Without censorship this movie, already nearly three hours in duration, would have been even longer. Viewers’ sensibilities were shielded not from the endless slog and horror of war and death, but from a young French boy explaining, and proving, that he enjoyed sleeping with soldiers.
This was to have been one further wound among those Foreman inflicts on us in his weighty, but ultimately unsatisfying study of the Second World War. He gathered a formidable cast for the story, which follows a US infantry unit through the latter part of the war. Although a failure in total, it has impressive moments – as it should, given the talents involved.
cast
George Peppard as Cpl. Chase
Romy Schneider as Regine
Jeanne Moreau as French Woman
George Hamilton as Trower
Peter Fonda as Weaver
Eli Wallach as Sgt. Craig
Albert Finney as Russian Soldier
Vince Edwards as Baker
Melina Mercouri as Magda
Maurice Ronet as French Lieutenant
Rosanna Schiaffino as Maria
Elke Sommer as Helga
Michael Callan as Eldridge
James Mitchum as Grogan
Senta Berger as Trudi
Albert Lieven as Herr Metzger
Marianne Stone as Prostitute at Hotel de Flandre
crew
Director: Carl Foreman
Script: Carl Foreman Alexander Baron
UK, US | 175 minutes | 1963
