a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

I'm rating this higher than I normally would. Instead of a 7, I give it an 8, on the strength of its written dialogue. Sure, I saw this on TV as a kid, then again in my 20s, both undoubtedly edited, but now watching it on TMC as a middle-ager, I see what the filmmakers intended -- a scathing anti-war, anti-military sermon packaged in the most saccharine, sugar-glazed package possible. I should have figured after I saw paddy chayevsky's name as screenwriter, since he's known as a sharp social critic. I didn't read the original book, but I bet it was darker than this film. The preachy dialogue can be a bit heavy-handed, not to mention lacking a little credibility as real humans speak, but it punches in the heavyweight intellectual class for A-list hollywood fare. It's both eloquent and penetrating and thought-provoking. Bravo.

NOTES: William Holden, originally scheduled to play the lead, was replaced at the last minute. The director, William Wyler, was fired by producer Ransohoff after ten days of shooting.COMMENT: If the role played by Julie Andrews were drastically curtailed - most of it is totally irrelevant to the main plot which we were dying to get back to - and if the leading man were replaced by someone more convincing than glum-faced, furrow-browed, glassy eyed James Garner (the role seems tailor-made for Gregory Peck) and a director with more verve and imaginative flair than Arthur Hiller was engaged (how about John H. Auer?), this would have had the makings of an entertaining film. Even now, some judicious cutting of the Garner-Andrews scenes would considerably improve it. (The U.K. version is certainly a step in the right direction, but at least another ten minutes could come out.) As it is, the fascinating behind-the-scenes story is all but suffocated by the surrounding romantic tedium. Melvyn Douglas and James Coburn make the most of their opportunities in support roles, but the rest of the large cast hardly gets a look-in, thanks to the relentless concentration on the Garner-Andrews story. One exception is Joyce Grenfell, who uses her comedy mannerisms to ill advantage in what seems to have been intended as a dramatic role. Production values are pretty ordinary, with stock footage helping out for the D-Day scenes. Incidentally, the plot gambit of the day's delay is too well-known to stand up to the extended footage with which director Hiller tries to milk these scenes. The black-and-white photography is mediocre, the sets have obviously made little strain on the producer's pocket and the music score is as often as not atmospherically inappropriate.

Although not a great film, it surely deserves high points for touching on points that mainly pro-war, heroic epics seek to sell. This one takes a completely different, and totally necessary turn in the telling. It lays bear the often contradictory and often insane view of the underbelly of the business of war, taking advantage of sophisticated and edgy story telling to make its point. This in itself makes the film ahead of its time. Well acted by both James Garner and Julie Andrews, it's worth watching, if nothing more that watching Andrews seduce, then "get jiggy" with the handsome star. As always, the stellar acting of Melvin Douglas in the twilight of his illustrious career, adds another dimension of truth and color to the film. And kudos for the theme song, "Emily," still one of my all-time favorite movie themes.

Building up to D-Day, American Charlie Madison (James Garner) arrives in England on May 4, 1944. He is a "Dog-Robber" or a personal attendant of a general or an admiral keeping the highest ranked personnel happy. Emily Barham (Julie Andrews) is the driver given to the brash Madison and she's not very impress with the American at first. She had suffered great losses. Despite that, they fall for each other. His superior Adm. William Jessup (Melvyn Douglas) is going crazy trying to maintain the profile of the Navy. He comes up with a scheme to make the first dead man on Omaha beach to be a sailor and sends Charlie off to the pointless suicide mission.For this movie, it's the Paddy Chayefsky screenplay that is the most important. His lines are sizzling. James Garner eats up his rants. The 'cowardice as a virtue' speech has no parallels that I know of. His character is deeply complex. Julie Andrews is absolutely winning. The story doesn't portray the military in the best light.