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Revision as of 11:07, 5 November 2010
| The Devil's Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen Terry Morse, Jr. (Ass't) |
| Written by | Robert H. Adleman & Col. George Walton (book) William Roberts (screenplay) |
| Produced by | David L. Wolper |
| Starring | William Holden Cliff Robertson Vince Edwards |
| Cinematography | William H. Clothier |
| Edited by | William T. Cartwright |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | May 15, 1968 |
Running time | 130 min. |
| Language | English |
The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col. George Walton, a member of the 1st Special Service Force, a joint American-Canadian commando unit that saw action during World War II in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and later in the European Theater of Operations.
Plot and Production
The film recounts the formation, training, and first European mission of the 1st Special Service Force, a unique American-Canadian commando unit that became known as the "Devil's Brigade". The Americans, largely misfits, and their spit and polish Canadian counterparts eventually overcome reciprocal antagonism, learn to respect each other, and coalesce as a unified team. The film dramatizes the Brigade's first mission in the Italian Campaign, the seemingly impossible task of capturing what had been an impregnable Nazi mountain stronghold, Monte La Difensa, with losses far greater than expected.
Cast
- William Holden - Lt. Col./Col. Robert T. Frederick
- Cliff Robertson - Maj. Alan Crown
- Vince Edwards - Maj. Cliff Bricker
- Andrew Prine - Pvt. Theodore Ransom
- Jeremy Slate - Sgt. Pat O'Neill
- Claude Akins - Pvt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Rockman
- Jack Watson - Cpl. Wilfrid Peacock
- Richard Jaeckel - Pvt. Omar Greco
- Richard Dawson - Pvt. Hugh MacDonald
- Tom Troupe - Pvt. Al Manella
- Luke Askew - Pvt. Hubert Hixon
- Harry Carey Jr. - Capt. Rose
- Michael Rennie - Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark
- Carroll O'Connor - Maj. Gen. Maxwell Hunter
- Dana Andrews - Brig. Gen. Walter Naylor
- Gretchen Wyler - The Lady of Joy
- Paul Hornung - The Lumberjack
- Patric Knowles - Adm Lord Mountbatten
- Wilhelm von Homburg - Fritz (as Wilhelm Von Homburg)
- Gene Fullmer - The Bartender
- Maggie Thrett - Millie
- James Craig - Maj. Gen. Knapp
- Donald Ein - Gen. Jensen
- Dick Simmons - Gen. Bixby (as Richard Simmons)
Notes
The motion picture was filmed with the 3rd United States Army Special Forces Group at Camp Williams, Utah, in the Wasatch Mountains — and on location in Santa Elia Fiume Rapido, Italy, when David L. Wolper realised it would be as cheap to shoot in an Italian village as building an Italian set in America.[1]
Wolper had purchased the film rights to Robin Moore's The Green Berets, but found that no film studio would back him. In The Devil's Brigade — his first film production — Wolper had his Brigade wear attractive but fictional red berets that appeared as well as on the film's posters and on the tie-in paperback cover of Adelman and Walton's book.
The Devil's Brigade was real, but was known as "The Black Devils". During World War II, that brigade suffered casualty rates of thirty-nine percent. It was disbanded in 1944. Veterans of the Devil's Brigade have been meeting each year since 1945, in Montana, at the former training facility depicted in the movie.[2]
In September 1999, Alberta Highway 4 and Interstate 15 in Montana was renamed the "First Special Service Force Memorial Highway". As the main highway between the cities of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and Helena, Montana, in the United States, it was chosen because it was the route the Canadian volunteers took in 1942 to join their American counterparts for their training at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena.
The cast of The Devil's Brigade included NFL running back Paul Hornung and World Middleweight Champion boxer Gene Fullmer in minor roles.
The first ninety-seven seconds of the movie comprise the credits, at the end of which the copyright date reads MCMXLVIII, which is the Roman numeral rendition of 1948. The year of production of this film was MCMLXVIII.
Soundtrack
Alex North composed the soundtrack of the film but at the time of release only a cover version by Leroy Holmes of the soundtrack album was released by United Artists Records. The album was illustrated with the original Sandy Kossin artwork of the film and featured instrumental (with whistling) and a male chorus singing lyrics to North's title theme. The album also contained cover versions of other North themes from the film as well as 1940's popular music that appeared in the film.
In 2007 Film Score Monthly and Intrada released a limited CD edition of North's original soundtrack with Kossin's artwork including alternate versions of the title theme, North's own arrangements of four 1940's jazz popular tunes, two traditional Christmas carols, and the pipe band version of Scotland the Brave featuring in the film.
The pipes and drums featured in the production were the "Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band" who furnished their own instruments and uniforms for the film shoot. The band still exists today and is recognized as Utah's premier bagpipe band.[citation needed]