BREAKTHROUGH

Comprised of tons of authentic combat cinematography and battle action filmed in  California, BREAKTHROUGH (1950) is a well mounted Warner Brothers B war picture. The narrative follows an American infantry unit through training in England, to the June 6th, 1944 invasion of Normandy and on to the brutal foot-by-foot battles through German held hedgerows in France.

There's nothing here you haven't seen before but that in no way diminishes the pleasures to be found in this tough, gritty war film. David Brian gets top billing as Captain Hale, the commanding officer of the unit. He's led his men through the hells of North Africa and Sicily and is beginning to show signs of combat fatigue. Hale takes out his frustrations on a young greenhorn lieutenant, Joe Mallory (science fiction genre icon John Agar), who can do only wrong in Hale's eyes. Mallory is comforted and aided by grizzled Sergeant Pete Bell (Frank Lovejoy), who knows a thing or two about both the old man and combat tactics. The other members of the unit are played by bit players with the only recognizable (to me at least), names and faces belonging to William Campbell (believe it or not, my father's name!) and Matt Willis (who bears an uncanny resemblance to U.S. Senator John McCain). Mallory earns his stripe in battle while Hale eventually is relieved of field command and sent back to headquarters. The unit now belongs to Mallory and after liberating St. Lo, it's on to Berlin.

Directed by Lewis Seiler with a screenplay by Joseph Breen Jr, Bernard Girard and Ted Sherdeman, BREAKTHROUGH delivers the stock characters and well staged war action that fans of the genre want. Thumbs up.