Reception
Promoted as a light-hearted look at war, and despite the studio's insistence that it was not a propaganda film, A Yank in the R.A.F. was able to give prominence to Americans already at war, similar to other films such as Warner Brothers' Captains of the Clouds. The film was also notable in introducing Grable as the pinup favorite to the troops as well as giving her dramatic scenes that expanded her range; a crying scene reportedly took over six hours to film. When released in September 1941, A Yank in the R.A.F. was a popular film with audiences and critics alike. The New York Times reviewer, Bosley Crowther considered it a, "thoroughly enjoyable show ...thrilling" and filled with "pulsing action."
More contemporary reviewers have been more critical, decrying the unrealistic portrayal of a nation at war. Recent re-releases in video and 2002 DVD have similarly brought negative reviews concerning the content and filmmaker's approach to a serious subject.
Read more about this topic: A Yank In The R.A.F.
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
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“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
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“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
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