The Winds of War (1983)
DIRECTOR: Dan Curtis
CAST:
Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Houseman, Polly Bergen, Lisa Eilbacher, David Dukes, Topol, Ben Murphy, Peter Graves, Jeremy Kemp, Ralph Bellamy, Victoria Tennant, Günter Meisner, Anton Diffring, Howard Lang, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Anatoly Chaguinian, Enzo G. Castellari, Michael Logan, Ferdy Mayne, Ron Rifkin, Joseph Hacker, Barry Morse, Deborah Winters, John Dehner, Andrew Duggan, Wolfgang Preiss, Werner Kreindl, Joachim Hansen, Alexander Kerst, Rainer Penkert, Dieter Wagner, Francesco Carnelutti, Damir Mejovsek, Karl-Otto Alberty, Siegfried Rauch
REVIEW:
The Winds of War, a TV miniseries adaptation of the same-named 1971 novel by Herman Wouk, was filmed over fourteen months at 267 locations throughout the United States and Europe with an unprecedented television miniseries budget of over $40 million, surpassed only by the $130 million 1988 follow-up, War and Remembrance. This massive production was produced from a 962-page script containing 1,785 scenes, and filmed in six countries. Much use was made of Yugoslavia because of its numerous cities and villages which are virtually unchanged since WWII and could stand in for Germany and Poland. Many other sequences were shot at the actual locations. Herman Wouk himself maintained tight control over the entire production and wrote the lengthy screenplay, resulting in the miniseries adhering very closely to the novel with only minor differences. The storyline mainly follows the Henrys, an American Navy family led by stoic patriarch Captain Victor “Pug” Henry (Robert Mitchum in a well-suited role) and his flighty, hard-drinking wife Rhoda (Polly Bergen). Bergen had read the novel, and believed in the material and the character of Rhoda so strongly that she came out of a ten-year retirement. Both reprised their roles in the 1988 War and Remembrance. Other subplots involve their son Byron’s (Jan-Michael Vincent) romance with the Jewish Natalie Jastrow (Ali MacGraw), his brother Warren’s (Ben Murphy) budding career as a fighter pilot, and sister Madeline’s (Lisa Eilbacher) determination to keep her job on the Happy Hour Show on CBS despite her father’s disapproval, although Warren and Madeline receive much less focus than Pug and Rhoda and Byron and Natalie. Love and war abounds, with virtually every principal character involved in some sort of love affair or love triangle at one time or another, and sometimes the relations of the Henrys and their lovers gets rather soap-opera-esque, but if one can withstand the multiple love stories, The Winds of War also contains many very well-done sequences and a good overview of the early years of WWII.
The Winds of War begins with Pug assigned to serve as naval attaché in Berlin. On the way there, he meets British journalist Alistair Tudsbury (Michael Logan), his daughter Pamela (Victoria Tennant), and one of the best supporting characters, Armin von Roon (Jeremy Kemp), a German General who is a professional career military man rather than a political fanatic and while loyal to his duties, is less than enthralled with Hitler or the Nazi Party. Meanwhile, Byron, an unmotivated young man and source of disappointment to the military-minded Pug, is working in Siena, Italy, for famous Jewish scholar Aaron Jastrow (John Houseman, in one of the miniseries’ better performances ), a highly intelligent, philosophical, but short-sighted and complacent, slightly doddering old professor who refuses to be alarmed by Hitler’s war rumblings, even if he is Jewish. However, Byron’s principal motivation for working for Professor Jastrow is to be in the presence of his niece, Natalie (Ali MacGraw), even though she is already technically engaged to bookish American diplomat Leslie Slote (David Dukes). Aaron is one of the miniseries’ more interesting characters; urged by both Natalie and Slote to return to the United States while he still can, he steadfastly refuses to leave his beloved Italian villa.
