Rating: 
Summary: Bless them all...bless them all....
Review: I am unable to recall another film whose opening and closing scenes are more effective than those in this brilliant portrayal of the 918th Bombardment group based in England which flew almost daily missions to Germany during World War II. The character of General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) is reputedly based on Brigadier General Frank A. Armstrong, Jr. Sy Bartlett wrote the book and then the screenplay. Brilliantly directed by Henry King, we are introduced to a combination of combat fatigue and self-pity which results in the replacement of Colonel Keith Davenport by his friend Savage who is told by his commanding officer, General Pritchard (Millard Mitchell), to shape up the 918th while avoiding Davenport's problem: Becoming overly involved emotionally in decisions to send B-17 crews on exceptionally dangerous missions, day after day after day. Savage immediately establishes his authority and almost immediately loses whatever goodwill he may have had. He applies and then maintains constant pressure on the crews to improve their performance in all areas of flight operations. Underachievers are reassigned to one B-17 renamed "The Leper Colony." Morale deteriorates to such a point that those at headquarters become concerned. A formal investigation of the situation is conducted. This is a critical moment for Savage. If he has "lost" his men, he cannot continue. In fact, he expects to be relieved and begins to pack his personal items. However, for reasons revealed in the film, Savage remains in command. And then....It would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen this film to say any more about the plot. Suffice to say that brilliant direction, great acting by everyone involved (notably by Dean Jagger who received an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role), superb cinematography (Leon Shamroy), and haunting music (Alfred Newman) are seamlessly integrated in this analysis of effective leadership (especially decision-making) under wartime conditions. The film begins when Harry Stovall (Jagger) makes an especially significant purchase in an antique store and then proceeds to what has by then become an abandoned air base. As we begin to hear the bombers' propellers whine as the engines roar to life, we are transported back in time. Later, as the film ends, civilian Stovall climbs back on his rented bike and departs what is again an abandoned air base. Stunning images throughout both sequences. Peck included this among his favorite films, while adding that he was especially proud of his performance as Frank Savage. When first released more than 50 years ago, it did not receive the recognition (much less the appreciation) it so obviously deserves. Whenever CEOs and other senior-level executives ask me to suggest war films which offer important lessons about leadership and management, Twelve O'Clock High is first on the list, joined by (in alphabetical order) Command Decision, The Dirty Dozen, The Enemy Below, Fort Apache, The Hunt for Red October, Paths of Glory, Pork Chop Hill, The Red Badge of Courage, They Were Expendable, and Zulu.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible movie, bad DVD transfer
Review: My favorite war film, compassionate and gritty. My second favorite Gregory Peck movie after "To Kill a Mockingbird". A classic that doesn't seemed to have aged at all. I gave this review five stars based on the movie, nonetheless, the DVD transfer is one of the worst I have seen. The picture transfer gets off to an excellent start but deteriorates from there (too dark on occassion, white lines, etc.). The sound quality, however, is good throughout. I can only hope Fox will re-release it with a better transfer. As a DVD extra, or Director's Cut, I'd love to see the original ending (which is still being shown in military academies). A wonderful movie worthy of your DVD library (despite the transfer).
Rating:
Summary: Leadership
Review: Gregory Peck plays magnificently the role of squadron commander of a precision bombing squadron during WWII. Playing "General Savage", Peck's role is that of an incoming commander with strict military discipline beliefs to get the most of his men and bring out in them what they lacked with their prior commander. The script itself is entertaining with non-stop philosphies and suspense. I would recommend this movie very strongly as a training video for those people in professions where leadership is the key to success. Watch closely as General Savage incorporates strict discipline with temperance in his interactions with his men. With the gain of respect, he has also earned the troops' trust. This form of leadership is almost non-existent today. However, it is literally, "combat proven".
Rating:
Summary: The best war movie I've ever seen. Magnificent!
