I always loved Combat and watched it mainly as reruns 1966-1970 or so. I recall my dad coming into the room and upon seeing Vic Morrow he'd say oh boy there's the "one man Army".
I liked episode 1 mainly because of the moral dilemma Caje faces at the end. The series was great for its correct uniforms and equipment and realistic story lines.
4 Reviews
Moral Dillemma
claudio_carvalho7 June 2017
Sgt. McGraw and three soldiers head to the River Vire, France, to prepare an outpost in an old building to locate a big German cannon and give the coordinates to the allied artillery. However the place is booby-trapped and kills the privates and wounds Sgt. McGraw. Hanley sends Saunders, Doc, Caje and Kirby to rescue McGraw and replace the patrol. Sgt. McGraw dies on the arrival of Saunders and his men and soon they find a German deserter hidden in the basement. Doc is assigned to guard the prisoner that speaks English and introduce himself as the former entertainer Carl Dorfmann that worked at a carnival before the war. Soon Doc feels empathy with the middle-aged prisoner and neglects his attention. Carl seems to help Saunders and his squad but Kirby does not trust him. What is Carl's true intention and what will the American squad do?
Directed by Robert Altman, "Forgotten Front" is the first episode of "Combat!", with a dramatic and full of action story. The plot shows a middle-aged German soldier as a simple ordinary man and not as the traditional villain of war movies. Saunders as a veteran leader capable to understand the attitude of his men. The moral dilemma of Caje and his final call makes the difference and shows high-quality of "Combat!" when comparing with other films of war. But there is also a huge flaw in the very beginning when Sgt. McGraw leaves a fourth soldier on guard outside the building that vanishes after the death of the patrol. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Front Esquecido" ("The Forgotten Front")
Directed by Robert Altman, "Forgotten Front" is the first episode of "Combat!", with a dramatic and full of action story. The plot shows a middle-aged German soldier as a simple ordinary man and not as the traditional villain of war movies. Saunders as a veteran leader capable to understand the attitude of his men. The moral dilemma of Caje and his final call makes the difference and shows high-quality of "Combat!" when comparing with other films of war. But there is also a huge flaw in the very beginning when Sgt. McGraw leaves a fourth soldier on guard outside the building that vanishes after the death of the patrol. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Front Esquecido" ("The Forgotten Front")
Controvertial human beings!!!
elo-equipamentos27 November 2017
Just remembering that one year after to take this series to home, there are the six episode watched only, aired first than others, strangely was listed in sixth in the DVD box-set, another fine story when the soldiers realize that they are really a controversial human beings, the whole truth is revealed in the final scene, all we'd did expected happens!!
Resume:
First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7
Resume:
First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7
It begins...
lor_29 July 2023
The first "Combat!" episode to be broadcast provides no information about the regular cast of characters, plunged into action immediately.
It makes for a grim introduction. Suspense begins when they discover Albert Paulsen, a German deserter hiding out. As the men do their job, giving info on artillery placements to help Rick advise where they are for Allied fire to put the German guns out of commission, the question of the prisoner's fate lingers throughout. It leads to a surprising, significant final reveal.
Directed by Robert Altman, it's a more subtle handling of the moral issues than one associates with "action" shows.
It makes for a grim introduction. Suspense begins when they discover Albert Paulsen, a German deserter hiding out. As the men do their job, giving info on artillery placements to help Rick advise where they are for Allied fire to put the German guns out of commission, the question of the prisoner's fate lingers throughout. It leads to a surprising, significant final reveal.
Directed by Robert Altman, it's a more subtle handling of the moral issues than one associates with "action" shows.
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