Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsTown Without Pity (1961) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Manfred Gregor (novel)
George Hurdalek (screenplay)
more
Release Date:
March 1961 (Austria) more
Tagline:
The Story of What Four Men Did To a Girl... And What the Town Did To Them!
Plot:
Four American soldiers stationed near a German village face death in the rape of a local girl and are defended by outside counsel Major Steve Grant. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Gripping, powerful, shocking for its time. more (19 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Kirk Douglas | ... | Maj. Steve Garrett | |
| Barbara Rütting | ... | Inge Koerner | |
| Christine Kaufmann | ... | Karin Steinhof | |
| E.G. Marshall | ... | Col. Jerome Pakenham | |
| Hans Nielsen | ... | Karl Steinhof | |
| Ingrid van Bergen | ... | Trude | |
| Robert Blake | ... | Cpl. Jim Larkin | |
| Richard Jaeckel | ... | Cpl. Birdwell "Birdie" Scott | |
| Frank Sutton | ... | Sgt. Chuck Snyder | |
| Karin Hardt | ... | Frau Steinhof | |
| Gerhart Lippert | ... | Frank Borgmann | |
| Mal Sondock | ... | Pvt. Joey Haines | |
| Alan Gifford | ... | Gen. Stafford | |
| Max Haufler | ... | Dr. Urban | |
| Rose Renée Roth | ... | Frau Kulig |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Stadt ohne Mitleid (West Germany)
Ville sans pitié (Switzerland: French title) (literal title)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Christine Kaufmann's American film debut. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Karin is trying to draw Frank's attention, we see her unhook her bra (while obscured by bushes), remove half of her two-piece bikini suit, followed shortly by a shot of her bare back. When Jim Larkin covers her up with his shirt, we can see she is wearing the bikini top again. In the context of the plot, she would not have been able to put it back on, and the soldiers certainly would not have. (Though we never see her dropping the bottom, we can assume she did remove it at the same time, without that being presented.) more
Quotes:
Inge Koerner:
I'm Inga Koerner. I write for the Globus, a German news weekly.
Maj. Steve Garrett:
Yes, I've heard of it.
Inge Koerner:
Oh, have you?
Maj. Steve Garrett:
I smelled it! You work for a rotten sheet, lady!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly (#4.20)" (1991) more
Soundtrack:
Town Without Pity more
FAQ
Where was "Town Without Pity" filmed?How does the movie end?
What is this movie about?
more
more (19 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Town Without Pity (1961)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Blooper in Town Without Pity | r-e-studley |
| MOVIE HAS BEEN ON THIS TV THIS WEEK | definitedoll |
| Saw some of it, missed 2nd half...HELP? | snaik005 |
| US Flag blooper | rlaniewski |
Recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Anatomy of a Murder | The Reader | To Kill a Mockingbird | Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage | The Accused |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |

When this film was released in 1961, I remember the ads saying this film was for "Adults Only". (The MPAA rating system didn't exist then.) A film about four soldiers stationed in Germany who gang rape a 16 year old girl and the trial that followed was pretty heavy stuff for audiences back then. I recently saw the film on Turner Classic Movies, and it still holds up very well. It is still startling and powerful, even without nudity and foul language, which should show Hollywood it can be done. You can be "adult" without being unnecessarily vulgar or obscene. As it stands, I would still give this film an "R" rating today.
And, of course, there is the memorable title song, sung by Gene Pitney, which accounted for the film's only (surprisingly) Oscar nomination. Even that lost out to the syrupy "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".
My one complaint about Turner's presentation was with the film's aspect ratio. Instead of showing a widescreen version, they showed a full-frame version with the framing "squeezed" so that faces were somewhat elongated and cars appeared "stubby" and compacted. This became very annoying. Even a pan & scan version would be better than this.
Nonetheless, for sheer power, as well as excellent acting by Kirk Douglas, E.G. Marshall, Christine Kaufmann, and a very young Robert Blake, I highly recommend "Town Without Pity".