***SPOILERS***Love story at the hight of WWII in Nazi occupied Belgium involving an American airman Maj. Ted Brice, Bill Paxton, who's the only survivor of his reconnaissance plane who's been protected by local woman the pretty Claire Daussois, Julia Ormond, in the attic of her house in the little town of Delahaut. It just happens that Claire's husband Harie, Phillip Volter, is a member of the Belgium resistance the "Maquis" who's been battling the Nazi oppresses for the last four years and during all that time had no time to have the comfort of married life with the beautiful wife Claire. Something that the American airman Ted, suffering from a broken leg, soon had more then he could handle.As it turned out the crashed US plane had a number of top secret codes in it regarding the top secret planned invasion of Western Europe that the Nazis want to desperately get their grubby hands on. And the only man who can reveal those codes is Maj. Ted Brice who's very existence is at the time unknown to the Nazis. Some complications soon arrive with a member of the resistance gunning down three German solders on the crash site that has the Nazi high command order brutal reprisals, by being shot & hanged, of the local population. This despite having such a good time in the sack as well, in a really hot & steamy scene in the movie, bathtub with Calire has the guilt ridden Ted get on with his mission, in liberating Nazi occupied Western Europe, full blast in him getting in touch with the resistance movement through Claire's husband, who seems to know what's going on between the two, Harie.***SPOILERS*** As things turn out Harie has other things on his mind other the saving his wife's lovers life but like everything else he does it backfired in his face. As for Ted he's caught trying to get in touch with the resistance by the Nazis and brutally tortured by them to get the secret code about the forthcoming invasion of Western Europe by the allies. It's when Claire is arrested and tortured by the Nazis that Ted breaks down and spills his guts to his Nazi captors in what he knows in order to save her life and prevent any farther Nazi retaliation against the local villagers. In knowing that he's doomed to be executed by the Nazis Ted gives them what they want in who killed the three German solders at the crash site to spear the people of Delahaut any more suffering. That suffering the brave and courageous Maj. Ted Brice took upon himself!

I bought the DVD to get Julia Ormond. Well, I got that in spades. She was lovely in the romantic scenes; too bad Bill Paxton was flying on autopilot for the whole effort. I almost lost my lunch when he popped his big fat white behind out of his flight suit to shall we say 'engage' with Julia.I realized Julia was very proficient in French while watching her in 'Sabrina'. I watched 'Sabrina' with the French soundtrack to see if Julia dubbed her own dialog. They used someone else. In any case, Julia was chosen for this Dutch film over a native French speaker with sufficient English to communicate with the American flier. Perhaps they wanted at least one familiar name for the British/American market. To my unfamiliar eye, Julia's features could pass for Belgian.The whole film had an odd nature. It was a Dutch film about Belgium in World War 2. I would imagine that national pride would have required a theme of heroic Dutch resistance to the German invaders. The Belgians were much more passive during the occupation period than were the French or Norwegians. The most savage fighting of all came in the Balkans where Tito's communist partisans gave the Germans fits.I noted in another review that 'dbdumonteil' believed Julia Ormond to be an American instead of the actual British nationality. Perhaps Julia's acting skills were great enough to carry off that impression.After watching this film several times, it suddenly dawned on me how out of season, the film is. It is set on Junuary 16, 1944 when the American plane crashes in Belgian farm country. The trees look to be in mid-Fall with lots of leaves and the weather is warm. People walk about in light clothing and the grass is still green. There is not the smallest trace of snow or ice. This must have been the mildest winter in Belgium ever.The actual plot of the film was a mess. Where to begin? For anyone interested in World War 2 history, the film came across as farce. The reconnaissance plane used was a huge 4-engine converted bomber. Such aircraft did exist, but they would have required massive fighter escort to have any chance of survival. In reality, smaller and swifter aircraft were readily available and would have been far more suitable for the task. The vital code books in the film would never have been carried on the plane. The crew had no need of this information to complete their mission, while compromise of this information would have been a huge intelligence defeat. Even given the premise of the film, the first items to be stripped from the aircraft would be the code books. They would have been on their way to Berlin within 10 minutes of the arrival of German troops at the crash site.The Daussois home, where 'Major Brice' took refuge was a farm where no one had the least interest in farming. Food would have been very scarce in Belgium at this time. The Germans would have required substantial quantities of locally-produced food to support their forces. The family truck would have been expropriated long before the arrival of the American flier. There would not have been any fuel available to run it anyway.The plot twist where Henri Daussois turns in the American out of jealousy is pathetic. He would have had to reveal all he knew about the resistance in order to be allowed to live. He would have had to function as a double agent to frustrate any effective opposition. The woman with the secret radio would have never survived the war.'Major Brice' was caught in civilian clothing toward the end of the film. That made him a spy under the laws of war and liable for execution with no defense. He would not have meekly surrendered to face interrogation unhindered by the Geneva Convention. Better to force them to kill him and spare his friends if possible.I have not read the novel upon which this film is based. If this film is a faithful adaption, it shows an abysmal lack of development in the novel. Regardless of the novel, the screenwriters could easily have produced a superior script that would not waste this opportunity to deliver a much better film.

The film was very basic. One thing that really bugged me was how, in a time of war, Bill Paxton's character acted like he was at a country club, having absolutely no idea that his actions just might effect the people that were helping him. With his total disregard for his caretaker's marital status to his "I want to be in public" stance...it just got absurd. I started to wonder what point the movie was trying to make: a). the struggle and sacrifice of the Resistance b). the invasion of the Americans-stealing the Belgian brides. Why is it that a movie like this can't figure out what lines should be spoken in French and what should be in English. The main character floated around in both in a seemingly roll the dice approach. Sometimes she spoke to the American in English, other times in French.The production value was high and the acting was pretty good otherwise.

The biggest flaw of this so-so resistance drama is the choice of an American actress to play the female lead.Julia Ormond is compelled to speak English -I guess she's not dubbed- with a French accent,which is completely absurd;besides,the story takes place in Belgium,where the accent should be different (I 've often heard Belgian people speak).When René Clément made a similar story in 1963 ("le jour et l'heure"),he chose Simone Signoret as the French woman and American Stuart Whitman for the aviator ,which made sense.And whereas Clement's movie had a dramatic progression (Signoret's character was first a woman who did not care about Resistance),this one has none.Now and then ,the German soldiers appear,just for their reprisals,hangings and tortures.There are some Belgian characters involved but their part is so underwritten that even the hubby cannot display his jealousy.Sandrine Bonnaire tries hard ,to no avail.Only Bill Paxton ,in his restrained and sensitive rendering ,shows some convincing emotion.The film was a flop,and it is sure easy to see why:Resistance has been tackled so many times in France,Europa and elsewhere ,that ,unless you are a genius,you can't make new things out of old.