One of our Aircraft is Missing (1942)

(On TV, January 2020) A surprising number of WW2 movies were shot during WW2 itself, and while many of them were straight-up propaganda movies with little lasting power, a few of them managed to deliver an enjoyable adventure story that can still be rewatched today with some pleasure. Sahara and Air Force both come to mind on the American front, but One of our Aircraft is Missing is a good British counterpart, as it depicts the adventures of a bomber crew forced to parachute over the Netherlands and make their way home thanks to a sympathetic homegrown resistance movement. Written and directed by the legendary Powell-Pressburger team, it’s a well-handled thriller with some good character moments and a few unusual choices. I specifically liked the roles given to the actresses in what could have been an all-boy’s adventure: Googie Withers is spectacularly beautiful here, but her role as a resistance leader is interesting, and Joyce Redman gets a great dramatic role as another resistance participant actively fooling the Nazis. One of our Aircraft is Missing is a workmanlike film, but it’s handled well enough that we can watch it today without dissonance regarding later events, and focusing on the adventure thrills of the film rather than its role in inspiring younger viewers to enlist and fight.