the leading man is my tpye

Excellent, smart action film.

Better Late Then Never

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I decided to see this film again, and now know why I forgot it was ever made. Cheap explosions, chunks of history ignored, and more women than every other 60s war films put together for what !!?? How on earth it gets such a high rating beggars belief, as it is presented in the most wooden way possible. A dreadful mess of a so called war drama, that looks so dated now. Better to watch paint dry, as this is one of the worst war films I have ever seen. Believe the other reviews at your peril......be afraid very afraid of wasting your time !!..!!!!!!!!!

Made with the co-operation of the Swedish Army Ordnance Corps. Photographed in black-and-white Panavision. Producer: Carl Foreman. A Carl Foreman Production. Copyright 31 December 1963 by Highroad Productions/Open Road Films. Released through Columbia Pictures. New York opening simultaneously at the Criterion and the Sutton: 19 December 1963. U.S. release: 19 December 1963. U.K. release: 12 October 1964. Australian release: 17 July 1964. 15,750 feet. 175 minutes. Cut by the censor to 155 minutes in Australia. SYNOPSIS: Following training in England, a U.S. infantry squad is sent into combat in Italy. After taking possession of a small town, one of the G.I.s, Baker, finds a few hours of happiness with a young mother, Maria, who has not heard from her soldier husband for several months. A few days later the group moves on and arrives in France after the D- Day landings. During the occupation of a small town, a rugged non-com named Craig (who later has his face shot away) spends an evening with a Frenchwoman terrified by the constant bombings. Another, Chase, becomes involved with a wealthy woman, Magda, who wants him to desert and join her in the enormously profitable black market. But he rejects her and rejoins his outfit and is wounded in action. Once the group has moved into Belgium, Sergeant Trower falls in love with Regine, a nightclub violinist, but loses her when she turns into a promiscuous opportunist. Later, in Berlin, he takes up with a young blonde who lives in the Russian zone and whose sister boasts of the greater luxuries provided for her by her Russian captain. Following a disillusioning evening with her, Trower becomes involved in a pointless squabble with a drunken Russian soldier.NOTES: Only film directed by screenwriter (Champion, High Noon, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone) and sometimes producer, Carl Foreman.COMMENT: A count-the-pretentious themes picture. On the credit side, we can count Saul Bass's titles, Senta Berger's performance, Challis' stark, newsreel-looking photography, and especially the execution of Private Slovik sequence with Frank Sinatra singing "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas". Action fans and Albert Finney fans are likely to be very disappointed by the minute amount of time given to them. It's very obvious that far, far too much footage was shot, but even so, many people just disappear from this film without any explanation.Needless to say, the movie does accommodate at least one actor whom we all wish would disappear, but who doesn't do anything of the kind. I refer to George Hamilton who gives am absolutely dreadful performance.And also, sad to reveal, but Carl Foreman's direction is dull, using poorly-composed long takes to monotony, whilst his sentiments, though doubtless sincere, are expressed in rubbishy terms. One of the worst examples is the Anglo-American friendship episode underscored by "There'll Always Be an England"! No wonder Carl, a splendid writer, didn't direct any more films, although he does have further credits as a producer and an executive producer. (Also, of course, as a director, he obviously couldn't contain himself and thus shot far, far, far too much footage, most of which ended up on the cutting-room floor).

Forgotten gem of a classic war drama, delivered with taste and nice looking b/w cinematography. The story follows a platoon of US soldiers across several cities on their conquest of Europe during WWII. It's more of a compilation of vignettes on the platoon members' wartime affairs with local European women rather than a traditional war film, being almost devoid of battle scenes. Yet the presence of war is always felt; as in the superb bombing scene with Sgt Craig and the wealthy French war widow, played by Wallach and Moreau."The Victors" has a great all-round cast of characters, including George Hamilton as corporal Trower, Eli Wallach as the tough sergeant, Jeanne Moreau and Rosanna Schiaffino playing short but memorable segments as the conquered women, to name a few. The version I saw has a relatively long running time of two and half hours, and is sometimes slightly slow for all tastes.... which is however compensated with several high impact scenes that linger well after the fact... for example one with Peter Fonda and a doomed puppy. The film is a great character study on human condition and makes a strong anti-war message, especially in the snowy execution scene of a deserter with Sinatra's Christmas song playing in the background... a contrast of tender music and violence which contributes to one of the most striking scenes in cinematic history... a combination later seen in many films such as Kubrik's DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), Leone's THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966), Peckinpah's CROSS OF IRON (1977) - and of course various Tarantino films where the meaning is to rather glorify violence instead of criticizing it."The Victors" is based on British writer Alexander Baron's book "The Human Kind", which is a collection of short stories based on the author's own wartime experiences. Excellent film.

This is a truly excellent film and is perhaps the greatest American war film ever made; a soldier's version of The Cruel Sea, where the relentless frightfulness of the war grinds down the participants humanity to a degree they never imagined possible.Too many war films portray some inane gung-ho spirit (any John Wayne film; Where Eagles Dare) or too much manufactured pathos (e.g. any John Wayne film; Saving Private Ryan)to be truly saddening; but The Victors really tears at the heart and mind when showing how ordinary people (soldiers and civilians) are emotionally damaged by the war (e.g. the dog scenes or the violinist's actions that starts the erosion of George Hamilton's basic decency)and we care about their fate or cry at what they become (actually I only felt tears for the final dog scene, but really identified emotionally with Hamilton when he saw the violinist with the oafish soldier).The viewer is given no easy consolation by characters dying to save others or marrying that desolate woman, and will emerge from the film a little sadder, but wiser. I cannot recommend this film too highly.As an amusing (ish) and friendly aside, I have worked out how manufacturers of American helmets could have saved manufacturing costs! How? Easy.......just dispense with the chin straps because no American soldier ever appears to use them in any film I have ever seen and the helmet stays on under all and any conditions!!!