Shortly after his arrival in Berlin, Pug attends a high-level reception on von Roon’s invitation where he and Rhoda have a brief encounter with Adolf Hitler (an oddly cast Günter Meisner). When Rhoda casually mentions to Hitler that they haven’t found a house yet, a luxurious estate suddenly becomes available, and Pug suspects Hitler had something to do with it. This sequence takes a poignant turn, as they learn that under a new Nazi law, the owner of the house, wealthy Jewish sugar merchant Ludwig Rosenthal (Ferdy Mayne) is in danger of being evicted unless he rents to someone with diplomatic immunity. Pug is urged not to include a prediction of the German-Soviet pact in his report to Washington, told it will make him look like a fool, but when he is courageous enough to do so and is soon proven right, his impressive perception brings him into contact with President Roosevelt (wonderfully played by Ralph Bellamy), who assigns him the unofficial role of his personal observer in Berlin and eventually in London, Rome, and Moscow. Pug’s involvement with FDR and his observation missions to the various war capitals is a convenient but effective plot device allowing him to be present at numerous historical events and encounter the other world leaders. Particularly of note is a lengthy, almost entirely one-sided “conference” with Hitler, in which the Führer rambles to him for hours about his “love of peace”.
Meanwhile, despite her concern for Aaron, Natalie does not use the best judgment herself when she flies to Warsaw to visit the nearby village of Medzice, her family’s hometown where she meets her uncle Berel (Israeli actor Chaim Topol, credited simply as Topol) and along with Byron attends his son’s wedding celebration on the eve of the German invasion. The Jewish wedding party is a long, vivid sequence, the jubilant celebration contrasted with the German Generals von Roon, Halder (Werner Kreindl) and von Brauchitsch (Wolfgang Preiss) methodically going through final invasion preparations despite their personal misgivings about the attack. The invasion, as with much of the historical events in the miniseries, is shown through actual archive footage, explained by William Woodson’s sometimes melodramatic narration. As expensive a television miniseries as this was, it is still a television miniseries, and does not contain many massive battle sequences such as Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day, although the black and white footage of the real invasion is soon followed by a long, well-done sequence in which Natalie, Byron, and Berel make up part of a long column of Polish refugees who are brutally strafed and machine-gunned by a German plane. This is not dramatizing on the part of Wouk or the filmmakers; the Luftwaffe frequently attacked defenseless refugees on the roads during the invasion of Europe. While Natalie and Aaron’s habit of deliberately placing themselves through poor judgment into hazardous situations can grow tiresome, it does lead to one of the longest and best sequences in the entire miniseries when Leslie arranges for Natalie and Byron to be evacuated along with other American neutrals during a one-hour ceasefire at the front. They are taken in by the Germans, commanded by Captain Bayer (Siegfried Rauch), and are treated to a sumptuous feast and treated with the utmost courtesy and respect, until an SS officer arrives and demands that Leslie identify whatever Jews are traveling with the group. Not only is the scene lengthy and suspenseful, it also serves to broaden the audience perception of Leslie; up to this point he has seemed fearful and weak-willed, but earns a more positive image after steadfastly refusing to point out any Jews. The Americans are given a free train ride to Stockholm, but Byron and Natalie return to Italy with Aaron, who has learned that his passport has lapsed and he is unable to leave. Natalie attempts to resolve the matter with the State Department, but encounters nothing but bureaucratic red tape. This part of the storyline detailing the endless stream of excuses used by the State Department to justify its deliberate refusal to help Jewish refugees is particularly important; hundreds of thousands of Jews attempting to escape the Nazis were turned away by US authorities. And therein lies part of the value of The Winds of War; it highlights things the average audience member might not have already been aware of.
During this time, Pug and the much-younger Pamela have become attracted to each other in one of the miniseries’ less interesting subplots, and Rhoda, lonely and depressed as Pug is often away on secretive assignments, is getting overly friendly with Palmer Kirby (Peter Graves), a scientist who suspects and fears that the Germans are working on an atomic bomb. Byron finally agrees to attend submarine school as his father originally wanted, and Aaron and Natalie book passage on a liner leaving Italy, but their plans are upset by the entry of America into the war after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, which pretty much serves as the climax point of the miniseries and, together with the subsequent Japanese attack on the Philippines, the only large battle scene. The Winds of War concludes with the love stories and the predicament of Natalie and Aaron, now trapped in Fascist Italy, unresolved and one must proceed to War and Remembrance to see the final conclusion of the story.
