Bitter Victory (1957)
Country: US/FR
Technical: bw/scope 100m
Director: Nicholas Ray
Cast: Richard Burton, Curt Jurgens, Ruth Roman, Nigel Green, Christopher Lee
Synopsis:
In the Libyan desert during WWII a desk officer and a former archaeologist are the unlikely officers chosen to lead a risky mission to steal German documents. However, the real dangers stem not from the pursuing Germans but from tensions between them caused by jealousy and cowardice.
Review:
Interesting war drama in which the real action takes place in between the shooting. Burton is in his element playing a fatalistic but basically decent intellectual; Jurgens is a bit more wooden, having little to do but look sullen, and it is odd casting to have a German play a South African. Cinemascope works well on the whole in the wide open spaces, though there are a couple of awkward compositions in shot-reverse shot sequence, and the locations are great. The image that stays with you, though, is of the training gym with all the hanging dummies providing knifing practice.
Country: US/FR
Technical: bw/scope 100m
Director: Nicholas Ray
Cast: Richard Burton, Curt Jurgens, Ruth Roman, Nigel Green, Christopher Lee
Synopsis:
In the Libyan desert during WWII a desk officer and a former archaeologist are the unlikely officers chosen to lead a risky mission to steal German documents. However, the real dangers stem not from the pursuing Germans but from tensions between them caused by jealousy and cowardice.
Review:
Interesting war drama in which the real action takes place in between the shooting. Burton is in his element playing a fatalistic but basically decent intellectual; Jurgens is a bit more wooden, having little to do but look sullen, and it is odd casting to have a German play a South African. Cinemascope works well on the whole in the wide open spaces, though there are a couple of awkward compositions in shot-reverse shot sequence, and the locations are great. The image that stays with you, though, is of the training gym with all the hanging dummies providing knifing practice.
Country: US/FR
Technical: bw/scope 100m
Director: Nicholas Ray
Cast: Richard Burton, Curt Jurgens, Ruth Roman, Nigel Green, Christopher Lee
Synopsis:
In the Libyan desert during WWII a desk officer and a former archaeologist are the unlikely officers chosen to lead a risky mission to steal German documents. However, the real dangers stem not from the pursuing Germans but from tensions between them caused by jealousy and cowardice.
Review:
Interesting war drama in which the real action takes place in between the shooting. Burton is in his element playing a fatalistic but basically decent intellectual; Jurgens is a bit more wooden, having little to do but look sullen, and it is odd casting to have a German play a South African. Cinemascope works well on the whole in the wide open spaces, though there are a couple of awkward compositions in shot-reverse shot sequence, and the locations are great. The image that stays with you, though, is of the training gym with all the hanging dummies providing knifing practice.