Errol Flynn goes to war in DVD set

Even when he was standing still on the screen, Errol Flynn seemed to be on the move. Maybe part of that had to do with the anticipation of the audience. They knew that at any moment Flynn could spring into action.

He had done that countless times in his many fine swashbucklers and Westerns made for Warner Brothers from 1935-45. When World War II came, Flynn took his cinematic heroics to the conflict.

Five of his best WWII sagas comprise "TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures" (Warner Brothers, $49.92), now out on DVD. Each film is accompanied by a Warner Night at the Movies, which includes a variety of shorts, trailers, newsreel clips and cartoons from the 1940s.

Some critics say try to overlook the propaganda in these productions. Don't do that. Pay attention. Be aware that the future of democracy really was in peril from Japan and Germany. The films give you a feel of just how united America and its Allies were in their determination to save the world.

The collection includes:

--"Desperate Journey" (1942): Flynn plays the head of an Allied crew whose plane crashes behind Nazi lines. Although captured by the Germans, Flynn and his group (which includes Ronald Reagan, Arthur Kennedy and Alan Hale) make a daring escape. As they flee for safety, the Allies harass the enemy along the way. This is an exciting film from director Raoul Walsh accompanied by a fine music score from Max Steiner.

--"Edge of Darkness" (1942): Flynn plays Gunner Brooge, who lives in a small fishing village of 800 residents in Norway. When 150 Nazi soldiers show up and occupy the town, Brooge decides to help organize an underground resistance movement. The cruelty the Nazis inflict on the townspeople depicted here is no exaggeration. Also in the cast are Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston and Ruth Gordon. Directed by Lewis Milestone.

--"Northern Pursuit" (1943): Via submarine, a small band of Nazis slips into snow-swept northern Canada on a secret mission. Canadian Mounted Policeman Flynn attempts to infiltrate the invaders in hopes of discovering their plans. Another winner from director Raoul Walsh.

--"Uncertain Glory" (1944): Flynn plays Jean Picard, a French thief who has spent most of his life on the run from Inspector Marcel Bonet (Paul Lukas). It is 1943, Bonet finally has captured him in German-occupied Paris and Picard is scheduled for the guillotine. However, fate intervenes and Picard surprises even himself by becoming a patriot. Walsh directs.

--"Objective Burma!" (1945): Flynn is in top form as a captain who leads an American parachute platoon into Japanese-held Burma. They accomplish their mission of destroying a key radar post, but now they must flee through the jungle as enemy troops pursue them. Tough, hard-hitting war adventure from director Walsh.