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Columbia Pictures
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THE DESERT COMMANDO RAID THEY WIPED OFF THE RECORD BOOKS!
During the second world war, two British officers, Brand and Leith, who have never seen combat, are assigned a vital mission. Their relationship and the operation are complicated by the arrival of Brand's wife, who had a tryst with Leith years earlier.
John Chard
Dec 14, 2013 · via TMDB
Deconstructing Machismo. Bitter Victory is directed by Nicholas Ray and adapted to screenplay from the novel of the same name written by Rene Hardy. It stars Richard Burton, Curd Jurgens, Ruth Roman, Raymond Pellegrin, Christopher Lee and Nigel Green. Music is by Maurice Leroux and cinematography by Michel Kelber. It’s a film that has proved most divisive over the years, where some have seen fit to devote in depth studies to it, others have bitingly dismissed it as a stretch to far in pretentious posturing. Personally I found it rather dull, a dreary trudge through the World War II deserts as Burton and Jurgens butt heads because Burton’s character had an affair with Jurgens’ wife (Roman). The pace is purposely sedate, except for the battle sequence that is, so we are left to rely on the skills of the writers and actors to carry us through to film’s end. Burton is good value, he almost always was when he got to brood and pontificate, while Green is his usual irrepressible self. Jurgens, however, is miscast and very uncomfortable with the moody machinations of his character. While the editing is at times awful and a couple of scenes don’t really make sense. Undeniably there is some potency bubbling away in the writing, the deconstruction of machismo and military cynicism angles carry thematic weight, but the film is structured in such a cocksure way it just comes off as being preachy instead of taking full advantage of the emotional core of the characters as written by Hardy. Just because I don’t like the film doesn’t mean it’s bad, as previously stated, many find it fascinating and powerful, but it’s not for me and I feel it’s one of the great Nicholas Ray’s lesser works. 4/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Richard Burton
Capt. Leith
Curd Jürgens
Major David Brand
Ruth Roman
Jane Brand
Christopher Lee
Sgt. Barney
Raymond Pellegrin
Mekrane
Anthony Bushell
General Paterson
Alfred Burke
Lt. Colonel Callander
Ronan O'Casey
Sergeant Dunnigan
Raoul Delfosse
Lieutenant Kassel
Andrew Crawford
Private Roberts
Nigel Green
Private Wilkins
Harry Landis
Private Browning
Joé Davray
Private Spicer
Nicholas Ray
Director
Robert Laffont
Executive Producer
Nicholas Ray
Screenplay
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