The Green Berets (1968)

Col. Mike Kirby picks two teams of crack Green Berets for a mission in South Vietnam. First off is to build and control a camp that is trying to be taken by the enemy the second mission is to kidnap a North Vietnamese General.

Directors:

Ray Kellogg, John Wayne

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay), Robin Moore (novel)

Stars:

John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Col. Mike Kirby
David Janssen	...	George Beckworth
Jim Hutton	...	Sgt. Petersen
Aldo Ray	...	Sgt. Muldoon
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Sgt. Doc McGee
Bruce Cabot	...	Col. Morgan
Jack Soo	...	Col. Cai
George Takei	...	Capt. Nim
Patrick Wayne	...	Lt. Jamison
Luke Askew	...	Sgt. Provo
Irene Tsu	...	Lin
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. MacDaniel
Jason Evers	...	Capt. Coleman
Mike Henry	...	Sgt. Kowalski
Craig Jue	...	Hamchunk

Storyline

U.S. Special Forces troops ("Green Berets") under the command of Colonel Mike Kirby defend a firebase during the Vietnam war. War correspondent George Beckwith accompanies Kirby and objects to both the war and the means by which it is executed. Kirby's firebase is overrun and his troops fight bravely to retake it. Kirby and a select group of his men are then ordered on a special mission to capture a high-level Viet Cong officer.

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Plot Keywords:

green beret | vietnam | vietnam war | u.s. military | special forces | 

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Taglines:

They had to be the toughest fighting force on earth - and the men who led them had to be just a little bit tougher!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the movie was released several critics pointed out that Green Berets were not usually 60 years old.

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Goofs

During the night attack on the base, a medium shot of the attacking "Vietcong" clearly shows that, although dressed in the traditional VC black pajamas and conical straw hats, most, if not all, of them are Caucasians (the film was shot at Fort Benning, Georgia, and many soldiers were hired as extras).

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Quotes

Colonel Mike Kirby: What are you going to say in that newspaper of yours about us in Vietnam?
George Beckworth: If I say what I feel, I may be out of a job.

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Alternate Versions

141 minute version minus several scenes is what was shown on The Military Channel's "An Officer and a Movie".

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Connections

Referenced in Caddyshack (1980)

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Soundtracks

The River Seine
(La Seine)
(uncredited)
Music by Guy Lafarge
French lyrics by Guy Lafarge and Flavien Monod
English lyrics by Geoffrey Parsons
Sung by Liselotte Malkowsky

User Reviews

On the contrary

I found the film quite enjoyable and have always enjoyed John Wayne movies in general. There were some noticeable technical glitches in the movie that could have been avoided. Maybe the budget wasn't much. Still, one can easily overlook the problems for the sake of enjoying the movie. The attack on the "A" camp was epic in proportion and really draws you in.

Now, with that being said, I would like to speak a bit to the political implications of the film. First, comments from someone not from the United States and who probably wasn't ever in Southeast Asia are just so much tripe in my opinion. There are many "armchair quarterbacks" out there that have all the answers. The film makes an honest attempt to illicit the patriotism needed at that time. Everybody loves to bash on the U.S. about Viet Nam. How about the Falklands.... South Africa.... Ireland?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese German Danish

Release Date:

27 July 1968 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Green Berets

Filming Locations:

Ft. McClellen, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Batjac Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1