Tunisian Victory is an Anglo-American propaganda film about the victories in the North Africa Campaign.
The film follows both armies from the planning of Operation Torch / Operation Acrobat to the liberation of Tunis. Interspersed in the pure documentary format are the narrative voices of an American and a British soldier (voiced by Burgess Meredith and Bernard Miles respectively), recounting their experience in the campaign. The British and American talk separately until the end of the film when they have a dialogue, agree to co-operate after the end of the war, with the other Allied nations to create a more just and peaceful post-war order.
The film was intended as a follow-up to the successful 1943 British documentary film Desert Victory. Frederic Krome’s article from The Historian Tunisian Victory” and Anglo-American Film Propaganda in World War II details the acrimony between the British and US film makers on the project. Most of the actual American combat footage taken during Operation Torch was destroyed when the ship carrying it was sunk, requiring many “battle scenes” to be reshot in America by director John Huston.
Thank you for posting these old WWII era films, Kevin. The war was only half over when this one was made, and there was no guarantee at this point that the Allies would win. I hate to imagine the world I, and others younger than I, would have been born into had the Axis powers prevailed. Some younger viewers might consider films like this corny. They weren’t. They played an important part in keeping spirits up, and I’m grateful for their contribution.
Usually don’t comment, yet this film was awesome. Required viewing in my opinion. The conversation at the end had me in tears which are only just drying. Thank you so much.
I agree and have replaced the show with a better print. A little digital magic on a 6 core computer works wonders.