Task Force

"Nothing ever like it ! Nothing you ever liked more !"

1949 1h 56m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 15

DramaRomanceWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After learning the finer points of carrier aviation in the 1920s, career officer Jonathan Scott and his pals spend the next two decades promoting the superiority of naval air power. But military and political "red tape" continually frustrate their efforts, prompting Scott to even consider leaving the Navy for a more lucrative civilian job. Then the world enters a second World War and Scott finally gets the opportunity to prove to Washington the valuable role aircraft carriers could play in winning the conflict. But what will it cost him and his comrades personally?

“Nothing ever like it ! Nothing you ever liked more !”

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Cast

Gary Cooper
Jonathan L. Scott
Jane Wyatt
Mary Morgan
Wayne Morris
McKinney
Walter Brennan
Pete Richard
Julie London
Barbara McKinney
Jack Holt
Captain Reeves
Stanley Ridges
Sen. Bentley
John Ridgely
Dixie Rankin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Delmer Daves
Writers: Delmer Daves
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Delmer Daves, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alan Crosland, Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gary Cooper and Jane Wyatt and Wayne Morris carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Nothing ever like it ! Nothing you ever liked more !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041948 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Delmer Daves directs. Robert Burks behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. Alan Crosland, Jr. cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

177 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Delmer Daves, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Alan Crosland, Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gary Cooper and Jane Wyatt and Wayne Morris carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Nothing ever like it ! Nothing you ever liked more !".
8IMDB entry: tt0041948 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 15 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Burks
Original score: Franz Waxman
Editing: Alan Crosland, Jr.
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Task Force (1949)

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Delmer Daves

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 6/10
Told by way of a retrospective on the career of "Adm. Scott" (Gary Cooper) this is quite an interesting story of the evolution of the aircraft carrier and the training and development of naval piloting skills dating back to the 1920s - when the ships looked little more stable than upturned irons, and a fair degree of the pilots were injured or worse as they tried to land amidst a pitching sea with crosswinds galore. The aerial photography is superb, giving us quite an insight into the perils of trying to land a flimsily built aircraft on a 65 foot long object, in the middle of the sea. That's the interesting bit. The acting is really neither here nor there. Cooper has a glint in his eye at the start but becomes way too earnest as he rises through the ranks and has to strive to establish his vision of carrier-based naval air squadrons. He has a few helpers en route - an oddly wooden Walter Brennan in a much straighter role that we are used to seeing him in, and to be honest - he isn't a natural. Wayne Morris and Jane Wyatt make up the numbers but this film is really about the history of maritime aviation. The drama is very much secondary and aside from the last fifteen minutes, it might as well be a (good) documentary with some familiar faces presenting it

Production companies