Twelve O'Clock High

1949 "A story of twelve men as their women never knew them..."
7.7| 2h12m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 21 December 1949 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a 'hard luck' bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

Genre

Drama, Action, War

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Director

Henry King

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

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Twelve O'Clock High Audience Reviews

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
leethomas-11621 Loved that this film stayed mostly on the ground. Realistic settings and characters. Tackles qualities needed for leadership. Pity we don't get close in any personal sense to the men. Wished we had more background to the flyers and the non-officer crew. Their beautiful singing is heard in voice-over. I find Gregory Peck sometimes too stolid/placid in films but here it's an asset. An unusual war film that is saved from being forgettable by its last scenes.
jacobs-greenwood Is the ultimate, definitive example of military leadership, and (if one can believe an IMDb trivia item) it's even used by a couple of different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces for training officers.This World War II drama features Gregory Peck – in an Academy Award nominated (Best Actor) role – as General Frank Savage, who's assigned to take over a "daylight precision bombing" unit during the Americans earliest years of participation in the war in Europe. The film, which was nominated for Best Picture and was added to the National Film Registry in 1998, won an Oscar for Best Sound and earned Dean Jagger a Best Supporting Actor statuette on his only nomination.It was directed by Henry King and was written by Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay Jr.; they wrote the novel and its screenplay. The movie opens in London (England) 1949, when Jagger's character purchases a Robin Hood Toby mug (which was used to indicate to base personnel that a mission was underway) and returns by train to Archbury and then bicycles to the site of the runways and base, now overgrown with weeds, where the following story took place some seven years earlier:Colonel Ernie Davenport (Gary Merrill) feels that his 918th Bomb Group is unlucky; at least that's how he characterizes it to his friend and superior officer, General Frank Savage (Peck). Davenport claims his men are overworked, being pushed too hard in a dangerous experiment called "daylight precision bombing", which requires daytime and lower than typical bombing runs that exposes the B-17s and their 10-man crews to heavy defensive artillery and Luftwaffe fighters.But Savage and his superior, Major General Pat Pritchard (Millard Mitchell), assess that the 918th's problem is its leadership, that Davenport has become too involved with his pilots to adequately lead them to their "maximum effort". So Savage replaces Davenport, who joins Pritchard's staff, and makes an immediate impression on a slacking guard at the gate (Kenneth Tobey, uncredited), a too casual Sergeant (Robert Arthur) in the base office, and Davenport's second- in- command Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately (Hugh Marlowe), who he accuses of cowardice and shirking his responsibilities, promptly demoting him to pilot a "Leper Colony" plane to which all the other "incompetents" are assigned.But Savage's by-the-book discipline and methods quickly alienates him, such that every pilot requests a transfer. Davenport's adjutant Major Harvey Stovall (Jagger), who'd served in World War I, recognizes what the General is trying to do and assists him by delaying the requests for 10 days, to give Savage time to "get a win" in hopes of generating some pride and ultimately unity among the men.The General gets his chance by leading a successful mission through inclement weather despite it being recalled – he'd feigned a bad radio – but Savage is perplexed when a hero pilot named Bishop (Bob Patten), that he'd earlier awarded a medal to, isn't immediately able to express the unit pride he'd hoped for. However when the General and Stovall are called to the mat to answer for the delayed transfers, Bishop and the others stand up for them.The 918th proceeds to become a top unit, all the way through their biggest mission to destroy a German ball-bearings plant deep in enemy territory. The drama is intensified at the end of each mission, when base personnel and officers count the returning bombers, e.g. to see how many were lost. The air battles and bombing raids in the film feature actual combat footage.Paul Stewart plays Captain 'Doc' Kaiser, who's concerned about the men's mental as well as physical fitness. John Kellogg plays Savage's feisty second-in-command Major Cobb. Lee MacGregor plays Lieutenant Zimmerman, whose mistake led to Davenport's dismissal; Sam Edwards plays pilot Birdwell and Roger Anderson plans an interrogation officer.
Leofwine_draca Another decent American WW2 film which seems to have dropped out of sight over the years, I'd never heard of TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH before I caught it playing on television. I'm glad I watched it because this is a film which has an excellent role for Gregory Peck, one of my favourite actors, playing the tough new general who takes over training members of an American bomber squadron stationed in England.It's a film that looks at the nitty gritty of pilot training and the effects that death and failure can have on the morale of a group. Thus it's not an easy film to watch at times as it goes down some dark psychological alleyways, but the realism and lack of sugar coating is what makes it all the more effective. The supporting cast is fine with Dean Jagger particularly standing out in a difficult role, but it's Peck who holds things together here with a show-stopping turn as one of the coldest yet most human characters seen in a war movie. The ending of the film is moving beyond belief and the authenticity of the thing never flags, with the dog fight scenes utilising real-time war footage to add to the realism of the thing.
elvircorhodzic TWELWE O'CLOCK HIGH is a very good war drama based on the novel and rather on personal experience. The story is focused on individuals. Every character in this film deserves space. How creates tremendous losses and the death of his comrades affects every individual. In such circumstances, a man just can not stay calm. I would like to praise realistic view. The story is in the same time alive, depressing, gloomy, aggressive, emotional and dramatic. Such moods express characters in the film. This is the best example of the atmosphere of the film. War destroys the human psyche in a myriad of ways. I always draw the line at war films with similar themes. What is the order and what the decision is. In war movies is too coincidence. The killings were not justified. Never. Therefore, in statements to the subjugation can never be purely tactical. In this case, the main character comes to emotional conflict with itself.I think that this is not a film about heroism. This is a deliberate provocation that will certainly everybody provoke an emotional response. The absurdity of war. The conditions of warfare. People's collapse. Win!? Well, I was with some segments can not agree. The term "maximum effort" is in my opinion unacceptable. In practice, of course steady. Put a character of cowards from the beginning of the film to the hero at the end of the film is inappropriate.Gregory Peck as Brigadier General Frank Savage deserves praise for good performance. He was able to present your character in totally two different states. It seems pretty impressive.Twelve O'Clock High is the authentic war drama, full of tension in the general human drama that is finally born heroes.