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‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ an enjoyable caper; final word on TCM
‘THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE’ RATED R
Recently declassified files of the British War Department and a book with the lengthy title of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops” by Damien Lewis inspired director Guy Ritchie for a film up his alley.
While the book’s subtitle is revealing, what matters most is that the film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” delivers high-octane action when a motley crew of rogues and mavericks undertakes a secret mission against the Nazis using unconventional fighting techniques.
Although the actual history of Winston Churchill’s efforts of Operation Postmaster’s special operatives to steal German boats from a Spanish island off the coast of Africa would be more compelling to read about, Guy Ritchie spices up an entertaining adventure by taking numerous liberties.
There’s a James Bond connection here with a young Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox) inside Churchill’s intelligence circle, who apparently drew upon the exploits of the commandos to create his famous secret agent.
One of the characters who may have inspired Fleming was eccentric Major Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill), who is granted an early release from prison. The Major puts together his own elite team, recruiting Danish strongman Anders Lassen (Alan Ritchson), who’s skilled with a bow and arrow.
Other members are the Irish navigator Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin; underwater demolitions expert Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding); and strategist Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer), who has to be rescued from torture in a German camp.
On the distaff side is femme fatale Marjorie Stewart (Eiza Gonzalez), a Jewish actress tasked with seducing the sadistic, sneering Nazi commander Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger).
Taking a huge political chance on an illicit mission, Churchill (Rory Kinnear) is perfectly willing to take the risk of dispatching rebels to turn the tide of the war in the Atlantic when England stood alone against the Nazis.
The renegades are invincible killers, mowing down scores of Nazis as easy as a carnival shooting range. The wisecracking dialogue, along with the exciting fight scenes, turn “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” into a fun caper.
FINAL WORD ON THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL
Many celebrities appeared as special guests at the TCM Classic Film Festival. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson joined the opening night gala for “Pulp Fiction.”
Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins reunited for the screening of “The Shawshank Redemption.” Mel Brooks introducing a closing night presentation of his film “Spaceballs” was a real treat for a packed theater.
No celebrity was busier during the festival than the dashing Billy Dee Williams, going strong at age 87, as he was the special guest for “Lady Sings the Blues” and “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.”
In addition to a book signing for “What Have We Here?,” Williams participated in an hour-long conversation at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where he described his childhood living in Harlem and getting his start in a Broadway production.
Making his feature debut in 1959’s “The Last Angry Man,” Williams developed a friendship with actor Paul Muni, who told him that race doesn’t matter and whatever he wants to play he should play it. More to the point, Williams said that “talk of race is boring.”
While achieving renown for the role of scoundrel Lando Calrissian in the “Star Wars” films “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Return of the Jedi,” Williams expressed a love for old romantic comedies, along with how much he loved kissing Diana Ross’ character of Billie Holiday in “Lady Sings the Blues.”
At the “Bingo Long” screening, Williams revealed that the title of his autography “What Have We Here?” was the first line he delivered upon meeting Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Indeed, he was a likable rascal, and that’s part of his popularity.
An interesting find was the 1960 Jerry Lewis film “The Bellboy,” for the actor stepped into the director’s role for a film hastily put together when Paramount Pictures wanted a summer release.
Appearing as a guest presenter was Lewis’ son Chris, who said that his father wanted the already completed “Cinderfella” to be held for a Christmas release. Since Lewis was performing at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, he quickly penned a script with some help from Stan Laurel.
What’s fascinating about “The Bellboy,” with Lewis in the title role, is that his eccentric bellboy named Stanley remained mute until the very end, as a tribute to silent film comedians.
Chris Lewis also observed that “The Bellboy,” filmed almost entirely in less than a month at the Fontainebleau, was a film with “no story, no plot.” It’s pretty much, as Chris noted, a “series of silly sequences” which delivers the laughs.
Another discovery of comic gold is 1951’s “The Lavender Hill Mob,” where bank clerk Alec Guinness organizes an unlikely band of thieves to steal gold and melt it down as Eiffel Tower souvenirs.
An unexpected treat is seeing pre-stardom Audrey Hepburn as a cigarette girl in the opening scene.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
