look and mannerism of the supporting players. Whereas some of the character actors and actresses were charged with affecting a Hollywood style French accent, the practice did not extend to Mr. Flynn's character. (Co-star, Mr. Paul Lukas, was already endowed with a God-given, natural Continental European manner of speech and accent.)

THE MEMBERS OF the supporting cast included Sheldon Leonard (as a Paris Underworld counter-part to his already well known American gangster portrayals), Faye Emerson, the eternal Cop-James Flavin, Dennis Hoey, Douglas Dumbrille, Victor Kilian and Pedro de Cordoba.

IT HAS BEEN said that Mr. Flynn (who by the way became a U.S. Citizen in 1942) wished to use a vehicle such as this to prove his acting ability was extended far beyond that of the Swashbuckler that he so often portrayed so well.

IT CAN BE said with some great certainty that in the production of UNCERTAIN GLORY, that Robin Hood/Gentleman Jim/Captain Blood/Sea Hawk well succeeded with plenty of room to spare.

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6/10

Not buying it

ArtVandelayImporterExporter23 April 2022

A guy who has skipped across France stealing jewels and bedding dames while his countrymen are eating pastries and waving white flags all of a sudden decides to sacrifice himself? And the cop who has pursued him for half is career buys into the scheme?

I don't think so.

Flynn is devastatingly handsome here. That opening closeup. Look at that hair, man. And those features. Compare that to the Garbo wig he wore in Captain Blood, not to mention the silent-era makeup they slapped on him.

Flynn's performance is decent, but he didn't convince me he was a doomed man. Lukas was one-note. Ultimately this movie is too obviously plotted, from A all the way to B. Anybody who can't see the ending coming within the opening five minutes is very naive about how movies worked during the war.

The God mumbo-jumbo made it nearly unbearable.

The most realistic character is the old lady who brushes off the bloviating priest who preaches sacrifice, and then she asks one of the old geezers to pretend to be the saboteur to save 100 young Frenchies. Of course they all decline. Those pastries aren't going to eat themselves.

I can see why it bombed. I doubt there were 10 people in America who gave a shyt about France, even in 1944. Never mind dropping a nickle on a matinee to see this ending.

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8/10

Enjoyable

AAdaSC2 February 2011

Jean (Errol Flynn) is about to be executed when the prison is bombed and he escapes. He goes to his friend Henri (Sheldon Leonard) to provide him with money and papers before continuing his journey. He also meets Henri's girlfriend, Louise (Faye Emerson) and guess what.....it's "In like Flynn". Louise follows him on his journey but he is caught by Inspector Bonet (Paul Lukas) who has been his nemesis for 15 years. On the way back to his execution. Jean strikes up a deal with Bonet. He will hand himself in as a saboteur to the Gestapo thus saving the lives of 100 French civilian hostages in return for 3 days of freedom. The film follows Jean and Bonet over these 3 days and we wait for Jean to make his escape at the appropriate moment.....

The film starts out with Jean and Bonet having nothing but contempt for each other. Bonet says that he is glad that Jean is going to the guillotine, while Jean insults Bonet verbally and spits in his direction. By the end of the film, these characters have a new respect for each other. The film is almost a buddy-buddy movie with several humorous scenes that bond these two characters more and more closely. There are also touching scenes where we see that these two adversaries really do care for each other.

The cast are all good except for the love interest Marianne (Jean Sullivan). Jean meets her and it's "In like Flynn" once more. However, she is too insipid and wet for him but she does make him change his outlook on life while they are on the run together. I guess Flynn just couldn't stand the thought of being with her for the rest of his life. I like this film - Flynn has some funny moments and Lukas is a warm character.

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6/10

Good story premise, solid acting by leads outweighed by excessive length, pointless dialogue

adrian-437677 November 2018

Director Raoul Walsh usually has a concise approach to storytelling and, in this case, the script is buoyed by the strong and unusual idea that a convicted thief and possible murderer, Picard (Flynn) could offer his life to save 100 men about to be executed by the Germans because of a French Resistance-sabotaged bridge.

As ever, Flynn is charismatic, Lukas very good but dialogue is repetitive, and the script loses credibility as the two men keep hearing all manner of vital conversations and info in all different places. What is more, incredibly, they hear crucial info from the very Germans in the street; and the Gestapo decision to wait five days before putting 100 martyrs to death is hard to believe.

Perhaps the single most disturbing thing is the presence of two beautiful women in the film. The first one has a quick fling with Picard before Lukas apprehends him and you accept that, at the height of the war, men and women would have quick and casual relations - she actually provides an unusual moment in the movies coming out in 1944.

The second love interest borders on the cruel. She is a much younger girl, and Picard lovingly kisses her knowing that his number would be up in front an execution squad the next day. Moral value of this liaison? None that I can see. Regrettably, the script offers a great deal of pointless dialogue that only makes the liaison seem needlessly cruel.

Generally good B&W photography, superb closeups of Flynn.

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8/10

What a pleasurable surprise!

hagan_family13 September 2019

As an amateur with a lifelong interest in WWII and a classic film enthusiast, I confess I had not come across this classic WWII film before today. I saw the TCM rating (3 stars out of 5), so I had middling expectations of what I was going to see. The beginning of the film seemed to confirm my expectations, but as I kept watching, I became more and more drawn into the story and enchanted by the characters as they developed.