Robert Mitchum is not an actor of great depth or range, but as the unshakably stoic Pug, no significant demonstration of emotion is required, and this is the ideal type of role for him. He looks good in a military uniform or a period civilian suit, he has a commanding, authoritative presence and a stern military bearing, and not much more is needed. The biggest problem with his character is the increasing attraction between he and perky young British journalist Pamela Tudsbury, which is the least plausible of the love stories and detracts the most from the miniseries. At best, their scenes at least lead into something interesting, such as when they witness the Blitz while together in London. At worst it is pure silly soap opera taking an inordinate chunk of screen time away from the far more interesting events unfolding around them. As Pamela, Victoria Tennant is adequate if nothing exceptional, and has a sort of nice unforced English pleasantness, although her devotion to Pug does seem a bit abrupt and more than a bit melodramatic. As Rhoda, Polly Bergen is melodramatic and giddy to an obnoxious extent and will prove grating after a few hours until you wish Pug would just ditch this shallow airhead. Jan-Michael Vincent is fairly good as Byron, although his role also does not require too much range. One of the best performances comes from John Houseman as Aaron. A kind and well-meaning man, but stubborn and often using poor judgment, he is frustrating at times but it is hard not to feel sympathy and eventually pity for him as his fate spirals downward, even if he has brought many of his problems on himself. Ali MacGraw as Natalie is less impressive. Granted, she is not as insufferably horrible as many critics and reviewers have claimed, but she won't be winning an Emmy here. Her Natalie is supposed to be a feisty go-getter, but for too much of the time MacGraw seems more haughty and whiny than anything else. The viewer must endure endless scenes of she and Byron alternately bickering and fawning over each other, but if you can stick with her and Aaron long enough, they do generate interest in the last few episodes as they try to find a way out of Nazi-occupied Europe without being found out as a couple of stateless Jews. Her best scene may be when she attends Warren’s wedding and must endure the blatant anti-Semitism within the officer’s club and even some members of the Henry family. Anti-Semitism was commonplace in the United States during the 1930s-40s, and MacGraw is convincingly uncomfortable and insecure in this scene. In fact, the weakest link in the cast is Günter Meisner as Adolf Hitler. I have often felt that Meisner is an underrated actor who was capable of more than just the generic menacing SS man he was invariably cast as. Unfortunately, this role is completely wrong for him and didn't do anything to help him break out of that mold. Meisner could radiate malevolence in his sleep, but he looks almost absolutely nothing like Hitler. His best scene is his final one in the miniseries, when he and Goering (portrayed by Reinhard Kolldehoff as an incompetent but sinister figure) discuss the “special action squads” which will exterminate the Jews. His worst is his cartoonish marching during the French surrender ceremony where he looks positively silly. On a more positive note, his dialogue is well-written, and highlights his unshakable certainty that only he knows what is best for Germany and the German people. Meisner, as well as his replacement in War and Remembrance, Steven Berkoff, strikes down any argument from the aristocratic General Staff with righteous reminders of his WWI service as a common foot soldier. Unlike Berkoff, Meisner is actually pretty restrained. He only throws a rage once, when General von Brauchitsch (Wolfgang Preiss) tries to convince him to postpone the invasion of France, but for most of the time, Meisner seems sadly like a fish out of water. He is simply not right for Hitler, and would have been infinitely more suited to one of the creepy SS officers who keep popping up throughout the miniseries. It's really a shame, because the scenes are very well-constructed. The shots of Hitler's massive Chancellery are magnificent and really give a sense of the man's power. The other actors in these scenes are mostly top-notch. To be honest, the Hitler scenes are better-made than in War and Remembrance, and the character of Hitler is written better; he is a sinister and manipulative figure, more than just a raving lunatic. It all feels right, and then Meisner appears looking awkward and out of place and just destroys the sense of realism. Some of his scenes are better than others, but the best ones only make me think of how great this material could have been with a convincing Hitler. This is in sharp contrast to Ralph Bellamy, who is fantastic as FDR. He very closely captures the look, especially when sitting in a wheelchair with the hat and overcoat the real Roosevelt in seen wearing in photos, cigarette jutting from his mouth, and plays him with just the right crafty sparkle in his eye, able to imply a savvy politico beneath the disarming aura of grandfatherly joviality. His meeting with Churchill aboard the USS Northampton, in which he refuses a wheelchair and struggles painfully across the deck to shake Churchill's hand, and the British military band begins to play the American national anthem, is the most superb and moving recreation of history in the miniseries. Enzo G. Castellari is nearly a dead-ringer for Mussolini, but only appears in two brief scenes. Howard Lang is acceptable as Churchill and brings across a little of his charisma, but isn't as memorable as Bellamy. Anatoly Chaguinian has one scene as Stalin and isn't stocky enough, but is still fairly believable. Anton Diffring is exceptional as Hitler’s war-mongering Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, particularly in his hostile, intimidating behavior towards Pug during the conference with Hitler. Dieter Wagner is creepily servile in one scene as Himmler, and as Admiral Ernest King, John Dehner is accurately brusque and no-nonsense.
