The Raid

19541954
ApprovedApproved
1h 23m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

967

YOUR RATING

Van Heflin, Lee Marvin, and Richard Boone in The Raid (1954)

War Western

A group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few day... Read allA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attr... Read allA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attractive widow and her son.

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

967

YOUR RATING

Director
- Hugo Fregonese
Writers
- Sydney Boehm(screenplay)
- Francis M. Cockrell(story)
- Herbert Ravenel Sass(based on "Affair at St. Albans")
Stars

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Photos6

Anne Bancroft, Van Heflin, Claude Akins, and Roy Glenn in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin, Lee Marvin, and Peter Graves in The Raid (1954)

Anne Bancroft, Van Heflin, Richard Boone, and Tommy Rettig in The Raid (1954)

Van Heflin, Claude Akins, James Best, Peter Graves, and George Keymas in The Raid (1954)

Trivia
The movie is based on a true event: On October 19, 1864, 21 Confederate cavalrymen entered the U.S from Canada, arriving about 15 miles south in St. Albans, Vermont. Confederate agent George Sanders organized the event, and Lieutenant Bennett Young led the raid. Young mounted the steps of a hotel and shouted, "This city is now in the possession of the Confederate States of America!" The Confederates robbed three banks, then ran back over the border. They also planned to blow up downtown with dynamite, but it rained. In 1914, Vermont placed a historic marker in front of Taylor Park, commemorating what became the northernmost engagement of the Civil War. A commemorative plaque is at the entrance of what was the Franklin County Bank. It is the only one of the three banks involved that is still standing and still a bank.

Goofs
When Major Benton gets off the train the first time, the sound of air brakes is clearly heard. However, the Westinghouse air brake was not invented until 1869, five years after the action in the movie occurred.

Connections
Referenced in What's My Line?: Richard Boone (1959)

Soundtracks
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Music by William Steffe
Played when the Union cavalry arrive in town

User reviews32

Review

Featured review

They Ain't Tourists

Maybe most interesting in the movie is the conflict between the social and the political. The Confederate major (Heflin) experiences this when he gets somewhat socialized into the Union town his raiders are slated to attack. He prepares the way for his raiders by infiltrating the town as a businessman. There he meets friendly people, including a widow (Bancroft) and her son (Rettig). It's impossible not to like what he finds there. Still, he and his men have a duty to the Confederacy, regardless of personal feelings. Besides, Gen. Sherman is burning his way through the southern states. So, given the personal conflict, what will the major do.

Well acted by a stellar cast, including an unstable Lee Marvin as a Johnny Reb with an itchy trigger finger. With his distinctive looks and manner, Marvin is clearly on his way up the Hollywood ladder. The burning of the town is done to scale, though the flames are clearly controlled. Still, it's an elaborate effect, though I didn't know portable fire-grenades like those used were available at that early time.

Of course, a topic like the Civil War means neither side can be treated as evil, unlike propaganda films involving foreign enemies. So each side, Union and Confederate, gets to show good points and bad, but ultimately, each gets respect. All in all, it's a good personality western and showcase for a number of up and coming stars.

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