The Big Red One (1980)

epic war film of Sam Fuller

Director: Sam Fuller

 

War is hell�"and certainly one of the most powerful movies on the subject of battle is this Sam Fuller epic.  The title is the expression used for the 1^st Infantry in World War II. Starring Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars), Marvin is the sergeant in charge of the men of the First Squad. Never will you see a grittier war movie that is peppered with unexpected turns, and humor (!)  The film was butchered by the studio, so if you can, see the restored 162 minute reconstructed version.

 

The film follows The Sergeant as he leads four “wet noses”: Pvt. Griff (Mark Hamill), Pvt. Zab (Robert Carradine), Pvt. Johnson (Kelly Ward), and Pvt. Vinci (Bobby Di Cicco) in battle against the Germans in North Africa.

 

The opening sequence is in black and white, and shows a scene in France at the end of World War I. Lee Marvin is a private in the Allied infantry and a large black horse gallops through and smashes his gun.  Shortly after, he confronts a German soldier who tells him not to shoot because the war is over. He kills the man and when he returns to headquarters, he discovers that the war is indeed over and he killed the man in error. This guilt haunts him throughout.

 

As we follow the travels of the five, we discover that they all are unique personalities. Griff, for example is an artist who likes to draw, but the thought of killing is abhorrent to him. In spite of this, he is an excellent marksman. Zab is the narrator. Vinci speaks Italian, and is an asset when the squad reaches Sicily. Johnson was a farmer and is now a medic.

 

The parts of the film which were excised but are now restored are very unique. They include a section with a young Arab boy, a portion where the Sergeant forbids the members of his squad from trading German ears for cigarettes plus various battle scenes as well as moments that Warner Brothers did not think appropriate.

 

It’s a great intro to Fuller’s work, which inspired Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, among others.

 

Please note: The title is The Big Red One, not The Big Red One…

Reviews

[Revolutionary]

Great review .I will have to check it out