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 | Omaha Beach | Concentration Camp | D Day

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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
Perry Lang	...	Pvt. Kaiser, 1st Squad
Howard Delman	...	Pvt. Smitty (soldier who trips mine)
Marthe Villalonga	...	Madame Marbaise
Giovanna Galletti	...	Woman in Sicilian village (as Giovanna Galetti)
Gregori Buimistre	...	The Hun (German soldier killed by The Sergeant in WWI sequence)
Shimon Barr	...	German male nurse in Tunisian hospital
Matteo Zoffoli	...	Sicilian boy - Matteo
Abraham Ronai	...	German Field Marshall
Galit Rotman	...	Pregnant Frenchwoman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Samuel Fuller	...	War Correspondent (as Sam Fuller)
Pascal Breuer	...	Hitler Youth (uncredited)
Luther Fear	...	German standing in tank in snow (uncredited)
Walter Flesch	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Anat Harel	...	Graziella (uncredited)
Ulli Kinalzik	...	Gerd (uncredited)
Christa Lang	...	German Countess (extended edition) (uncredited)
Guy Marchand	...	Captain Chapier (uncredited)
Steve Moriarty	...	Staff Sgt at Kasserine Pass (uncredited)
Yosef Polak	...	Herr Green Shirt (uncredited)

Directed by
Samuel Fuller

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Samuel Fuller		written by

Produced by
Gene Corman	....	producer
Douglas Freeman	....	producer (reconstruction, 2004)
Brian Jamieson	....	executive producer in charge of production (reconstruction, 2004)
Richard Schickel	....	producer (reconstruction, 2004)

Original Music by
Dana Kaproff

Cinematography by
Adam Greenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bryan McKenzie		(2004 reconstruction)
Morton Tubor

Art Direction by
Peter Jamison

Makeup Department
Blanche Shuler	....	hair stylist
Blanche Shuler	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Peter Cornberg	....	unit production manager
Brian Hamblin	....	post-production supervisor (reconstruction)
Rony Yacov	....	production manager: Israel
Avner Orshalimy	....	production manager: second unit (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Todd Corman	....	second assistant director
Arne Schmidt	....	assistant director (as Arne L. Schmidt)
Lewis Teague	....	second unit director
Monte Hellman	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Avner Orshalimy	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Gary Zembow	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)
Leo Zisman	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
William Hankins	....	property master
Ladislav Wilheim	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Cyril Collick	....	sound mixer
David Dockendorf	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack A. Finlay	....	sound editor
Robert L. Harman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Linden	....	sound designer: 2004 reconstruction
William L. McCaughey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tara Paul	....	sound designer: 2004 reconstruction
Harry E. Snodgrass	....	sound designer: 2004 reconstruction
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeff Clifford	....	special effects
Peter Dawson	....	special effects
Kit West	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Arn Campero	....	digital paint (reconstruction, 2004)
John Falchi	....	digital paint (reconstruction, 2004)
Gary Forbes	....	digital paint (reconstruction, 2004)

Stunts
Roy Street	....	stunt coordinator: horse stunt
Waldo	....	stunts: free fall (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Dunn	....	key grip
Skip Karnas	....	best boy (as Albert Karnas)
Melton Maxwell	....	gaffer (as Mel Maxwell)
Laurel Moore	....	still photographer
Yoni Hamenachem	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Edith Cottrell	....	casting: France
Barbara Miller	....	casting

Editorial Department
David Bretherton	....	supervising editor
Erica Flaum	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Les Brockman	....	music mixer: restoration
Bodie Chandler	....	music supervisor
Gene Feldman	....	music editor
Dana Kaproff	....	conductor
Nancy Severinson	....	additional music supervisor: restoration, as Nancy Severinsen
Alfred J. Carranza	....	first assistant music editor (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Lynn A. Aber	....	script supervisor (as Lynn Aber)
Craig Corman	....	production assistant
Vic Heutschy	....	unit publicist
Lori Steiner	....	continuity: second unit
Alan Weisman	....	gunsmith
Elizabeth Yanoska	....	location auditor
Sherrie Bradshaw	....	assistant production accountant (uncredited)
Michael Davenport	....	assistant: Sam Fuller (uncredited)
Rick Schmidlin	....	consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Lorimar Productions (presents) (as Lorimar)
• Lorac Productions (2004 reconstruction)

Distributors

• United Artists (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Adams Filmi (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Scotia (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Video (1984) (Belgium) (video)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM/CBS Home Video (1981) (USA) (video)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Rautakirja (????) (Finland) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (premium edition)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles (as MGM)
• Technicolor  prints by

Also Known As:

"The Big Red One: The Reconstruction" - 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) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | 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 City, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

In 2005, Mark Hamill, who portrays PFC Griff, lent his voice talents to the video game "Call Of Duty 2: The Big Red One". Like the film, the game follows the exploits of a squad from "The Big Red One" from North Africa to East Europe.

Goofs:

Continuity: Griff's dog tags suddenly change positions when he is drawing on the back of the poster.

Quotes:

[the Sergeant affixes a cloth red '1' to his uniform. The Captain is drinking from a bottle of booze]
The Sergeant:What do you think?
The Captain:What the hell is it?
The Sergeant:It's a "one". First Infantry Division. The Red One; think General Pershing will like it?
The Captain:Oh, sure.
The Sergeant:I got the idea from the cap of a Hun I killed.
The Captain:When?
The Sergeant:About an hour ago
The Captain:Did he yell out anything?
The Sergeant:Oh, the same old Kaiser stuff, you know, "the war's over," all that junk.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010) (V)

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.