Days of Glory (1944)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Film Review

It seems hard to believe, given the fierce outbreak of anti-Communist sentiment that erupted after WWII, that there was a brief period when Hollywood was mandated to promulgate Soviet propaganda, the intention being to assert America's alliance with the Soviet Union in the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany.  Days of Glory is a rare example of pro-Soviet filmmaking to come out of Hollywood and there seems to be something almost surreal in its over-earnest attempts to glorify the nobility and bravery of the Soviets, the very same people that America would grow to hate and fear in subsequent decades.  Today the film is as hard to stomach as any other piece of wartime propaganda from this period but it was also unpopular with critics and audiences when it was first released, no doubt on account of its wildly caricatured portrayal of Russians (of course they spend all their time eating Borscht and reciting Lermontov) and frequent bursts of toe-curling patriotic zeal.

The film was conceived and written by RKO producer Casey Robinson, who no doubt hoped to capitalise on the general mood of pro-Soviet feeling at a crucial time in the Allied offensive against Nazi Germany.  He chose Jacques Tourneur to direct the film, having been impressed by his work on the noir fantasy films Cat People (1942) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943).  As it turned out, Tourneur was incredibly badly served by the film, which, ploddingly stagy and dialogue-heavy, gave him next to no opportunity to use his much-vaunted talent for building mood and atmosphere.  It is only in the action scenes that Tourneur manages to make his mark.  For the most part, Days of Glory resembles a piece of filmed theatre, with the camera statically anchored in front of stereotypical characters who are condemned to speak in addled platitudes without any real feeling or dramatic impact.

The tight budget is apparent both in the quality of the sets, which do absolutely nothing to diminish the theatricality of the piece, and lack of big name actors.  In his first screen role, Gregory Peck illuminates what would otherwise have been a terminally dull film, although his efforts are frustrated by an abysmal script and a camera-hogging co-star (the ballet dancer Tamara Toumanova) who has minimal acting ability.  More a curiosity piece than anything else, Days of Glory has little to commend it on the artistic front but its novelty value (as a piece of American pro-Soviet propaganda) just about makes it worth watching.

Film Synopsis

In 1941, scattered bands of Soviet guerrillas wage a fierce battle against the advancing Nazi troops, hindering Germany's progress on the Eastern Front and buying the Red Army time to launch a counter-offensive.  One such group is led by the dedicated patriot Vladimir, an expert in sabotage.  As his guerrilla team prepare their next operation he is met by an attractive Russian ballet dancer who proves to be a willing recruit to his cause...