Review: Twelve "O'Clock High is a powerful and true-to-life film dealing with the early days of the 8th US Air Force in Great Britain. Its mission: to bomb Germany not by night in saturation bombings as the British were doing, but instead to boldly engage in "precision daylight bombing." No one knew if the concept was viable because no one had ever dared try it before on a large scale. Gregory Peck plays the role of a leader suddenly thrust into command of a deeply troubled, demoralized, and shot-up bomber squadron. How he motivates the men and overcomes the fact that the men well know that their chances of survival were poor (the worst survival odds of any American combat assignment in the war) is a deeply moving, powerful, indeed unforgettable story. This is a great movie. The cinematography of this movie is wonderful, featuring actual combat footage of B-17s engaging German Focke-Wulf fighters in deadly combat. The sense of authenticity that this movie brings to the screen is total. One feels transposed back into England in 1942, engaged in a life-and-death struggle in the air against the Germans. The uniforms, dialogue, everything, about this movie reeks of authenticity. The storyline moves along at a breakneck pace--no dull interludes. And yet this is not just a "shoot-em-up" war flick. It is a stirring story of leadership, personality clashes, honest fear and human imperfections that reminds us what an incredible debt we all owe to the men who fought and won the air war over Nazi Germany. This is a DVD movie to keep and watch repeatedly over the years. It is not only a great movie, it is wonderfully entertaining. This is truly one of the all-time great war movies.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Great
Review: I am disappointed the Twelve O'Clock High DVD did not restore the original ending. Granted, you don't mess with an Academy Award winning film, but once you've seen the whole movie, anything less is unfulfilling. I viewed the complete version while at USAF Squadron Officer School in the 1980's. How the Air Force happened upon a "director's cut," I have no idea. The movie we are all familiar with ends with General Savage (Gregory Peck) coming out of his nervous breakdown when he hears the bombing group return. Although, a dramatic scene, it leaves you wondering what becomes of our hero, General Savage. In the version I first saw, the general returns to the air for a final bombing mission and is fatally wounded during the assault. Believe me, there was not a dry eye in the room as we watched the general die. I have a feeling this scene was deleted for being too powerful for a post-WWII audience. This is also why the movie ends with Major Stovall (Dean Jagger) reminiscing as he walks across an empty field - he's the only one alive who knows the whole story. Please FOX, give us a director's cut DVD and restore the original ending.
Rating:
Summary: This was my father's favorite movie
Review: And it is my guilty pleasure. Any time that I have to explain my model of leadership, this film rears its head in my life. Recently I have had to take over a hard luck unit in my job. I find myself repeating the lines and scenes in this film over and over again. It is well worth watching, especially because the first few scenes give a graphic depiction of what the air war was about. And because it will live with you as you work through your leadership issues.
Rating:
Summary: Leadership
Review: Gregory Peck plays magnificently the role of squadron commander of a precision bombing squadron during WWII. Playing "General Savage", Peck's role is that of an incoming commander with strict military discipline beliefs to get the most of his men and bring out in them what they lacked with their prior commander. The script itself is entertaining with non-stop philosphies and suspense. I would recommend this movie very strongly as a training video for those people in professions where leadership is the key to success. Watch closely as General Savage incorporates strict discipline with temperance in his interactions with his men. With the gain of respect, he has also earned the troops' trust. This form of leadership is almost non-existent today. However, it is literally, "combat proven".
