Operation Crossbow

 Operation Crossbow - 1965 - Michael Anderson

Operation Crossbow is a British war, action, drama, and espionage film set during World War II. It was released in 1965 and directed by Michael Anderson.

The cast included Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Richard Johnson, Tom Courtenay, Jeremy Kemp, Paul Henreid, Anthony Quayle, Lilli Palmer, Barbara Rütting, Sylvia Syms, Patrick Wymark, and Helmut Dantine.

The film won a Silver Shell award at the 1965 San Sebastián International Film Festival: Best Actress (Lilli Palmer).

Briefly, the movie is about the infiltration of British spies into a German missile factory.

I would say the leading performance is delivered by George Peppard (this actor became famous for the series The A-Team, although he has several films in his acting career), and he is accompanied by other well-known actors such as Tom Courtenay and Anthony Quayle. Sophia Loren’s appearance is brief; she has a supporting role, although her part in the film could be interpreted as a representation of the innocent victims of war (even though this role could also apply to all the scientists and workers forced to work in the factory). And I think Lilli Palmer richly deserved the Best Actress award; her appearance was also brief, but it breaks the mold and gives the film a different tone.

At the beginning of the movie, the premise is already established: the assignment of the mission based on knowledge acquired by British intelligence regarding the Nazis' "secret weapons."

“Trading card. 1980s. V1 Rocket.” They dealt with the V1 and V2 rockets; the V1 was a cruise missile, and the V2 was a long-range ballistic missile. At the beginning of the film (minute 4:28), the following dialogue takes place at the German base:

•    So, this is your pilotless aircraft.
•    Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a flying bomb, wouldn't you say?
•    Flying? Do you mean to say that they've actually managed to get this bomb off the ground?
•    My dear group leader, the bomb flies, but it veers to the right. We still don't know the reason why for now, but naturally, figuring it out is just a matter of time.

The first part of the movie is very realistic, almost like a documentary, showing how the Germans conducted their rocket research—all quite succinctly yet interestingly. The launch tests, the mistakes, and a reference to the Nazi aviator Hanna Reitsch.

 “Trading card. 1980s. Peenemunde.” The German base of Peenemunde is introduced, which was a research center where the rockets were developed, as well as a production and launch site, although the later models used mobile platforms. At the same time, the British side is shown, along with the analysis of the photographs taken by the spy planes.

Personally, I believe that in the movie there is a tendency to portray a diversity and tolerance of opinions (a democratic system?) in the dialogue among the British, which feels more extensive and realistic. As for the dialogue among the Germans (an authoritarian system?), it first highlights the internal strife between Wehrmacht and SS officers, and the argument is settled with "the Führer gave his approval." This doesn't mean there weren't internal conflicts on the British side—which are also shown—but they are more downplayed. Perhaps the most realistic touch at the end is the landscape of the snowy mountains and the entrance to the factory. The factory really existed as shown; it was a complex of facilities belonging to the Mittelwerk firm, which, after Allied bombings, were relocated inside the Kohnstein mountain. This underground center consisted of a network of tunnels and chambers stretching 20 kilometers into the mountain.

Something that seemed interesting to me—a minor detail, but one I didn't know about—was the method of changing clothes, swapping suits for work overalls. It consisted of a metallic hanging device that was raised with the clothes hanging from its hooks. Something I had never seen before, and if they included it, I imagine it must have been standard practice in factories.

Then there is a second part within the same film: action, thriller, espionage, adventure. It is well executed. A double agent gets involved. It generates the suspense and excitement of seeing the "heroes" operating in enemy territory. Not only that, but it inserts unusual elements that are not overly elaborate, such as the infiltrators being hunted down—at least one of them for being a common criminal. Or the group of three: an American, a British man, and a Dutchman. All of this is interspersed with unexpected events that pop up along the way. With a suspenseful, thrilling, and action-packed ending, the film is an entertaining and gripping entry into the World War II war genre.