It is obvious to me as I began getting into the story of a group of strangers from around the world hiding from Nazis in a secret cavern out in the middle of nowhere in occupied Italy, post Mussolini. The film has a unique psychological feel from the start, so when I discover that the legendary master of the B's, Edgar J. Ulmer, had directed it, I greeted that fact with the thought, "This explains a lot." There are four key players: John Saxon, Larry Hagman, Brian Aherne and Rosanna Schiaffino.
At first, I found Aherne's British war correspondent to be a pompous bore but quickly grew to understand him if not completely like him, an element that perhaps was intended. Living among strangers in a dour war torn world changes people, and his pretentiousness lessens as he becomes used to his surroundings. Saxon is the focus along with the beautiful but fiery Schiaffino who is obviously prepared to fight off any nonsense which also includes her on and off lover and a German officer.
The low budget may make the film seem slow and lifeless to some viewers, but for me, that helped flesh out the characters and really show the dirty elements of how they were forced to live. I could see this in color with Newman, McQueen, Loren and Aherne, but there's a darker theme present thanks to what Ulmer envisioned, especially claustrophobic as they try to move through a river and a very low cave ceiling which made me feel uncomfortable, as if I was there. For that, this becomes one of the surpring above average B war films of the 60's that is nearly perfect and would have seemed like a completely different film had it been done on a higher budget, in color and with the alternative cast I mention above.
At first, I found Aherne's British war correspondent to be a pompous bore but quickly grew to understand him if not completely like him, an element that perhaps was intended. Living among strangers in a dour war torn world changes people, and his pretentiousness lessens as he becomes used to his surroundings. Saxon is the focus along with the beautiful but fiery Schiaffino who is obviously prepared to fight off any nonsense which also includes her on and off lover and a German officer.
The low budget may make the film seem slow and lifeless to some viewers, but for me, that helped flesh out the characters and really show the dirty elements of how they were forced to live. I could see this in color with Newman, McQueen, Loren and Aherne, but there's a darker theme present thanks to what Ulmer envisioned, especially claustrophobic as they try to move through a river and a very low cave ceiling which made me feel uncomfortable, as if I was there. For that, this becomes one of the surpring above average B war films of the 60's that is nearly perfect and would have seemed like a completely different film had it been done on a higher budget, in color and with the alternative cast I mention above.