Beyond the Line of Duty

Starring: Hewitt T. Wheless, Ronald Reagan (narrator)
Directed by: Lewis Seiler
Rating: Approved
Genre: Short, War
Length: 22 minutes
1942

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows Hewitt T. Wheless as he joins the Air Corps to fight in World War II.

Review:

Tim: Beyond the Line of Duty is an interesting short war propaganda film created by Warner Brothers during World War II. The film follows Hewitt T. Wheless and his journey from ranch hand to heroic pilot. The idea was to drum up support for the troops, so you have to expect a very rosy, rousing perspective on war. The film is interesting both for its perspective (knowing it's obvious aim), but also for a look at what life was like in the Army during WWII. This two-reeler won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, so that's an added reason to check it out.

The short follow Wheless, seizing every opportunity to show his patriotism and sense of duty. Wheless isn't an actor, so there are a few scenes that felt overly staged and forced. Surprisingly, though, he does approach his time on film with a calm sense of confidence. I never got the sense he was mugging for the camera. He seemed genuine and wanted to play his role as effectively as possible. The weaker moments only added to the realism.

The film did a good job of holding our attention- quite a lot of story unfolds in 22 minutes. It moves at a brisk pace and did a decent job using miniatures to tell the exciting, occasionally harrowing story of Wheless and his crew. I didn't love the obvious use of strings, but if you look past that, this is a more exciting propaganda film than we usually see.

As an Academy Award winner, I'd certainly recommend checking out Beyond the Line of Duty. Especially if you're interested in World War II history, this short is fascinating look at that time period. It's also a reminder of how far we've come in the 70+ years since this film came out. Oh, and the narration by Ronald Reagan was a nice added bonus.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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