ACKNOWLEDGED AT THE TIME OF RELEASE IN 1968 AS ONE OF PAUL NEWMAN'S MORE UNCONVENTIONAL ROLES - MORE SO THAN 1967'S COOL HAND LUKE, THE SECRET WAR OF HARRY FRIGG IS A COMPELLING WWII SPOOF/SATIRE THAT WORKS AS A RESULT OF AN INSPIRED CAST. DIRECTED BY JACK SMIGHT, WHO HAD WORKED WITH NEWMAN TWO YEARS EARLIER ON THE GROUNDBREAKING P.I. THRILLER, HARPER, HERE HAS NEWMAN AS A GOOF-OFF TYPE, ENGAGED BY ULTRA-GENERAL JAMES GREGORY AND AIDE BUCK HENRY TO MASQUERADE AS A GENERAL TO 'RESCUE' FIVE ALLIED GENERALS, MYSTERIOUSLY TRAPPED BY THE TRAPPINGS OF THE WAR: BRITISH COMMANDERS JOHN WILLIAMS AND CHARLES GRAY, AMERICANS ANDREW DUGGAN AND TOM BOSLEY AND FRENCHMAN JACQUES ROUX. NEWMAN IS THE DRAMATIC/COMEDIC FORCE OF THIS FILM, AND SMIGHT DEFTLY MOVES HIM INTO THE REALM OF THE ALLIED GENERALS, THE CHARMS OF ITALIAN COUNTESS SYLVA KOSCINA, DUPLICITOUS NAZI WERNER PETERS (WHO ATTEMPTS TO PASS HIMSELF OFF AS SWISS) AND ITALIAN COMMANDER VITO SCOTTI IN AN EFFECTIVE STANDOUT COMEDIC ROLE. NORMAN FELL ALSO SCORES AS ONE OF GREGORY'S AIDES, DECIDEDLY UNENTHUSIASTIC OVER THE CHOICE OF NEWMAN FOR THE LEADER OF THIS TONGUE-IN-CHEEK EXPLOIT. SECRET WAR HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME FOR IT WAS FILMED AS A COMMENTARY ON THE REACTION TO VIETNAM IN GENERAL TERMS, IT NOW HAS EMERGED AS AN ENGAGING COMIC TALE AND ONE OF PAUL NEWMAN'S BEST FILMS, FOLLOWING COOL HAND LUKE. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED FOR NEWMAN DEVOTEES AND WWII SATIRES, LIKE M*A*S*H AND CATCH-22, BOTH OF WHICH SECRET WAR PRECEDED.