The Big Red One (1980)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller (written by)

Release Date:

28 May 1980 (France)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The real glory of war is surviving.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | French | Concentration Camp | Omaha Beach | Sicily

Awards:

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

Also Known As:

The Big Red One - The Reconstuction (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and some language. (2004 reconstruction)

Runtime:

113 min | 162 min (reconstructed version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian | German

Color:

Black and White | Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (reconstruction) | Dolby (original release)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:14A | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1980) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG (original rating) | USA:R (2004 reconstruction) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Big Bear, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Lorac Productions

Trivia:

The screams from the foxholes as the tanks roll over them seem strangely out of place, but actually happened. Samuel Fuller said, "When we were in those holes, and the tanks were rolling over us, it was our only chance to scream all the terror out and not be heard. We got it all out in those holes..."

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scene (WWI) in the bunker, the officer's shaving cream covers his lip and his chin, then his chin only, then back to his lip and his chin.

Quotes:

Zab: [narrating] Those Sicilian women cooked us a terrific meal. I'ts too bad they were all over fifty. We were more horny than we were hungry.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

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.