The Films
The Errol Flynn Adventures DVD set is comprised of five movies on five DVDs. The order of the DVDs matches the chronological release date of these movies, starting with Desperate Journey from 1942 and ending with Objective, Burma! from 1945.
Desperate Journey co-stars former President Ronald Reagan. Flynn’s character, Flight Lt. Terrence ‘Terry’ Forbes, and Reagan’s, Flying Officer Johnny Hammond, team up with several other crewman of a RAF bomber. Their objective is to bomb a train supply line being used by the Nazis to bolster their war effort. The mission goes awry however when the Nazis catch on to the plan and manage to shoot the bomber down. Behind enemy lines, the crewman must rely on each other to complete the mission and get home safely. It’s an entertaining film and while the special effects may look kind of silly today, it’s a treat to watch thanks to a good story and great acting.
In Edge of Darkness, Flynn co-stars with Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston, and Helmut Dantine. A small fishing village in Norway has been under Nazi occupation and the citizens are holding out until they can mount a revolt. Dealing with the harsh conditions and abuse for some two years, the Norwegians finally have enough and Gunnar Brogge (Flynn) leads them into revolt.
Also from 1943 is the third movie in this set, Northern Pursuit. Flynn plays Corporal Steve Wagner, a Canadian Mountie. He manages to capture a Nazi spy but it isn’t long before the spy (Helmut Dantine) manages to escape. Wagner is determined to infiltrate the covert Nazi operation and foil their plan. He does so by pretending to help them while working diligently to figure out and ultimately stop their plan. It’s not often you see a Canadian Mountie in a WWII film, which makes this film all the more interesting.
Flynn takes on an infiltrator role again in Uncertain Glory from 1944. The film begins with Jean Picard’s (Flynn) near death at a guillotine. The criminal Picard gets a break though when an air raid disrupts the execution and he manages to escape. He’s later caught by authorities but he again is able to escape imminent death by volunteering to lie to the Nazis about a sabotage attack that he didn’t perform to save the lives of 100 Frenchmen. Expect plenty of drama and romance in this WWII tale from France.
In 1945, Flynn was the lead role in Objective, Burma! Quite possibly one of Flynn’s most renowned movies, he plays Capt. Nelson, leader of a paratrooper squad who are behind lines in Japanese-held Burma. Similar to Desperate Journey, Flynn and his men have a mission to carry out. They succeed somewhat early on in the movie, but that was only half the battle. The other half is managing to stay alive long enough to get home. Of the five movies in the set, I think this was probably my favorite.
Presentation & Extras
Given that each movie was made in the 40s, you’d be correct to expect a full frame, black and white video. That’s not to say it looks bad, but it is what it is. The audio is also presented as Dolby Digital Mono. I’m glad Warner didn’t try to modernize these classic war films; I think they would lose some of their charm otherwise.
Each disc contains several extra features, most of which are identical in theme to one another but unique to the movie they are about. Objective, Burma! adds a commentary track as well. The list of features:
Desperate Journey
Warner Night at the Movies 1942 Short Subjects Gallery:
-Vintage Newsreel
-Oscar-Nominated Patriotic Short: The Tanks Are Coming
-Musical Shorts: Borrah Minnevitch and His Harmonica School and The United States Army Air Force Band
-Classic Cartoon: The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall
-Trailers of Desperate Journey and 1942’s Murder in the Big House
Northern Pursuit
Warner Night at the Movies 1943 Short Subjects Gallery:
-Vintage Newsreel
-Wartime Short: The Rear Gunner
-Musical Short: All-Star Melody Masters
-Drama Short: Over the Wall
-Classic Cartoon: Hop and Go
-Trailers of Northern Pursuit and 1943’s The Constant Nymph
Edge of Darkness
Warner Night at the Movies 1943 Short Subjects Gallery:
-Vintage Newsreel
-Musical Short: The United States Service Bands
-Classic Cartoons: Hiss and Make Up and To Duck….or Not to Duck
-Trailers of Edge of Darkness and 1943’s The Hard Way
Uncertain Glory
Warner Night at the Movies 1944 Short Subjects Gallery:
-Vintage Newsreel
-Musical Short: United States Coast Guard Band
-Classic Cartoons: Brother Brat and Russian Rhapsody
-Trailers of Uncertain Glory and 1944’s The Mask of Dimitrios
Objective, Burma!
-Audio Commentary by Historians Rudy Behlmer, Jon Burlingame and Frank Thompson
-Warner Night at the Movies 1945 Short Subjects Gallery:
-Vintage Newsreel
-Joe McDoakes Comedy Short: So You Think You’re Allergic
-Classic Cartoon: A Tale of Two Mice
-Trailers of Objective , Burma! and 1945’s Pride of the Marines
Overall, this is a fine box set for Errol Flynn fans or WWII movie buffs in general. Let’s get to the summary…