Errol Flynn Adventures [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

During a career that spanned almost 60 films, Errol Flynn made only five pictures with a World War 11 background and this well-presented box set is a handy compendium of those titles.

The first - "Desperate Journey"(1942) co-starring Ronald Reagan is a wildly improbable piece of hokum concerning a bomber crew who are shot down over Germany and make their way back to England via Nazi-occupied Holland and France. Directed at breakneck pace by veteran action specialist,Raoul Walsh, it slows down only once or twice to pay tribute to fallen comrades then off it goes again as Flynn and his fellow fugitives proceed to wreak havoc and decimate the German army on their way to freedom. All highly enjoyable if you don't take it seriously.

"Edge of Darkness"(1943) directed by Lewis Milestone is a darker and more polished production concerning the Nazi occupation of a Norwegeian fishing village.Flynn and Ann Sheridan are the stars but they don't dominate the proceedings. This is very much an ensemble piece that gives equal emphasis to a distinguished supporting cast that includes Walter Huston, Judith Anderson and Helmut Dantine. Flynn gives a good performance as a courageous young fisherman who leads the citizens in an all-out revolt against the Nazi occupiers. The opening sequence is riveting and there are several other good set-pieces along the way, the photography is outstanding and the
action-packed climax is memorable. This is a piece of anti-Nazi propaganda that really pays off.

"Northern Pursuit"(1943)is an enjoyable yarn in which Flynn plays a Canadian mountie of German parentage who is accused of helping a bunch of German saboteurs
led by the sinister Helmut Dantine. The film opens well with the appearance of a Nazi U-Boat in the Hudson Bay ( reminiscent of Powell and Pressberger's "The 49th Parallel" ) and then develops into a fast-moving and very satisfying thriller. While it's no masterpiece it is an enjoyable entertainment.

Which is more than can be said for "Uncertain Glory" (1944) the weakest film in the collection. This plodding melodrama has Flynn cast as a devious French criminal who escapes the guillotine and is planning to escape justice by fleeing to Spain. When he is recaptured by his old enemy, an honest police inspector ( well-played by Paul Lukas ), he offers to give himself up to the Germans who are about to execute 100 Frenchmen unless a saboteur will surrender. On the face of things, this seems like a good story. But the script is so ponderous and the direction by the normally dependable Raoul Walsh is so flaccid that we never understand Flynn's character's motivation. The film's opening is terrific but it just goes downhill from then on.
Flynn gives an uncertain performance under Walsh's uncertain direction in a film that is indeed well-titled and is the one disappointment in this collection.

But not to worry, the set ends magnificently with "Objective, Burma !"(1945) which not only offers one of Flynn's best performances it also one of the most gripping war films ever made. At the time of its release, it was heavily criticised as glorifying America's contribution to the Burma campaign which was seen as an insult to the courage,sacrifice and determination of the British forces who were responsible for ultimate victory. Today, seen in its proper context, "Objective,Burma!" is nothing of the kind. It tells a much smaller story of a single platoon of American soldiers whose mission is to blow up a Japanese radar station to make way for a planned invasion by American troops. The story does not, at any time, diminish or ignore the efforts of the British forces under Lord Mountbatten. Where this film scores is in its realistic portrayal of jungle warfare and the sense of desperation in its characters when they realise that the plan to rescue them has fallen throughand they must march to freedom through 150 miles of dense jungle. Flynn gives a most believable performance as the platoon's captain who is faced with several difficult decisions in how best to save his men
from the pursuing Japanese. It's a long film - 2 hours and 20 minutes - but it never plods as it builds up to most satisfying climax. This is easily one of Mr. Flynn's best pictures and a good reason to buy this set.

I purchased this box set because of Errol Flynn as my favorite actor, this set of 5 movies is worth every cent of the cost , there is plenty of action in all movies and keep you interest all the way , Desperate Jurney is an excellent movie with a lovely music score by Max Steiner, all actors take a wonderful part , if you want a very good set of movies all you need is to say , its got to be good when Errol flynn is in them as no one takes the parts better , what other actor can Portray the part of Robin Hood as he did.

this is a wonderful set and well worth keeping and add to any collection. its a must so go ahead and buy it you will never regret it and in for a wonderful show at any time of day or night . I just cant complain in anyway about this set of 5 good excellent movies, Just look for the name Errol Flynn and you cant go wrong,

Certainly Desperate Journey is one of Flynn's better movies and is the best on this collection.Of the others,only Uncertain Glory is disappointing.The other three are very good and are certainly better than average movies.The picture and sound on all are excellent.All in all,a collection well worth having.