The Big Red One (1980)

The story of a sergeant and the inner core members of his unit as they try to serve in and survive World War II.

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Marvin	...	The Sergeant
Mark Hamill	...	Pvt. Griff, 1st Squad
Robert Carradine	...	Pvt. Zab, 1st Squad
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Pvt. Vinci, 1st Squad
Kelly Ward	...	Pvt. Johnson, 1st Squad
Stéphane Audran	...	Underground Walloon fighter at asylum (as Stephane Audran)
Siegfried Rauch	...	Schroeder (German sergeant)
Serge Marquand	...	Rensonnet
Charles Macaulay	...	General / captain
Alain Doutey	...	Broban (Vichy sergeant)
Maurice Marsac	...	Vichy colonel
Colin Gilbert	...	Dog Face POW
Joseph Clark	...	Pvt. Shep (soldier on troop transport)
Ken Campbell	...	Pvt. Lemchek (#2 on Bangalore torpedo)
Doug Werner	...	Switolski

Storyline

Grim story of a WWII squad consisting of an anonymous sergeant and four long-time survivors who ignore the faceless replacements who continually arrive and die.

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Plot Keywords:

sergeant | sicily | omaha beach | concentration camp | africa | 

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Taglines:

Only chance could have thrown them together. Now, nothing can pull them apart.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Italian German

Release Date:

28 May 1980 (France)

Also Known As:

The Big Red One: The Reconstruction

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lorimar Productions, Lorac Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 162 min (reconstructed)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (reconstruction) Dolby (original release)

Color:

Black and White Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the "Reconstruction" Documentary, Robert Carradine says that when he, Mark Hamill, Bobby Di Cicco and Kelly Ward first met Lee Marvin, Marvin didn't say anything at first. After they got into a taxi to drive out to the shooting range where they would hone their skills, Marvin finally said "Which one of you is Carradine?" To which Robert Carradine answered dutifully "I am." Lee Marvin's response: "Fuck you, Carradine." A short time later, after they'd been working together, Carradine asked Marvin why he said that to him to which Marvin replied "Cause yours was the only name I recognized."

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Goofs

When the machine gun is firing from the tank, a truck is visible and is nearby to the tank. From the view of the cross, there is no truck at the scene.

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Quotes

The Sergeant: [helping to deliver the baby] You get the head. I'll do the "poussez"-ing.

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Connections

Referenced in Hellboy (2004)

User Reviews

A squad experiences every possible emotion fighting its way through WWII

This is an under-appreciated war film. You never see it on TV, I know of no widescreen version available on video, and no one talks about it in books, newspapers or on television, but it is worth renting. Made up of a number of short vignettes, the main characters experience everything from delivering a baby (in a tank!) to D-Day on Omaha Beach to liberating a death camp as they fight their way through Africa, Sicily, and Western Europe. I understand that it is semi-autobiographical, and boy, does it pack a wallop. From the opening scene to history repeating (almost) itself at the end, it is well-crafted, says a lot and leaves the viewer changed. When the voice-over at the end says that the only glory in war is surviving, you KNOW why. Watch in particular for how Lee Marvin leads his squad, in particular when he gives an extra clip of M-1 ammunition to one of his soldiers at the Death Camp to help the soldier process, in a unique way, the horror of what they have discovered. It is unforgettable.