Il grande attacco (1978)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Cesare Frugoni (writer)
Umberto Lenzi (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

7 February 1978 (Italy)

Genre:

War | Drama

Plot:

A story of how World War II affected the lives of a German family and an American family, both of whom had sons and fathers fighting in the war. |

Plot Keywords:

War Correspondent | General | North Africa | Soldier | Desert

Cast

Helmut Berger	...	Lt. Kurt Zimmer
Samantha Eggar	...	Annelise Ackermann
Giuliano Gemma	...	Captain Martin Scott
John Huston	...	Sean O'Hara
Stacy Keach	...	Major Mannfred Roland
Ray Lovelock	...	Lt. John Foster
Aldo Massasso	...	Lt. William McShane
Venantino Venantini	...	Michael
Ida Galli	...	Sybil Scott (as Evelyn Stewart)
Orson Welles	...	Narrator (voice)
Edwige Fenech	...	Danielle
Henry Fonda	...	General Foster
Aldo Barberito	...	SS major
Rik Battaglia	...	American commando
Andrea Bosic	...	Mimmo Parnat
Massimo Bonetti	...	German soldier
Rosario Borelli
Ermelinda De Felice
Emilio Delle Piane
Attilio Dottesio	...	French bartender
Giuseppe Castellano	...	American commando
Luciano Catenacci	...	British communications officer
Giovanni Cianfriglia	...	British commando
Pierangelo Civera	...	Gestapo agent
Claudio Colombi
Geoffrey Copleston	...	SS General Jürgens
Mirko Ellis	...	German officer in bar
Andrea Fantasia
Tom Felleghy	...	American general
Manfred Freyberger	...	German in Danielle's room
Marco Guglielmi	...	British general
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	French partisan
Franco Odoardi	...	Wounded Resistance Man
Lorenzo Piani
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	American commando
Lanfranco Spinola
Max Turilli	...	Gestapo agent
Bill Vanders	...	General von Arnim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karl Braun	...	Machine-gun sergeant
Billy Kerr	...	German Soldier
Guy Doleman	...	General Whitmore (uncredited)
Luther Fear	...	British Officer with John Huston (uncredited)
Riccardo Petrazzi	...	Partisan guard (uncredited)
Mario Piave	...	British soldier (uncredited)
Patrick Reynolds	...	O'Hara's Aide (uncredited)
Michele Soavi	...	Ted Foster (uncredited)
Robert Spafford	...	General George S. Patton (uncredited)

Directed by
Umberto Lenzi		(as Humphrey Longan)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Cesare Frugoni		writer
Umberto Lenzi		screenplay
Umberto Lenzi		story

Produced by
Mino Loy	....	producer (as Humphrey Longan)
Luciano Martino	....	producer (as Louis Martin)

Original Music by
Franco Micalizzi		(as Frank Michaels)

Cinematography by
Federico Zanni

Film Editing by
Eugenio Alabiso

Production Design by
Giuseppe Bassan

Costume Design by
Luciano Sagoni

Makeup Department
Walter Cossu	....	makeup artist
Marcello Longhi	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Sergio Borelli	....	production organizer
Francesco Fantacci	....	unit manager
Paolo Gargano	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stefano Rolla	....	assistant director

Art Department
Andrea Fantacci	....	set dresser
Ciro Russo	....	prop man

Sound Department
Raul Montesanti	....	sound engineer
Umberto Montesanti	....	boom operator
Bruno Moreal	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Gino Vagniluca	....	special effects

Stunts
Riccardo Petrazzi	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Belli	....	chief electrician
Giuseppe Gabrielli	....	chief grip
Mike Lamb	....	grip: USA
Claudio Morabito	....	camera operator
Francesco Narducci	....	still photographer
Mario Pastorini	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alessandra Pistella	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Giuseppe Romano	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Mirella Malatesta	....	continuity (as Mirella Roi Malatesta)
Olga Pehar	....	continuity (as Olga Lenzi)

Production Companies

• Dania Film
• National Cinematografica

Distributors

• Dimension Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Adams Filmi (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Neue Constantin Film (1978) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Saguenay Films (1979) (Canada) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Continental Video (1984) (USA) (video) (as "Battle Force")
• Direct Source (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Firebox (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• K & C Video (Australia) (video) (as "The Biggest Battle")
• Look Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Nordic Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Quality Video Inc. (video)
• VEC (1986) (Canada) (video) (as "Battle Force")

Other Companies

• Arredamenti Cineteatrali G.R.P.  set furnishings
• Cimino Cine Arredamenti  set furnishings
• Mario Russo Sartoria  costumes
• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs
• S.E.T.  props

Also Known As:

The Biggest Battle (Philippines: English title) (USA)
Battle Force
Die große Offensive (West Germany)
The Battle of the Mareth Line
The Great Battle
The Greatest Battle

Runtime:

Germany:101 min | USA:90 min | Finland:103 min (DVD) | Sweden:107 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Dania Film

Movie Connections:

Edited from La legione dei dannati (1969)

Average Italian warlike with big name actors and impressive battles

This spectacular movie starts in Berlin during Oympic Games 1936 with the African-American Jesse Owens as champion. There reunite a Nazi officer(Stacy Keach), an American veteran journalist(John Huston), a famous actress(Samantha Eggar) and an US General(Henry Fonda). Keach gives a gifts the hosts captioning : 'In God we trust'. The group of different nationalities vow to meet five years later but WWII interrupts their lives. Los Angeles 1942, the upright General incarnated by Henry Fonda is assigned to West Point Academy and his son(Ray Lovelock) takes the ranks to North African campaign. After the action is placed on several locations, as London, West Point, Le Hauvre(France). Island of Creta, October 1942, an official (Giuliano Gemma)whose mission to destroy German installation before it's used against the Allied forces. Follow the feats about a Partisans and a parachuted squadron(led by Giacomo Rossi Stuart) attacking a train(commanded by Helmut Berger) transporting a big German-built cannon (whose scenes are taken from ¨Battle of commands¨). Meanwhile the German actress(Samantha Eggar)for the reason his Jewish origin is detained by SS and Nazi official Berger is enamored to prostitute(gorgeous Edwige Fenech). Posteriorly tells battles in Mareth line March 14, 1943 and Gabes North Africa, engaging German Army against British VIII army. There a captain(Gemma) neutralizes a bombs camp and Nazi officer(Berger) impersonates Allied soldier to destroy supplies. Taking place spectacular battles with miniaturized tanks(whose footage is taken from battle of Alaimen by Giorgo Ferroni and the same producer Mino Loy).

This is a regularly conceived WWII with action filled, , character drama and exciting battles , but nothing special . Packs inaccurate details and an extremely talented though wasted cast make this one of all-time great Italian epic productions though failed. The film contains news-reel documentary, stock-shots vignettes and miniatures ,however lost continuity with several cuts and zooms. The battle scenes were shot in desert of Tabernas (Almeria)where in the 60s and 70s were filmed by hundred Western. Furthermome prestigious cast, Fonda, Eggar, Keach appears as narrator the great Orson Welles. Numerous Italians secondaries as Jack Stuart,Andrea Bosic,Venantino Venanti,Ken Wood, Ida Valli,Rick Battaglia habitual of Peplum and Spaghetti. The tale is middling directed by Umbert Lenzi, he used the pseudonym Hank Milestone and Humphrey Logan. He's an expert on wartime genre such as he proved in ¨ Desert commandos, Battle of commandos, From hell to victory, and Bridge to hell¨.