Go Tell the Spartans (1978)

During the early 1960s, U.S. military advisers in South Vietnam discover the same challenges that plagued the French army in Indochina ten years prior.

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Daniel Ford (novel), Wendell Mayes

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Craig Wasson, Jonathan Goldsmith

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Lancaster	...	Maj. Asa Barker
Craig Wasson	...	Cpl. Stephen Courcey
Jonathan Goldsmith	...	Sgt. Oleonowski
Marc Singer	...	Capt. Al Olivetti
Joe Unger	...	Lt. Raymond Hamilton
Dennis Howard	...	Cpl. Abraham Lincoln
David Clennon	...	Lt. Finley Wattsberg
Evan C. Kim	...	Cowboy (as Evan Kim)
John Megna	...	Cpl. Ackley
Hilly Hicks	...	Signalman Toffee
Dolph Sweet	...	Gen. Harnitz
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Col. Minh
James Hong	...	The Old Man
Denice Kumagai	...	Butterfly
Tad Horino	...	One-eyed man

Storyline

A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement find similarities between their helpless struggle against the Viet Cong and the doomed actions of a French unit at the same site a decade before in this bitter look at the beginnings of the Vietnam war.

---

Plot Keywords:

vietnam | major | american | vietnam war | 1960s | 

---

Taglines:

Skirmishes, Ambushes And Boobytraps Explode Into The Most Savage War That Ever Scorched A Land

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

1 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die letzte Schlacht

Filming Locations:

Valencia, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MarVista Entertainment, Spartan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lead actor Burt Lancaster re-financed the picture to the tune of around US $150,000 when the picture's budget fell short during principal photography.

---

Goofs

Burt Lancaster (Maj Barker) was about 64 years old when this movie was made. No real Army major would be able to stay in the service until that advanced age. He would have been retired at a much younger age as a result of being continually passed over for promotion, as Major Barker had been.

---

Quotes

Maj. Asa Barker: Never in the U.S. have we asked for anything back. It would screw up the bookkeeping.

---

Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: Buried Treasures: Cattle Annie and Little Britches/Go Tell the Spartans/Over the Edge/Agatha/The Wanderers/Swamp Thing (1982)

User Reviews

Dead-on Perfect!!

There aren't many movies about the beginning of America's involvement in Vietnam. It is fortunate that this is one of those film. Burt Lancaster is perfect as a career Army officer who recognizes early on that this war will be different from any other...and that American power may not be enough to win it. "Beastmaster" Marc Singer is wonderful as a shallow young officer so wrapped up in the boost Vietnam is going to give his career that he is immune to the madness around him. The scene in which Lancaster explains to Singer why, after three wars and a bucket full of medals, he (Lancaster) is still only a major, is priceless. Craig Wasson's portrayal of an idealistic draftee who progresses from caring about the Vietnamese, to accepting the brutality they perpetrate on each other is a chillingly accurate metaphor for the shift in American attitudes to come. Perhaps the film's best performance is by Jonathan Goldsmith, as a career NCO for whom the insanity finally becomes too much. The haunting score by Dick (Blood, Sweat & Tears) Halligan is a perfect accompaniment.