The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay) and
Lukas Heller (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 June 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

Train them! Excite them! Arm them!...Then turn them loose on the Nazis!

Plot:

A US Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers in World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Major | Mission | General | U.S. Army | Suicide Mission

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	Major Reisman
Ernest Borgnine	...	General Worden
Charles Bronson	...	Joseph Wladislaw
Jim Brown	...	Robert Jefferson
John Cassavetes	...	Victor Franko
Richard Jaeckel	...	Sergeant Bowren
George Kennedy	...	Major Max Armbruster
Trini López	...	Pedro Jiminez (as Trini Lopez)
Ralph Meeker	...	Captain Stuart Kinder
Robert Ryan	...	Col. Everett Dasher Breed
Telly Savalas	...	Archer Maggott
Donald Sutherland	...	Vernon Pinkley
Clint Walker	...	Samson Posey
Robert Webber	...	General Denton
Tom Busby	...	Milo Vladek
Ben Carruthers	...	Glenn Gilpin
Stuart Cooper	...	Roscoe Lever
Robert Phillips	...	Corporal Morgan
Colin Maitland	...	Seth Sawyer
Al Mancini	...	Tassos Bravos
George Roubicek	...	Pvt. Arthur James Gardner
Thick Wilson	...	General Worden's Aide
Dora Reisser	...	German Officer's Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Brooks Jr.	...	German Officer (uncredited)
Gerard Heinz	...	Card-Playing German Officer (uncredited)
John G. Heller	...	2nd German Sentry at Chateau (uncredited)
John Hollis	...	German Porter at Chateau (uncredited)
Hildegard Knef	...	(uncredited)
Richard Marner	...	German Sentry at Chateau (uncredited)
Dick Miller	...	MP at Hanging (uncredited)
Lionel Murton	...	MP Lt. Col. in charge at hanging (uncredited)
Suzanne Owens-Duval	...	Prostitute (uncredited)
Frederick Schiller	...	Drunken German General (uncredited)
Richard Shaw	...	German Officer Who Seals the Bunker (uncredited)
Vicki Woolf	...	Prostitute (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Aldrich

Writing credits
Nunnally Johnson		(screenplay) and
Lukas Heller		(screenplay)
E.M. Nathanson		(novel)

Produced by
Raymond Anzarut	....	associate producer
Kenneth Hyman	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank De Vol		(as De Vol)

Cinematography by
Edward Scaife		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Luciano

Art Direction by
William Hutchinson		(as W.E. Hutchinson)

Makeup Department
Ernest Gasser	....	makeup artist
Wally Schneiderman	....	makeup artist (as Walter Schneiderman)

Production Management
Julian Mackintosh	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director

Art Department
Colin Grimes	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Tim Hutchinson	....	set designer (uncredited)
Mickey Lennon	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Claude Hitchcock	....	sound recording
Franklin Milton	....	sound recording
John Poyner	....	sound editor
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects supervisor
Alan Barnard	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jimmy Harris	....	special effects (uncredited)
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Roy Whybrow	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jack Woodbridge	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ken Buckle	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Dowdall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Dunne	....	stunts (uncredited)
Romo Gorrara	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
William Offer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Reid	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Terry Richards	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rocky Taylor	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan McCabe	....	camera operator
Tony Spratling	....	camera operator
Chris Ashbrook	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
Jim Dawes	....	grip (uncredited)
Dennis Fraser	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Wilson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
David Wynn-Jones	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Music Department
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Frank De Vol	....	conductor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Walter Lesley Tiley	....	truck driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Walter Blake	....	main title design
Jim Dowdall	....	armorer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presented by)
• MKH
• Seven Arts Productions

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Filmipaja (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1970) (USA) (TV)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1984) (Greece) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1986) (Finland) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Creative Design (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Bros. Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (Special Edition)
• Warner Home Video (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (Premium Edition)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (19??) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Esselte CIC Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS) (as Esselte Video) (through MGM / UA Home Video)
• Herald Pony (????) (Japan) (VHS)
• MGM / UA Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS) (for Esselte Video)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Karma Transport  transportation (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Dirty Dozen" - International (English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German | French | Spanish | Latin

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1968) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #20802) | Iceland:16 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (f) | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 (tv rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Aldbury, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Charles Bronson's character says his father was a coal miner from Silesia (Central Europe). In real life, this is true. Charles Bronson's real father was a coal miner from Lithuania.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Although Major Reisman correctly wears an officer's overseas cap with the mixed black-and-gold braided trim on it in scenes in which he wears a dress uniform, he (incorrectly) wears an enlisted man's plain overseas cap in scenes in which he wears a fatigue, or field, uniform.

Quotes:

Major John Reisman:You know what to do, free the French and shoot the Germans!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Get Smart: Smart Fell on Alabama (#5.6)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Don't Blame Me

Smell the testosterone! The Dirty Dozen is the quintessential "guys on a mission" movie!

Quentin Tarantino looks like he just might follow through with his threat to make the ultimate "guys on a mission movie" if he gets his 'Inglorious Bastards' on to the big screen, but he'll be pushed to equal 'The Dirty Dozen', the quintessential movie in the genre. 35 years on and it's still one of the best WW2 adventure movies, and a strong contender for the ultimate guys movie. It shouldn't be taken too seriously - I don't think anyone is going to argue it's a realistic depiction of war - but it's still one of the most entertaining movies around, and it's impressive collection of tough guys and character actors is really hard to beat. Director Aldrich had previously made the classic noir 'Kiss Me Deadly' (starring Ralph Meeker who reappears here in a supporting role) and the wonderfully creepy 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane', but this is arguably going to be THE movie he's remembered for. Screen legend Lee Marvin ('Point Blank', 'The Killers') with the assistance of his Sgt (Richard Jaeckel), must train a motley collection of criminal and misfits (including John Cassavetes, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson, Clint Walker and Donald Sutherland), for a suicide mission behind enemy lines. Marvin is just great, extremely cool and charismatic, but also a fine actor, something which is often overlooked. The ensemble cast (which also includes George Kennedy, and two future stars of 'The Wild Bunch', Ernest Borgnine and Robert Ryan) are uniformly excellent, but Cassavetes is particularly outstanding, Sutherland is memorable as a half wit, and Savalas is unforgettable as the religious psychopath Maggott. 'The Dirty Dozen' is first class entertainment and highly recommended. It put 90% of today's "action movies" to shame!