Rating:
Summary: a beautiful look on the effect of war on men
Review: Many people dismiss the acting of Gregory Peck as John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster sort of actor. Their roles reflect their own personality, rather than the characters. Sadly, I think of lot of good acting has been given off-the-cuff reviews. Peck's body of work speaks for itself, From 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to 'Guns of Navarone' - and all the deft works between - he has proved his class as an actor, as a screen legend. Twelve O'clock high is a very moving film. It's in B&W, and I think personally, the film benefits from this. It gives you the grim realities of sending young men out to die and the men who shoulder that decisions. There are bigger epics - like the air shows of 'The Battle of Britain' or the tank saga of 'The Battle of the Bulge', but I don't think any film can really touch the power of this film. It does not deal with the battles, but the men. It is a quiet film that address the pressures men face, the ones going out there and fighting, the ones that stay behind and give the orders. It is bloody brilliant! Gregory Peck stars as Brig. Gen. Frank Savage. At the start of the film, he is dealing with the Lt. Col. Ben R. Gately played by the underrated and very natural actor, Hugh Marlowe. Gately is very popular with his men, because he cares. Each time he sends them out and they do not come back, his heart bleeds. Slowly the grim guilt is grinding him down. Savage sees his friend's problems as one of distancing himself from the men. If you stay aloof, do not get involved with them personally, the decisions would come easier. When Savage voices this opinion once too often, he is told to put his money with his mouth is - he is to take over for the cracking Gately. Savage arrives. Immediately he is in the untenable position of being he replacement for the much beloved Gately. His by-the-book, shut up and salute, does not earn him adoration. In fact, the whole unit has all written transfer requests. Standing between the martinet Savage and is men who would like to frag him, is Maj. Harvey Stovall (Dean Jones in one of his best performances of his career). Stovall was very devoted to Gately, but sees both sides of the problem and truly understands the bottom line - unless you are totally without a heart, there is NO way to keep the emotional distance from your men. Eventually, the line is blurred and you care. Something Savage slowly learns, and grinds him down just as Gately did. It's brilliantly written, with incisive insight that is marvelously flesh out by powerhouse actors that give it their all. A deeply moving film with so much heart. Just a note - Robert Lansing played the same character for the television series of that name and did equal justice to the role. Please release these on DVD for Lansing fans.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for the Director's Cut
Review: I was disappointed when the DVD version of this film was released. I saw it in theaters in 1949 (probably 10 times)and still recall several missing scenes that are important to the plot. When the DVD came out I was excited thinking that surely they would have been restored in this format without the space constraints of VHS. I was wrong. The current cut, for example, does not explain the significance of the Toby mug that Dean Jagger finds in a London shop and replaces on the airbase officers' club mantlepiece. There are others, such as what happens to the young navigator and why. Obviously, I think this is one of the greatest war movies of all time. I just hope someday a director's cut is released with all the missing scenes restored. It's still worth buying but the film is incomplete without the missing scenes.
Rating:
Summary: My Personal Connection to 12 O'Clock High
Review: This movie means a lot to me, since my Grandfather's flying was filmed for it. He was a Major (almost to Col., but was injured) in the Air Force, and was a test pilot who flew with the likes of Glen and Yeager who were his friends and colleagues. My grandfather was an amazing and brave test pilot whose career was cut short by a botched Air Force surgical procedure for a herniated disk. He ended up in a wheelchair. The brave men like my grandfather never knew if the planes they were testing would fail, and cause them to lose their lives. They literally were the 'guinea pigs' for our nation and did this every single day. My grandfather flew the first jet engine plane, B-52 bombers, and all varieties of the then-experimental technology. My grandfather's flying was so spectacular that Hollywood sought him out to use it for the film 12 O'Clock High. I feel terrible about it now, but when I was a little girl and he would tell me about his career and show me the film, I was *not* interested. At the time, if it wasn't Barbie or Shaun Cassidy .... then I did not want to hear it. How much I regret that now! It took my first boyfriend, when I was 14, who was fascinated with flying, to give me respect for my grandfather's passion. Later in life, I worked for a company whose executives were pilots and owned the vintage planes my grandfather flew. I spent many wonderful days flying in aircraft such as the "T-34" and the "P-51 Mustang". I even married a pilot and we owned our own planes, flying all over the country or even just making short hops for an "out of town" dinner. In fact, my future husband used flying to romance me, even taking my parents for thrilling flights in vintage jets in order to win them over. By this time, my grandfather was deceased. I wish he had been there for that. If anyone has any background on the 12 O'Clock High pilots and my grandfather, I would appreciate having it for my children. Since my grandfather considered the film to be 'no big deal' compared to his other accomplishments, I do not have the memorabilia that I wish I had now. You can contact me through this site or at kspmedical@aol.com . Enjoy the film!
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