Across The Pacific

[JoeMastro]

I've seen this move many times since my childhood and had always assumed that the charges against Captain Leyland were bogus and created so he could be disgraced and discharged and thereby become approachable by the bad guys.  In one of the openings,  Ben Mankiewicz makes it sound as though Leyland was guilty of some impropriety.  I'd like a viewer opinion...Thanks!

[TomJH]

You're correct in your appraisal of the plot. The charges against Leyland were bogus so he could go undercover to work with  enemy agents.

I didn't see Ben's intro so have no comment on it.

Anyway, good film, eh? No one wore a trench coat quite like Bogie.

[JoeMastro]

Yes, one of my favorites.  Those trench coats, beside being very stylish, provided ways to hide his guns :).   

[unwatchable]

16 hours ago, JoeMastro said:

...Ben Mankiewicz makes it sound as though Leyland was guilty of some impropriety.  I'd like a viewer opinion...Thanks!

I make no bones about the fact that I am always ready to think the worst of Mankiewicz, not the least reason is that he's the host of TCM for one reason only- his last name. Nepotism at its most acute.

I did record Across the Pacific, so I listened to the intro.  Keep in mind that the way the film opens, the viewer is lead to believe that Bogart's character is, in fact, discharged in disgrace, and only as the movie goes along do we find out that the character is actually on a mission for the government. I think Mankiewicz's intro is intended for those viewers who had not yet seen this film, and if he had mentioned the dishonorable discharge being a ploy, this would be quite a spoiler.  So, in this instance, I can't fault Mankiewicz- or, I should say, I can't fault whoever wrote that intro for him, because I don't believe for a second that the guy does his own work. He hasn't so far, so...

[JoeMastro]

I see your point and it does make sense, given the fact that some of the things said give one the feeling that whoever wrote it never saw the movie.