ianlouisiana Review of Operation Amsterdam

Operation Amsterdam (1959)

An interesting premise that descends into silliness...............

[6/10 · 7 November 2009]

It shouldn't be forgotten that anti - Semitism was quite widespread in Dutch society prior to the arrival of the Nazis.It is by no means accurate to describe the reception given to the German troops as a heroes' welcome,but there were a significant number of people in Holland willing to adopt a pragmatism that perhaps seems a tad too accommodating in retrospect. You will see little of this in "Operation Amsterdam" set in the first days of the Nazi invasion where most of the population seem to possess a very sensible desire to put as much distance between themselves and the advancing Germans as possible.And who can blame them with the Luftwaffe's penchant for strafing refugee columns all over Europe. In the circumstances it took not a little courage for the Dutch diamond merchants to hand over their stock of industrial diamonds to the British rather than curry favour with the Nazi hordes already pouring across the dykes. Led by a not really up to the job Tony Britton (he makes a right pigs' breakfast of doing away with a Dutch soldier),they are landed by destroyer during an air raid and make their way to Amsterdam in a grand Mercedes convertible driven by Miss Eva Bartok whom they have saved from a watery grave after she has attempted suicide on seeing her fiancé's boat bombed by the Germans.Presumably as part of the grieving process she spends the rest of the day(it seems much longer) driving the boys round the city getting shot at. "Operation Amsterdam" gives every impression of having been fatally mauled in the editing suite.Little master Melvyn Hayes appears as from a hole in the stage,plays a pipe organ,gets shot,smiles bravely and disappears again.Mr Peter Finch's coat collar goes up and down seemingly at random,a wheel change to the Merc whilst under fire from a Messerschmidt goes along at a pace that is almost indecent......... Alexander Knox has a certain rueful charm,Miss Bartok plenty of pluck,Mr Finch looks a little bewildered for most of the movie,possibly wondering why Mr Knox is with them in the first place as he seems to have no point. John le Mesurier is sublimely out of place as a Dutch Colonel with a mysterious smile,but it's nice to see him anyway. Had the picture been made 10 years earlier it might have had a bit more relevance,but a Britain on the cusp on the 60s and with most of Europe moving towards some sort of detente it was not the time to be reminding people of a time when its citizens were at each others' throats. Miss Bartok I believe was a "celebrity" here in the UK for being a close friend of the Marquis of Milford Haven.When we look at her then,we are seeing a proto Victoria Beckham,but I'm not sure that she'd choose to be remembered that way,rather as a mysterious Euro - enigma driving her convertible through the sun - dappled streets of Amsterdam before kissing Peter Finch goodbye and disappearing - mysteriously.