A new batch of Army recruits, from diverse backgrounds and with varying degrees of commitment, is shaped into an efficient fighting unit.
Direction
Reed's early mastery—every frame purposeful, every cut lands.
Writing
Peter Ustinov's debut script: sharp, cynical, surprisingly humane.
Acting
Ustinov steals scenes before he could legally drink.
Director
Carol Reed
John Laurie
Harry Fyfe
Bernard Miles
Ted Loman
Peter Ustinov
Keith
Raymond Huntley
Barrington
Geoffrey Keen
Corporal
Robert Donat
Actor
Eric Ambler
Bren Gun Instructor
Ivor Barnard
Photographer
Ian Fleming
Medical Officer
Kathleen Harrison
Keith's Mother
Bryan Herbert
Soldier
Bernard Lee
Interviewing Officer
Albert Lieven
Czech Soldier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This Army Film and Photographic Unit production was Reed's directorial follow-up to 'A Letter From Home' and immediately preceded his masterpiece run.
Made at the height of WWII when Britain desperately needed recruiting propaganda, yet Reed's cynicism about military bureaucracy somehow slipped through—probably why it's barely discussed in his filmography.
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