Another standout is Wolfgang Preiss as General Walther von Brauchitsch, who fears the consequences Hitler’s hasty invasion plans could have for his Fatherland but is unable to effectively stand up to the Führer. Preiss' shifting emotions, from his initial defense of Hitler to his tension before the attack on Poland to his relief at its early success, and his dismay at Hitler's rapid series of subsequent invasions are never less than convincing, and for an actor who was often given short shrift in films, Preiss gets a decent amount of screentime. The filmmakers don't demonize von Brauchitsch and the others, but they also don't let them off scot-free. Brauchitsch in particular doesn't seem to have many complaints about Hitler as long as the war is going well. Werner Kreindl is also good as the somewhat conflicted General Franz Halder, who associates with anti-Hitler conspirators but feels he must stay by Hitler’s side to try to prevent him from making military mistakes. Joachim Hansen is also noteworthy as the obsequious General Alfred Jodl, who unquestioningly defends the Führer. Jeremy Kemp is intriguing and low-key as the fictional von Roon, who serves as a window into the German High Command as Pug does with the Allies. Like Pug, he is a controlled man who does not wear his feelings on his sleeve, but brief hints along the way clue us into his true sympathies. The scenes between the German Generals and the other historical scenes include a lot of accurate and informative details and are fun to watch for a history buff like me. It's a shame they're surrounded by so much soap opera.
In addition to familiar German actors Meisner, Preiss, Rauch, and Hansen, Karl-Otto Alberty appears as a creepy Gestapo official. The special effects are sometimes lacking: much model work is used for scenes involving battleships and submarines, and the models are usually distinguishable from the real vessels. The shots of a British bomber flying over Berlin is particularly obvious, and is at least one example of poor effects hampering an otherwise very interesting sequence. The attack on Pearl Harbor is not a forty-five-minute sequence of carnage and destruction like in the more recent Pearl Harbor, but in The Winds of War it is all real, nothing is computer-animated. All had to be done with real ships, real planes, and plenty of explosives, and considering the modest special effects the sequence works pretty effectively. The sets and production values are consistently impressive, from Berlin draped in a sea of swastika flags to London transformed into a blazing inferno by the Blitz, and the scenes set in Hitler’s Chancellery are completely convincing and magnificent. A shot of a fleet of blimps hanging over London is particularly striking, and the miniseries does an excellent job of capturing the "feel" of wartime Britain and of the Third Reich (making it doubly unfortunate that the filmmakers did not offer a more convincing portrayal of Hitler himself). All too often, WWII is portrayed as though the Americans won it almost single-handedly, and it is to The Winds of War’s credit that it makes a serious effort to bring attention to the contributions of the Soviet Union and Great Britain as well as of the United States. While the love stories work with varying degrees of believability, interest, and relevance to the overall storyline (that of Byron and Natalie is by far the most important to the story), the globe-trotting adventures of the characters serve to provide a window for the audience into many of the most pivotal moments of WWII. At the bottom line, it is a huge, often bloated production way too padded with silly soap opera melodrama, but it has a vast enough scope and pays enough attention to historical detail that I can't help but like it, or at least some parts of it. I respect the time and effort it takes to put such a sweeping production together, and any WWII enthusiast should at least give it a skim through for its more admirable qualities.
