A hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.A hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.A hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations
Stéphane Audran
- Underground Walloon Fighter at Asylum
- (as Stephane Audran)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe bulk of the picture was shot in Israel, and director Samuel Fuller remarked that it was unsettling after a scene was shot when the German soldiers and SS troops would take off their helmets and Fuller would see them wearing yarmulkes; also, between takes they would be sitting around the set in full Nazi uniform speaking Hebrew or reading the Torah.
- GoofsIn the crematorium scene Griff doesn't fire 18 rounds as often thought. He fires 8, then if you listen closely, the ninth noise is a clip ejected, and the tenth is the sound of a new clip being inserted. He then fires another 8, which is correct.
- Quotes
[the troop stops before a memorial]
Johnson: Would you look at how fast they put the names of all our guys who got killed?
The Sergeant: That's a World War One memorial.
Johnson: But the name's are the same.
The Sergeant: They always are.
- Alternate versionsIn 2004, film critic Richard Schickel restored this film to a new director's cut length of approximately 160 minutes. Using Samuel Fuller's production notes and the full-length, unexpurgated script, Schickel restored the footage that was forced to be cut by the studio upon its original 1980 release (which runs 116 minutes). The restored version's DVD release date is 3 May 2005. This longer, epic-length version is closer to Fuller's original vision for the film.
- ConnectionsFeatured in A tout coeur: Episode dated 7 May 1984 (1984)
- SoundtracksHorst-Wessel-Lied
Written by Horst Wessel
Featured review
Good personal story from Sam Fuller
This film is really about the experiences that Sam Fuller had during WWII. It is a bit dated, and the low budget really shows, but SF clearly did the best with what he had, and it stands as a great monument on war from a director who was really there.
All of the characters are very likeable, and well acted by Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, and company. The movie is fiction but influenced by real events. Many of the scenes, especially one involving a group of older sicilian women who cook a big meal for the squad, ring very true, since a fiction writer would obviously try and spice them up--the film is very honest, and it is good that Fuller left this story for us. I also like how it ends on a positive, optimistic note.
"The real glory of war is surviving."
All of the characters are very likeable, and well acted by Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, and company. The movie is fiction but influenced by real events. Many of the scenes, especially one involving a group of older sicilian women who cook a big meal for the squad, ring very true, since a fiction writer would obviously try and spice them up--the film is very honest, and it is good that Fuller left this story for us. I also like how it ends on a positive, optimistic note.
"The real glory of war is surviving."
helpful•439
- JAM-31
- Apr 18, 2000
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Big Red One: The Reconstruction
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $4,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,206,220
- Gross worldwide
- $7,206,823
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Dolby(original release)
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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