The Green Berets (1968)

Directors:

Ray Kellogg
John Wayne
(more)

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Robin Moore (novel)

Release Date:

27 July 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

They had to be the toughest fighting force on earth - and the men who led them had to be just a little bit tougher!

Plot:

Col. Mike Kirby picks two teams of crack Green Berets for a mission in South Vietnam. First off is to...

Plot Keywords:

Green Beret | Beret | Vietnam | Color In Title | Uniform

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Wayne	...	Colonel Mike Kirby
David Janssen	...	George Beckworth
Jim Hutton	...	Sergeant Petersen
Aldo Ray	...	Master Sergeant Muldoon
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Sergeant Doc McGee
Bruce Cabot	...	Colonel Morgan
Jack Soo	...	Colonel Cai
George Takei	...	Captain Nim
Patrick Wayne	...	Lieutenant Jamison
Luke Askew	...	Sergeant Provo
Irene Tsu	...	Lin
Edward Faulkner	...	Captain MacDaniel
Jason Evers	...	Captain Coleman
Mike Henry	...	Sergeant Kowalski
Craig Jue	...	Hamchunk
Chuck Roberson	...	Sergeant Griffin
Eddy Donno	...	Sergeant Watson
Rudy Robbins	...	Sergeant Parks
Richard 'Cactus' Pryor	...	Collier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vera Miles	...	Mrs. Kirby (scenes deleted)
Yodying Apibal	...	South Vietnamese soldier (uncredited)
Charles Bail	...	Sergeant Lark (uncredited)
Jess Barker	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Vincente Cadiente	...	Viet Cong soldier (uncredited)
Walker Edmiston	...	(uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	...	(uncredited)
Frank Koomen	...	Lt. Sachs (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
William Olds	...	General Phan Son Ti (uncredited)
James Seay	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bill Shannon	...	Sgt. White (uncredited)
Hayward Soo Hoo	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Laird Stuart	...	Lt. Olsen (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Dick Warlock	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bach Yen	...	Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Ray Kellogg
John Wayne
Mervyn LeRoy		(uncredited)

Writing credits
James Lee Barrett		(screenplay)
Robin Moore		(novel "The Green Berets")

Produced by
Michael Wayne	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch

Film Editing by
Otho Lovering

Production Design by
Walter M. Simonds

Set Decoration by
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Jerry Alpert

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lee Lukather	....	unit production manager (as Lee W. Lukather)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe L. Cramer	....	assistant director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director

Art Department
Red Turner	....	property (as 'Red' Turner)
Hendrik Wynands	....	construction coordinator (as 'Hank' Wynands)

Sound Department
Stanley Jones	....	sound

Special Effects by
Sass Bedig	....	special effects

Stunts
Phil Adams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Bail	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bobby Bass	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vincente Cadiente	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hank Calia	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Finnegan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Yoneo Iguchi	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Lewis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roy K. Ogata	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ed Parker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronald C. Ross	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Shannon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hayward Soo Hoo	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Warlock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Warner	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Saizis	....	director of photography: battle sequences (uncredited)
Vincent Saizis	....	director of photography: battle sequences (uncredited)

Music Department
Allan Roberts	....	lyrics

Transportation Department
George Coleman	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
William C. Burns	....	project officer: Dept. of Defense (as Lt. Col. William C. Byrns U.S.A.)
Jerold R. Dodds	....	advisor: special forces (as Major Jerold R. Dodds U.S.A.)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
August Schomburg Jr.	....	project officer: Fort Benning (as Captain August Schomburg Jr. U.S.A.)
Crayton Smith	....	script supervisor
Mervyn LeRoy	....	studio advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Batjac Productions

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• WarnerBrothers / Seven Arts (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (1998) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (1992) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1968) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1984) | West Germany:16 (f) | New Zealand:PG | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Fort Benning, Georgia, USA

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

Late in the movie John Wayne can be seen to wrap his rappelling rope through a carabineer the wrong way. Called a "fatal hookup" in the Army, this would result in an immediate fall once weight was applied.

Goofs:

Continuity: In one of the scenes showing the helicopters leaving the camp, as Tran and Beckworth discuss them it shows a helicopter leaving with the number 4 on it's nose. The scene cuts to Tran and Beckworth discussing two helicopters going on patrol and then cuts back to the helicopter with '4' on its nose taking off again albeit shot from a different angle

Quotes:

George Beckworth: Petersen, what was all that talk about the enemy building ladders and coffins?
Sgt. Petersen: Well, when Charlie knows he's got a nice box to be buried in, he's just as brave as hell.
George Beckworth: What about the ladders?
Sgt. Petersen: They throw the ladders across the wire to get at us. And later on, they use them for litters to stack on and carry away the dead bodies.
George Beckworth: Later on... you mean after everybody's dead?
Sgt. Petersen: Yes, everybody. Men... women... and children. Everybody.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Projectionist (1971)

Soundtrack:

The River Seine

Pro-Vietnam War

Probably the only major motion picture to actively support the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict, John Wayne leads an elite team of Green Berets on a search-and-destroy mission to capture a leading NVA general. Well acted action film worthy of a look even if its sentiments might be a bit dated by today's standards.