drjgardner This is the first American film about the North Africa campaign and the last film Henry Fonda made before reporting for the war. In fact he had tried to report earlier but studio head Zanuck had him deferred until this film was made."The Immortal Sergeant" tells the oft-told tale of a group of soldiers at risk trying to survive. The first version I can recall was "the Lost Patrol" a 1929 British silent film remade in 1934 by John Ford. Those films were based on the 1927 novel "Patrol" and the basic theme has been repeated since (e.g., 'The Thirteen", "Sahara", "Last of the Comanches", "Kokoda").This 1943 film is an American propaganda film using the British fighting in Africa for the setting. Though this is obviously a studio film, the camera work is pretty good and some of the action sequences look good.The cast is rich with 40s stars like Henry Fonda, Thomas Mitchell, Maureen O'Hara, and Reginald Gardiner. But they are merely going through the motions and there is nothing here you haven't seen before.My favorite WW 2 fighting films made between 1942 and 1944 include "Wake Island" (1942), "Bataan" (1943) which also had Mitchell, "The Fighting Sullivans" (1944), "Flying Tigers" (1942), "Guadalcanal Diary" (1943), "The North Star" (1943), "The Rats of Tobruk" (1944), and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944).There are a plethora of non-fighting WW 2 films that are worthy of mention – "Casablanca" (1942), "Lifeboat" (1944), "Hangmen Also Die" (1943), and "Five Graves to Cairo" (1943).

DrPhilmreview Henry Fonda walks through this disappointing film about a corporal who learns to be a man and "fight for what he wants" after his squad's sergeant (Thomas Mitchell) is killed and he has to take over the squad in the Libyan desert. The tensionless war scenes are broken up by dull flashbacks of Fonda's relationship with Maureen O'Hara, who he treats as kind of a gal pal because he's just too shy or unsure of himself to go for despite the fact she is obviously hungering for him (only because there's a British fop also after her. Maureen had to be hungering for John Wayne to show up as a Yank so she could blow off both of these losers).The direction is pedestrian and the script would have been thrown away by Wayne or Stewart. I particularly enjoyed seeing the soldiers walk through the desert in the daytime in foul weather gear while its hot and they're dying of thirst. Yes, it gets cold in the desert at night. But this wasn't at night!

Michael O'Keefe Average war drama based on a John Brophy novel. The immortal sergeant is British Sgt. Kelly(Thomas Mitchell)in charge of a 14-man patrol in the desert of WWII Libya. Kelly is tough, but compassionate and held in high regard by the men in his unit. The group becomes smaller as only six survive an air attack in the open desert. Kelly's corporal is Colin Spence(Henry Fonda), a shy and laid back Canadian with enough military smarts to impress the sergeant in picking him as his replacement. The fatigued patrol comes face to face with a Nazi tank and after a harsh confrontation Spence is forced to step up and take the place of their fallen leader.The photography for this war drama is very good for the mid-40's. Black & White film sets the mood and feel of the movie well. The action is broken up with Spence's flashback reminiscing of the girl he left behind, the beautiful Maureen O'Hara. Also in the cast: Reginald Gardner, Allyn Joslyn, Melville Cooper, Morton Lowry, John Banner and a small role for Peter Lawford.

pcronin SPOILER This movie is lauded for its realistic battle scenes of soldiers suffering during wartime. Henry Fonda is Colin Spence, a well meaning Canadian gent; Benedict(Reg Gardiner)a brash British bloke, his nemesis. They are schoolmate writers in love with the same beautiful woman, Valentine(Maureen O'Hara). They attended school together but while Benedict was privileged, Colin was humble. It has been the same in life, where Benedict has enjoyed fame and fortune and Colin has known only failure. After seeing a French acquaintance herded to prison camp during the nazi occupation, Colin decides to enlist. There he meets his Immortal Sergeant(Thomas Mitchell), a frankly admittedly self flawed man who runs his small quirky outfit with instinct and wit, leading them on long traverses through hot desert seeming with no end but resulting in nazi casualties and while he gets killed provides for his men and gives them hope to carry on. They discover a nazi outpost and raid it for some much needed supplies. They then surround the camp and do a good job of killing the men. Three of them survive, and two of them including Cpl Colin Spence are now declared heroes. While recovering in hospital, a journalist reporter comes to interview Col. Unbeknownst to both of them, it is Reg. Col had just got a telegram from Valentine, and he tells Bene to wire her his intent to marry her. Reg says no way, but Col now has backbone and says you better. Reg does it and Maureen is now here to wait for her Lieutenant a the station upon his return home. Another happy end!