Days of Glory (1944)

"Days of Glory" is a story about a Russian resistance group on the Eastern Front in World War II. This was one of a few pro-Soviet films Hollywood made during the war. All were propaganda films to reassure Americans of the role Russia was playing in helping defeat Nazi Germany. But, with very little true information at that time about the Russian resistance and military battles, Hollywood could only romanticize the Russians' roles and characters. And, it did so much as it did with some of the movies it made about our own fighting and heroes. The acting here is OK, and the movie is fair. It's a simple plot that looks at what might be routine days in a small resistance group hideout. Of course, it throws in the usual Hollywood romance. It seems that most Hollywood studios made a film to show and build support for the Soviet Union as an ally in the war. The Hollywood nod to the Russians began in May 1943, with a Warner Brothers' film, "Mission to Moscow." Others that followed were "The North Star" in 1943 by RKO, "Three Russian Girls" in 1943 by United Artists, "The Boy from Stalingrad" in 1943 by Columbia, "The Song of Russia" in 1944 by MGM, and "Counter-Attack" in 1945 by Columbia. Only Universal and 20th Century Fox seem not to have done a film about our Soviet ally. None of these films stand out or show much of the reality of the Russian efforts in WWII. Not until 2001 in "Enemy at the Gates," do we have an American film that shows some of the horror of the war in Russia, and the sacrifices of the Russian people. Since the fall of the Soviet Union other very good Russian and eastern European films have been made about the war on the Eastern Front.What I find curious about "Days of Glory," is its June 16, 1944 release date. This was less than a year before the end of the war in Europe. The movie covers a time of the resistance forces up until the major Soviet counter-attack. But that began after the Soviet defeat of the Germans in the Battle of Stalingrad in February 1943 – almost a year and a half earlier. And, the release of this film came 10 days after D-Day and the Allied landings in Normandy. Why would it be so necessary or helpful at this late date to build American support for Russia in the war? Indeed, was it wise to do any more trumpeting of the Russians with what we already knew then about the Soviet Union – unless there were some other reasons?It's true that the American intelligence effort was relatively new and not yet very well-grounded at the time. But, the American and other western news media were very aggressive and thorough in their reporting of the war as they had been for several years before the war. So, here we have the U.S. government and Hollywood interested in building up the image of the Soviet Union as our ally in fighting the Germans – not before the war, but well into it when the Allies in the West were attacking on all fronts. One must wonder how much the U.S. and Hollywood knew about the atrocities of Joseph Stalin who had been in power for more than a decade by this time. He had ordered the Great Purge in 1936 to 1938. He had ordered the murder and imprisonment of half a million of his own leaders. He had invaded Finland in 1939 and Poland with Germany in 1940. He had annexed the Balkan states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in 1940. All of these things had been reported, and yet the U.S. and Hollywood were still putting out propaganda films in support of Russia late in the war.

Although it's remembered as Gregory Peck's debut,his character is not really very interesting.Nina's and Mitya's love affair (without a single kiss or a word of love) is very touching: the girl giving an impromptu performance before the young boy who don't know what a theater is ,and this wonderful moment when Nina tells the little sister about the death of her brother/hero ("he was smiling,he was happy,his name will live in the history books").All was probably filmed in studios and the low budget gives the movie an eerie atmosphere ,which is not surprising from a director such as Jacques Tourneur ("cat people" " curse of the demon").The David vs Goliath ending is rather impressive ,considering the limitations the director was working under.A propaganda movie,but an endearing one.

This tribute to Russian resistance in World War II gave Gregory Peck his opportunity for a starring film screen debut. No walk-ons, or bit parts are in Peck's career resume. He was billed a star from the beginning.Not that Days of Glory was the greatest of debuts. In fact it was only in his second film, The Keys of the Kingdom for which he got his first Oscar nomination that made him a big star. Still Peck as the stoic and brooding Russian peasant resistance leader certainly had star quality written all over him.Now that the Cold War is over we can appreciate the Russian contribution to defeating Nazism without getting hung up over Communism. The Russians took a quick study in what defeated Napoleon and applied those lessons to World War II. Where you see the German Army in the Ukraine in Days of Glory is roughly how far they advanced into the Soviet Union. Those partisans that Peck heads are on the cutting edge as factories are being transported and rebuilt in the Urals and east of same and the Red Army is being reorganized. Joe Stalin is also looking a military leadership team to beat the Nazis. The Russian people took a tremendous toll and it was the great worry of both Roosevelt and Churchill up to the Allied invasion of Normandy that Stalin might just make a separate peace. If he had the world would be very different.Peck's love interest was dancer Tamara Toumanova who plays a dancer caught up in the partisan movement. As an actress she's a great dancer, she's seen to better advantage in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain where she concentrates on dancing.Days of Glory did get an Oscar nomination for Special Effects, but despite that it's essentially an A picture from a B picture studio, RKO. Still it's not a bad last stand story and a decent enough debut for Gregory Peck.

The Russian German war was the greatest battle ever fought and strangely has been ignored by Hollywood. This film, made when the Russians had yet to reach Berlin, was probably a propaganda piece of its time and suffers from some sugary Hollywood treatment. The appearance of a Moscow ballet dancer, and her inevitable love affair with the local guerilla leader, glamourises what was, in reality, a dirty hard war. Whilst we can respect this well-directed movie we can also ask why Hollywood has yet to record its tribute to the amazing determination of the Russian people who were not particularly well led yet overcame such enormous odds. Never mind "Saving Private Ryan" - what about Ivan's story, Mr Spielberg? The Cold War is over, the archives are open, the film is there to be made!