Go Tell the Spartans (1978)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Daniel Ford (novel)
Wendell Mayes (writer)

Release Date:

1 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Skirmishes, Ambushes And Boobytraps Explode Into The Most Savage War That Ever Scorched A Land

Plot:

A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement find similarities...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Vietnam War | Decapitation | Vomit Scene | Army

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Maj. Asa Barker
Craig Wasson	...	Cpl. Courcey
Jonathan Goldsmith	...	Sgt. Oleonowski
Marc Singer	...	Capt. Alfred Olivetti
Joe Unger	...	Lt. Hamilton
Dennis Howard	...	Cpl. Abraham Lincoln
David Clennon	...	Lt. Finley Wattsberg
Evan C. Kim	...	Cowboy (as Evan Kim)
John Megna	...	Cpl. Ackley
Hilly Hicks	...	Signalman Toffer
Dolph Sweet	...	Gen. Harnitz
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Col. Minh
James Hong	...	The Old Man
Denice Kumagai	...	Butterfly
Tad Horino	...	One-eyed man

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-18 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Mar Vista Productions

Trivia:

While high on drugs in the observation tower, Corporal Abraham Lincoln sings the Gettysburg Address.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the very beginning of the movie during the credits and the overview of the camp and right after the title shot, if you look in the far background at the top of the scene you can see what looks like traffic and cars passing by.

Quotes:

Maj. Asa Barker: Never in the U.S. have we asked for anything back. It would screw up the bookkeeping.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Vietnam (2005) (TV)

A fine portrayal of the absurdities of Vietnam.

Burt Lancaster turns in a fine performance as a US military advisor who has doubts about the wisdom of the war America is about to embark upon. GO TELL THE SPARTANS looks at Vietnam in 1964, before the conflict there was thoroughly Americanized. It is not your typical glossy, overproduced Hollywood action extravaganza. Nor is it overly laden with patriotic sentimentality. It is, rather, a compelling exploration of the hubris and naivete that shaped the American war effort.