What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
by Blake Edwards
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aldo Ray, Dick Shawn, Giovanna Ralli, James Coburn, Sergio FantoniDirector: Blake Edwards
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Philip H. Lathrop
Producer: Blake Edwards
Writer: Blake Edwards
Producer: Dick Crockett
Producer: Owen Crump
Writer: Maurice Richlin
Writer: William Peter Blatty
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; German (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: United Artists
Movie Reviews of What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
Movie Review: Best Obscure Comedy Film Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is an underrated classic. I'm not sure why so many of Blake Edwards' films have received critical acclaim while this one, arguably his most entertaining, never received much recognition. (William Peter Blatty, author of the "The Exorcist," wrote the screenplay!) "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy" is a quasi-historical, comic vignette about the Allies invasion of Italy in World War II as seen through the experiences of one company of misfits. While there is much sixty-ish humor, it never gets stale and it is never mean sprited. All very innocent by today's standards.
This movie combines classic slapstick with great writing and solid, masterful performances by a number of actors at the top of their games. Carol O'Connor and James Coburn give some of the best comic performances of their careers. You see hints of other characters that turn up in other television shows including Harry Morgan's Sherman Potter (and his character's name is Major Potts). But the performance of Dick Shawn demostrates why he was one of the great comic actors of his or any other time. Only Shawn can credibly portray Lionel Cash as he develops from an uninteresting bureaucrat leading a military company to a Mensch we like.
I give copies of this DVD to friends for holidays and always get the same responses: "I can't believe I never heard of this movie, it is great!" And it is. Do yourself a favor when you need to watch some good comedy at the end of a hard day--get "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy." It will give you about 90 minutes of good, guilt-free escape.
Summary of What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
Set against the backdrop of WW 2, a by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy and finds the soldiers are willing to surrender if the can have their annual wine festival first. But he must make it look like a real fight for the aerial viewers and the practice makes for loads of fun!In 1943, a by-the-book captain (Dick Shawn) is put in charge of a decimated company with orders to capture a quaint Italian village. Upon arriving, the men find the opposing soldiers all too eager to surrender, but only after the local wine festival, a bacchanal that leaves both sides wasted. The troops are forced to work together to stage a mock battle to satisfy American and German forces that are close by. Neither cynical like The Americanization of Emily nor absurd like King of Hearts, this 1966 comedy directed by Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther) and scripted by William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist) is a carefree romp. Collateral pleasures include Edwards? signature stylish slapstick, Carroll O?Connor as a blustery general, James Coburn as the cool-under-fire Lieutenant Christian, Harry Morgan as an intelligence officer who gets lost in the village catacombs and goes mad, and the ravishingly beautiful Giovanna Ralli as the village Mayor?s very pliant daughter. "War is hell," the DVD box proclaims, "and isn?t it fun?" Not really, but that shouldn't mar your enjoyment of one of Edwards' lesser-known films that is ripe for rediscovery. --Donald Liebenson
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