The Americanization Of Emily (1964)

In 1944 WWII London, an American naval officer (James Garner) is a cynic who has no interest in becoming a war hero and instead spends the war providing both women and black market goods for high ranking officers. When he meets a British war widow (Julie Andrews) who is tired of heroes and losing loved ones to war, they fall in love. Loosely based on the novel by William Bradford Huie (THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER) adapted for the screen by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Arthur Hiller (THE OUT OF TOWNERS). This dark romantic satire seems to want to have its cake and eat it too. One is never really sure of the movie's stance. It seems to be anti-war and against the glorification of heroes on one hand yet hedges its bets by having Garner (whose character is a self professed coward) deceptively accept his fake hero status rather than be honest about it. I suppose there's an irony in that but if that's the case, the film doesn't make it clear. It seems it doesn't want to offend anyone and wants to keep everyone happy. All that aside, it's very well written (and I'm not a Chayefsky fan) and the performances are excellent. With James Coburn, Melvyn Douglas, Keenan Wynn, Edward Binns, Joyce Grenfell, William Windom, Judy Carne and Alan Sues.