Search - Three Came Home on DVD

One of the most underated war films of all time!

Dave | Tennessee United States | 04/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Three Came Home" is the true story of Agnes Newton Keith's experiences during World War Two. Based on her autobiography, this moving yet surprisingly brutal (especially for 1950) war film has somehow remained largely forgotten over the years. With top-notch performances, especially from Claudette Colbert and Sessue Hayakawa, this a definite must for any fan of classic movies.

Claudette Colbert stars as Agnes Keith, a writer who lives in British North Borneo in 1940-41 with her husband (Patric Knowles) and little boy. They are part of a small community of British civilians (Colbert is the only American among them) living in the region, and life is good for them, until they hear of the Dec. 7, 1941 surprise attack by Japanese forces on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. It's then only a matter of weeks until the Japanese troops land in Borneo. When they do land, Mrs. Keith and all the other civilians are quickly rounded up and "introduced" to their new "masters". On May 12, 1942, Agnes and her husband are seperated as they're sent to different prison camps. She has her young son with her, and they struggle to survive in their new harsh environment.

However, Agnes meets the prison camp commander, Col. Suga (Sessue Hayakawa), who's amazingly a fan of hers because of her famous novels, and slowly they become friends. But that friendship doesn't prevent her from being assaulted one night by a camp guard or from taking a brutal beating during a relentless interrogation by a different officer. But Col. Suga does his best to keep Agnes and her son safe, even after his own family is wiped out by the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. The ending would initially seem like typical Hollywood propaganda if you didn't know this was a true story, and the fact that it's true makes it even more amazing. The violence in the movie is very rare for a 1950 film, with women being shown abused by prison guards, including the attempted rape of Agnes. Perhaps the toughest scene to watch is the one showing Australian prisoners being machine-gunned as they try to climb a barbed wire fence, not to try and escape, but simply to talk to female prisoners!

This bargain priced dvd from Front Row Entertainment has a remarkably clear picture quality and a fabulous sound quality, and at this inexpensive price you can't ask for more than that! This is an incredible true story of survival amid the heartless carnage of World War Two, and it's one of the finest performances of Claudette Colbert. Highly recommended."

Movie

Claudia E. Nye | 03/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Was excited that this movie still was available --- as I saw it when I was about 6 years old --- it was very scary back then as I remembered. I'm now 70 --- glad I found it."