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It Happened Here - 1966 B&W
Review by Shawshank Sebastian
Movie Rating: 3/5 Stars
Shaw Rating: 5/5 Scars
Synopsis: A fictional account of a WWII German occupation of England in 1944. A British nurse struggles between reestablishing normalcy in her life by joining the occupiers, or giving allegiance to the rebellion.
Sebastian Shaw's role: Dr. Richard Fletcher, a.k.a. "Dick"
"It Happened Here" is one of four Sebastian Shaw films that are easily available on DVD. It also looked fairly interesting. I thought the idea of Nazis in England was a novel idea. And who doesn't enjoy a good WWII flick?
So when I won an eBay auction for a copy, I couldn't wait for it to arrive. Other than Return of the Jedi, this would be the first time I'd ever seen Sebastian Shaw in a film! What would his real voice sound like? Does he always sound like he's dying? Is he a good actor in other films, too? Were the scars real? Would he play a good guy or a bad guy? Would Sebastian Shaw be wearing a Nazi uniform? What a screenshot that would make!
Imagine my surprise when a VHS tape showed up in the mail! I had mistakenly bid on a VHS tape. Doh! My DVD-refined palate did not want to watch a VHS tape ever again. But for you, Dear Readers, I popped it in, and gritted my teeth.
Right away you'll notice the mediocre quality of the film. It seemed like a college project with a budget big enough for Nazi uniforms and vehicles, with a documentary feel. Which it was, I guess. The creators were 16 and 18 when they started the project. The audio quality was poor. It's hard enough to understand a bunch of mumbly British accents without the added annoyance of poor audio and dubbing.
There's plenty of out-of-place, loud music thrown in, too. The Germans must like Merry-Go-Rounds, because all of their music sounds like you're on a carousel.
But once you get past that stuff, it's watchable. Within the first few minutes, a guy gets shot in the face, and stares up at you with his graphic, bloody eye. The Nazis gun down a bunch of moms and kids. There's several brawls. And don't forget the surreal images of Nazi soldiers just hanging out in London, mingling happily with the locals.
So this British nurse Pauline decides, "Ah, the hell with it. I'm tired of seeing all of my friends killed. I'm going to play nice with the Nazi occupiers." She joins a British Nazi-youth group.
Finally, more than 30 minutes into the flick, she goes to visit a doctor friend of hers, played by none other than Sebastian Shaw. She calls him "Dick." As he enters the scene, he's drying his hands with a dish rag. He's happy, and smiling, and seems a pleasant enough chap. He cracks a few jokes. You get a good shot of his bald spot on the back of his head.
But eventually, we find out that he's harboring one of the resistance fighters! "Dick" Shaw is with the rebellion! Pauline tries to talk him out of such craziness. But Shaw says, "We've got to fight Fascism, because it's a disease...of the mind." Soon the Nazis find out about the doctor's ward, though. The good doctor and his family get pushed into a Nazi-mobile and driven away, while Pauline watches silently from across the street. So far, we've barely seen 10 minutes of Sebastian. Were these his only scenes? Was he dead?
Pauline gets sent away to a nursing facility and eventually finds out she's not administering vaccine, but putting prisoners to death! The film abruptly ends with more resistance battles, and we never see Sebastian Shaw again.
The Shaw Factor: Shaw has some good scenes in this flick. He plays a good guy, and has a nice morality speech. It's a minor role, but an interesting one to watch him perform. He's a middle-aged man here, but has many of the physical features that make him so memorable later in his career, as Anakin Skywalker.
Character Vices: TBD
Character Death: It is assumed, although there is no death scene.
Conclusion: I think it would have been a better ending if Sebastian Shaw broke out of the Nazi jail, slaughtered his captors, and saved England. Although he has a starring credit, it's a supporting role, and Sebastian Shaw fans will be wanting more.
Available on VHS / DVD? Amazon currently has it in stock, although it's rather pricey.
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Sebastian Shaw dries his hands.
"I sure hate the Facists."
Sebastian smirks at his own joke.
Young Nazi babes
"Pauline, I really can't understand why you'd want to be a Nazi."
In this shot, you see the familiar eye-bags we've grown to love.
Sebastian Shaw and family get carted off to the Gulag.