MovieChat Forums > The Americanization of Emily (1964) Discussion > One of the most amazing movies

One of the most amazing movies

posted 19 years ago by tgemberl
6 replies | jump to latest

This is one of the most amazing, audacious films I've ever seen. The way it reverses a lot of our values on war and human life is amazing. I saw it one night after a showing of John Wayne's The longest day, and whoever did that scheduling must have had a real sense of humor. The film is especially amazing when you consider that it was made just two years after The longest day. I don't necessarily agree with the "thesis" of the film, that cowardice is better than heroism, but I figure if a film like this could come out in the early 60's, America isn't all bad. It does show that Americans could laugh at themselves. I like John Wayne, but I do think he was probably guilty of taking himself and his own values a bit too seriously.

I have repeatedly urged people to see this. I've never run into anyone who had seen it, amazingly. It's kind of something you'd expect Monty Python or John Waters fans to like.

"Extremism in the pursuit of moderation is no vice."

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] sarahgc 18 years ago

i totaly agree. the on screen romance between James Garner and Julie Andrews was amazing and the film took a really different look at the war.
the funniest bit was when Charlie was about to get on the plan and Emily went "I've been up all bloody night looking at your bloody papers!"

ta ra,
XxX

[–] tgemberl 18 years ago

My favorite point in the movie is when James Garner is running scared towards the beach and the photographer says, "for what it's worth, he's the first one on the beach." That was hilarious.

I think I read somewhere that Paddy Chayefsky, the writer, was a war hero himself in WW II. Here's a short account that says he won the Purple Heart:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0154665/bio

So it's all the more impressive that Chayefsky had such a sense of humor about heroism.

"Extremism in the pursuit of moderation is no vice."

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] nutsberryfarm 10 years ago

it's very good; could have been perfect if it ended with cummings shooting at madison (in the back) to get him ashore. it has about 3 or 4 more 'endings' after that making the movie lose its punch.

The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.-James Madison

[–] liscarkat (16750) 3 years ago

"The Longest Day" showed, with sincerity, the sacrifices made by ordinary men from Britain and the U.S. to stop the nazis. It's message is more important than the anachronistic ideological speeches in "The Americanization of Emily". That being said, I still like "The Americanization of Emily".