People under siege take strength from knowing that they are not alone, that there are others who will help them triumph.
That’s true when the enemies are loose networks of terrorists hiding in the shadows, or organized armies of Nazi soldiers goosestepping across Europe. So the challenges that much of the world faces now add resonance to what even during more peaceful times would be a top-notch piece of rousing, amusing and suspenseful entertainment. Filmed at a time when Allied victory over Hitler’s forces was far away and far from certain, One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) carries both reminders that people have won their freedom from the threats of brutal opponents before, and encouragement that we can do so again.
The riveting story is about six British air force fliers who are returning from bombing targets in Germany and are forced to parachute from their plane before they reach England. They land in the Netherlands and must make their way to the North Sea, where they hope a British ship will find them. If they are to survive, the Royal Air Force (RAF) crew must gain the trust and cooperation of Dutch citizens who oppose the Nazis who have seized control of their homeland.
One of Our Aircraft is Missing gives us a glimpse into what it might be like to live in a world in which brutality has forced the suspension of the pre-war rules of civilization. Apprehension is inescapable. It is a world in which possessing by chance a piece of the right newspaper can prove that you are trustworthy, but possessing the wrong LP record can get you killed.
The movie begins with the crew preparing for the mission that will end with their abandoning their plane. It ends as they prepare for their next mission. But while the movie rouses the spirits of its viewers, it also acknowledges the costs of war. There is an early suggestion that the happy ending signalled at the start will come at a terrible price.
The movie was written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who also created such classics as Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. One of Our Aircraft is Missing is full of terrific touches. There is suspense, as when an organist in a Dutch church must distract attention from something that will give away the Brits. He risks incurring the anger of one of Hitler’s henchmen by playing the Netherlands’ national anthem. There is humor, including a scene in which the people of Holland frustrate their adversaries by following too literally an order intended to harass them and to show that the Nazis are in control. And there are meaningful glances between one of the British fliers and a Dutch woman, poignant hints of a romance that might have blossomed if the world weren’t torn by war.
One of the movie’s master strokes comes in two scenes. In the first, the Brits have just landed in Holland and they discuss whether to split up and which of them will lead if they stay together. The other scene takes place behind closed doors and beyond the audience’s view. We hear the Dutch townspeople debate whether to risk their lives by helping the downed fliers get back to England. No one articulates the obvious contrast between free people and people subjugated by Fuhrers. The eloquence of their instinctive exercises of freedom requires no emphasis.
But there are great words in One of Our Aircraft is Missing. Powell and Pressburger have made their movie ring with the rhetoric of people convinced they will overcome their oppressors. The Dutch have centuries of experience trying to keep water from flooding their low-lying land. One character refers to that history when she says, ’’The sea is a common enemy, and against a common enemy you must unite. Do you think we Hollanders who have saved our country from the sea will let the Germans have it?’’
Later she apologizes to the six men of the RAF for not being able to feed them as well as she would if not for wartime hardships. ’’We haven’t very much to eat, but we have everything else. We can think. We hope. We fight.’’ Her determination inspires one of the Brits to reply, ’’We can’t offer you anything except our love, our support and our admiration for a brave woman in a fearless country. We give you a growing help, an attack which will sweep the Germans from....’’
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Sorry for the inconvenience. This is my first review on the site and I didn’t realize we have to keep them short.
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