The Americanization of Emily

A film set in London before the landings. Charlie is an officer in the navy but does not fight. His job is to look after an admiral; he finds whisky, chocolate and women, and he does it without shame. He says openly that he is a coward. He believes heroism prolongs wars and does not shy from arguing it. Emily is an army driver. She has lost her husband, her father and her brother in the war and no longer wants to attach herself to anyone. The two begin seeing each other. Emily is disgusted at first by his abundance, then likes his honesty. Then the admiral takes an idea. He thinks the navy is being overshadowed and wants the first man killed on the day of the landings to be a sailor. Charlie will be that sailor. He is sent to the beach with a camera crew. From there the film turns into a story of refusal. The man does not want to go, is forced to go, and the result is not what anyone planned. What the narrative is interested in is not war but the manufacture of heroism: the film takes aim at courage becoming a ceremony and a promotional job. Charlie's defence sits at the centre. The narrative gives him long speeches and does not try to refute them. The screenplay is by Paddy Chayefsky and the film's hardness comes straight from the writing. It is one of Julie Andrews's first pieces of film work; unlike the musicals that came immediately after, the part here is entirely dramatic. James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas and James Coburn are in the cast. Arthur Hiller directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes sharply written anti-war comedy. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a firm position; the film steps back a little from its own argument at the end.