Twelve O’Clock High (1949)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Twelve O’Clock High (1949) – H. King

Gregory Peck plays Brigadier General Frank Savage tasked with reversing the flagging morale of an air force group who are trialling daylight bombing campaigns during the early days of US involvement in WWII.  The film is explicitly about leadership, what works and what doesn’t.  Savage is replacing another group leader who became too protective of his “boys” and started to make poor decisions as a result.  So, Savage starts off cold and tough with no sympathy and the only goal being to build confidence and pride in the 918’s achievements. The outcome is a whole raft of transfer applications.  Slowly, following mission after mission (and a few key deaths), Savage’s leadership style changes toward a more personal identification with the group.  Apparently, Peck himself wanted the script to be anti-war, emphasising the psychological toll on Savage and the men under his command – it does that but never quite denies the “glories” of war. Although most of the film takes place on the ground, some final pivotal action scenes make use of real battle footage (which feels rather ominous).  On the back of Peck’s charisma (and also Dean Jagger in a key supporting role), the film works.