Channeling the mesmeric movies churned out by the studio system back in the 1930s and 40s, Allied (2016), directed by Robert Zemeckis, channels the likes of Morocco, Casablanca, Across the Pacific, Gilda, To Have and Have Not, and numerous others – attempting to find a spark from the classic themes of melodrama, romance, suspense and the epic nature of the annals of the cinematic past, with quite successful results.
Set the year Casablanca and Across the Pacific were released – 1942, the story in fact starts in Morocco, with recently parachuted in Canadian spy Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) meeting up with another undercover agent, Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard), who will be pretending to be his wife.
Coming together to work on a top secret mission, the job will be a risky one. . . especially as their phony bond must look full proof, flawlessly faking facts and supposed long separated love to capture the legitimacy of a married couple in Vichy French controlled Casablanca (who were beholden to the Germans). Though this sounds like enough for an entire film, this is actually just the beginning. . . with a return to England starting the second half of the narrative.
Of course, the intimacy of the job strengthens their bond (despite attempts to stay at arm’s length), fiction quickly becoming reality. . . Max and Marianne returning to Great Britain as husband and wife. With the former taking a much safer desk job under Frank Heslop (Jared Harris) and the latter promptly getting pregnant, it seems like a nightmare that has magically transformed into a dream. . . though that might not be the case.
A story of wartime escapades, undercover espionage, and globetrotting romance, the narrative has all of the hallmarks of one of those golden age epics. Though never truly capturing the magic found within those classics of the era, it has enough things going for it to moderately succeed. Despite Pitt and Cotillard never exuding the complex essence of wartime love à la Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, their more aloof relationship suits the tale, as they do not wholly know each other – whereas the other cinematic couple did thanks to their Paris back story. Further enhanced by stylish and militaristic costume design by Joanna Johnston, numerous realistic sets in both the Moroccan and English settings, and a nuanced score by Alan Silvestri which holds a touch of modern flair floating above its traditional inspiration, each aspect of the film does a solid job of channeling an era long since past.
Upon seeing this film, fans of Casablanca will immediately notice more similarities to it when compared to the other motion pictures listed in the introductory paragraph. Though there is never a Victor Laszlo here to create a love triangle, many of the same themes and plot points abound. On top of the surface connections (like its opening setting), it delves deeper into the complexities of love when your past still haunts you (is it inescapable?), the secrets hidden between lovers – be it for your own discomfort or because you think you’re saving your significant other from more pain, as well as the sacrifices made – be it for love, patriotism, or the job. Despite it sometimes feeling like this film is itself fighting the legacy of the movie it most closely resembles, with the conclusion most definitely coming to mind, there is no denying that this is an intriguing companion piece to the 1942 classic that makes the viewer think more about both features.
A solidly crafted picture with echoes from the distant past, Allied’s flaws and ending might create allies amongst some, enemies of others, while a few could even come out neutral to the whole thing. What cannot be denied are the excellent talents of all involved in the project. So, discover which group you side with, the results might be surprising.