While the breadth of acting I observed in Paul Lukas was its outstanding norm, I became very beguiled by Flynn's character -- different by far than his swashbuckling image in films that established him as a star in Hollywood. I watched carefully as his character remained intentionally vague, so that the viewer was never sure which way he would jump ... all the way to nearly the very last minute. Flynn created his character and had him delicately step back and forth on the line between nobility and crass self-interest in such a way that the viewer can never be certain what Picard/DuPont will ultimately decide. I'm sure it's no accident that DuPont became his character's name ;-)

I loved the suspense, the heart, the desperation, the character contrasts that when taken together, describe any group of people dealing with death and with tyranny, even today. This is a wonderful film discovery (for me, I mean) and one I'll view again and again. The interpersonal relationships remind me of those in "Best Years of Our Lives." This latter is one of my top "go back and view again" WWII films.

I highly recommend this film for anyone who has a serious interest in realistic WWII stories which is not littered with American "heroes," but instead, is populated with real people who struggle to deal with harsh reality in ways that end up revealing their innermost selves.

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WW2 drama lacks conviction .

Mozjoukine27 September 2002

With so many terrific Warners WW2 melodramas - EDGE OF DARKNESS, WATCH ON THE RHINE, CLOAK & DAGGER, OBJECTIVE BURMA, it's alarming to come upon this piece of unconvincing exhortation.

Flynn is terrible as the escaped murderer who middle aged family man detective Lukas has no trouble tracking down and over coming Our hero is never plausible convincing the Sureté Inspector that he should replace the wanted saboteur, for whom the Gestapo have taken a hundred hostages.

We expect it to play better because it has all those great production values we knee jerk to admiration on - brassy score, wipe dissolves and detailed art direction - dipping bread in wine, two wire electrics, signs in French and studio built, sandbagged plaster building streets but along with this we get totally phony dialogue - "What heart? That cold lump you feel in your chest is fear."

Curious the way it shows a craven, corrupt France with the Garde Mobile (the admirable James Flavin is unrecognizable) subservient to the Germans and villagers plotting to denounce an innocent man. Put this one alongside CASABLANCA and PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE which the French authorities banned at the end of the war.

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7/10

Multiple theories of human conscience and Karma come together in this gem of a writing piece. Flynn's most underrated work before Objective Burma!

SAMTHEBESTEST16 July 2023

Uncertain Glory (1944) : Brief Review -

Multiple theories of human conscience and Karma come together in this gem of a writing piece. Flynn's most underrated work before Objective Burma! The uncertainty of the writing makes this film a winner. Okay, so you have 100 minutes of runtime to write/tell your story; how many conflicts do you think you can sow in? Uncertain Glory actually makes you ask this question, and the answer is within the film. You expect a certain number of conflicts in 100 minutes, but this film surpasses that number only halfway. You start off with a banger of an idea, and you think that it might be the biggest conflict in the whole movie, but then you get to a dozen of them. It ultimately comes to the same ending, but wanders a lot before that. There is even a dialogue to cement that: "It's been a long road". "Yes, but it's coming to the right ending". The next one is about jingoism and patriotism: "He was a Frenchman!" It wasn't necessary, but somehow it filled the loop very well. The film is about a murder convict who is going to the guillotine anyway and decides to make his death worth it by saving 100 innocent men. The cop believes in him, but we know how criminals are. After so many hide-and-seek games, double crosses, and whatnot, he finally comes to what was planned. There is a freaking cat and mouse game of human conscience and karma crossing each other's paths many times, and every time you see it in a new way. Every 15 minutes, there is a new twist to the story. Believe me, it's a very engaging and interesting film with very clever writing. The screenplay loses a bit somewhere in the last quarter, but that's only because the earlier portion has been overwhelming. Errol Flynn had so many underrated films in his career, man. And this was one more. How can God be so cruel to the legend? But this was one of his best acts too. A little tampering, but Raoul Walsh gets the assignment right, and that's all that matters.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

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5/10

Great premise

HotToastyRag18 June 2020

Uncertain Glory has a fantastic premise, and there are some moments of good acting and suspense, but it's not the best wartime suspense drama made during WWII. Errol Flynn made some fantastic war movies from 1941-1945, and renting this one won't hurt you, but it probably won't be your favorite. Objective, Burma! will take that spot.

In Uncertain Glory, Errol is a wanted man. Paul Lukas is the French inspector on his trail, and he chases him through war-torn France for most of the movie. The start of the film shows Errol at the guillotine, but when an air raid strikes, he's able to escape. He meets up with his old partner, Sheldon Leonard, and his girl, Faye Emerson. While on the lam, he finds out that the Nazis are going to execute 100 innocent people unless they can catch the culprit who performed a recent sneak attack. Errol decides he'll turn himself in and save the hostages, since he was going to get killed at the beginning of the movie anyway.

See what I mean? It's an interesting premise, but perhaps director Raoul Walsh didn't have a very big budget or enough time to flesh out a really good movie. Make this one a matinee movie and save something better for your evening entertainment.

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