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Bitter Victory (1957)A commander receives a citation for an attack on Rommel's headquarters, which is actually undeserved as the commander is unfit for his job. On top of that, unbeknownst to him, his wife is having an affair with one of his officers. Director:Nicholas Ray |
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Title: Bitter Victory (1957)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Richard Burton | ... |
Captain Leith
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| Curd Jürgens | ... |
Major Brand
(as Curt Jurgens)
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| Ruth Roman | ... |
Jane Brand
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Raymond Pellegrin | ... |
Mekrane
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Anthony Bushell | ... |
General Paterson
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Alfred Burke | ... |
Lt.Colonel Callander
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Sean Kelly | ... |
Lieutenant Barton
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Ramón de Larrocha | ... |
Lieutenant Sanders
(as Ramon De Larrocha)
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| Christopher Lee | ... |
Sergeant Barney
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Ronan O'Casey | ... |
Sergeant Dunnigan
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Fred Matter | ... |
Oberst Lutze
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Raoul Delfosse | ... |
Lieutenant Kassel
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Andrew Crawford | ... |
Private Roberts
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Nigel Green | ... |
Private Wilkins
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Harry Landis | ... |
Private Browning
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In North Africa during World War II, Major David Brand is assigned to lead a British commando raid into German-held Benghazi to retrieve whatever documents they can lay their hands on at the German headquarters. His number two will be Capt. Jimmy Leith who speaks Arabic fluently and knows Benghazi well. Brand also learns that Leith and his beautiful wife Jane were lovers before the war creating tension between the two. Brand is untested in battle and freezes at a critical moment, losing the respect of his men. After the raid, the trek back is arduous and takes it's toll on the men. It also results in only one of the two senior officers surviving. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
30 Fighting "Desert rats" Invade Africa's Fortress! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Release Date:
March 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Amargo Triunfo See more »Company Credits
Production Co:
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Transcontinental Films, Robert Laffont Productions See more »
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Capt. Leith: Then he and I and you become part of history, of its futility.
Jane Brand: Don't talk to me in riddles, Jimmy.
Capt. Leith: It's a long time since I was in Libya. The Romans built wonderful cities in Libya: dead bones sticking out of the sand. War rolled over them. It'll be good to see them again.
Jane Brand: You always seemed to prefer stones to people.
Capt. Leith: I've learned things from stones.
Jane Brand: What?
Capt. Leith: All that people have forgotten in the centuries.
Jane Brand: I seem to remember I was less than a stone to you. I loved ...
[...]
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Upon seeing this at the Venice Film Festival, Jean-Luc Godard said his iconic statement "Le cinema, c'est Nicholas Ray (The cinema is Nicholas Ray)." See more »Quotes
Jane Brand: What if he doesn't come back?Capt. Leith: Then he and I and you become part of history, of its futility.
Jane Brand: Don't talk to me in riddles, Jimmy.
Capt. Leith: It's a long time since I was in Libya. The Romans built wonderful cities in Libya: dead bones sticking out of the sand. War rolled over them. It'll be good to see them again.
Jane Brand: You always seemed to prefer stones to people.
Capt. Leith: I've learned things from stones.
Jane Brand: What?
Capt. Leith: All that people have forgotten in the centuries.
Jane Brand: I seem to remember I was less than a stone to you. I loved ...
[...]
See more »
Thankfully now available in its full 103-minute version, this is one of Nicholas Ray's strongest works and one of the handful that doesn't bear the marks of studio meddling. It's an unrelentingly grim tale of cowardice and lost love which is almost incidentally set during WWII. Richard Burton manages to deliver cutting, pointed dialogue without making it hammy, and Curt Jurgens' performance of a deceitful squad leader is extremely strong; a coiled spring which never quite releases.
I can't help but wonder if some of the comments above are based upon the US version, which was cut by a whopping 21 minutes, because this is unquestionably one of the best of the Nick Ray canon. Working in many of his trademark themes of sacrifice and loss but keeping the melodrama surprisingly low-key, it's also gorgeously photographed in 'Scope black-and-white and none of the performances falter. Those who have enjoyed ATTACK, HELL IS FOR HEROES, THE BIG RED ONE and particularly Anthony Mann's brilliant MEN IN WAR are well advised to check this out, and it's a must-see for Ray enthusiasts, right up there with ON DANGEROUS GROUND, THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS, JOHNNY GUITAR and IN A LONELY PLACE.