![]() Zhukov made his mark using tanks to flank and annihilate the Japanese 23rd Division at Khalkin Gol in August 1939, as Japan attempted to expand its control from occupied Manchuria into Soviet Mongolia. Commanding from a series of a half dozen Centurion tanks as each was knocked out, Greengold fought for 20 hours, destroying between 20 and 40 Syrian vehicles before dropping to the ground, wounded, burned, and exhausted, with the words, “I can’t anymore.” He was awarded the Itur HaGvura, Israel’s highest medal of valor. Zwi Greengold, Israeli, Yom Kippur Warĭuring the Battle of Golan Heights in 1973, “Zwicka” Greengold of the 188th “Barak” (Lightning) Brigade organized a small scratch force that prevented two large Syrian armored formations from breaking through Israeli lines. He was finally cornered and killed in his Tiger I tank by five British or Canadian Shermans on August 8, 1944. Michael Wittmann, German, World War IIĬredited with destroying 138 tanks, 132 antitank guns, and uncounted other vehicles on the Russian front and at Normandy, SS-Hauptsturmführer Wittmann is best known for his rampage against the British 7th Armored Division outside Villers-Bocage in June 1944, devastating as many as 14 tanks, 2 antitank guns, and 15 other vehicles in 15 minutes. As for who really did kill Laura - well, good luck with that one.The War List: Great Tank Commanders CloseĬapt. ![]() There are a few other suspects, of course, including the great Judith Anderson, and there's even a smart little cocktail party where you can look them over one more time. And because of this, her flashbacks provide few clues as to why anyone would want to murder her. We rarely know what she's thinking, or precisely how she feels about the other characters. There's a bit of inscrutability in most of Tierney's performances, which makes her perfect for this role. The score is legendary, and like the painting Andrews falls in love with, the music gives the film its haunting quality, particularly at those moments when we segue into another flashback. The plot, predictable or not, is great fun a bit of a whodunit with a psychological edge. Perhaps he was, but he seems to be doing precisely what he was supposed to do, giving Laura another worldly but inappropriate suitor. Viewers unaccustomed to seeing Price in such roles may think he was miscast. ![]() The film is also notable for Vincent Price's performance as a needy boy-toy who is manlier than Webb, but still sexually vague, indecisive and weak. Unlike David Wayne's comic sissy in "Adam's Rib," who repeatedly proclaims his love and adoration for Katharine Hepburn's Amanda, Webb's Waldo has an edge so vile that we fear him, and, because of that, can accept him as a suspect. But Webb's Waldo, despite the refinement, is a catty and cruel little monster, a man who writes of love, but has none in his life. Their verbal sparring continues throughout the film, and Webb makes frequent remarks about why women find Andrews' type so alluring, while they reject more "refined" males of taste and breeding. (The visual clue is his apartment, filled with pretty things that no one is allowed to touch, although Waldo will gladly tell you how expensive they are.) His scenes with Andrews become far more complex in this context, particularly when he discusses the case with the detective from his bath. He chooses her clothes and hairstyles, shows her off on his arm, but never seems to have any real physical contact with her. He insists he loves Laura, but there appears to be no actual love affair. Outwardly fey, Waldo is a variation on the stock "gay" Hollywood character seen at a time when homosexuality was hinted at but never really acknowledged. It's no surprise then that Webb walks off with the film, but his character is significant in other ways. And Andrews is your basic Dick Tracy - colorless, but solid and honest. Tierney, here, is luminous as always, but hardly unsympathetic. If anything, it is a bridge between the standard romantic dramas of the '30s and '40s and the far darker truly noir films, such as "Double Indemnity," in which the main characters are either weak, desperate, or truly evil. I'm not sure if "Laura" truly qualifies as a film noir, although it certainly looks the part.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |