One of William Holden’s lesser known and lesser appreciated pictures, The Devil’s Brigade is the story of a Special Forces unit being molded from a rag-tag bunch of men into an elite fighting force. If you say this sounds like a chestnut, you may be right. Certainly, it is not new or extremely fresh, but there is one thing that typical reviewers do not take into account.
The film revolves around a group of Canadians and a group of Americans, who now have to fight together… Every American reviewer I have looked at has hated, dismissed, or scolded this picture. However, I must admit that I found it a solid couple of hours’ worth of entertainment, with some good Canuck-versus-Yank joking that appealed to me.
So, I can only say that either I liked it because I have rotten taste, or because Canadian viewers may have a better chance of enjoying it. In any case, fans of WWII platoon films should enjoy a look, at the very least, if for no other reason than the hella complex mountain top sequence at the end.
4 comments:
When Americans and Canadians stop making fun of eachother, that is when it is time to worry, because that is when a wall will go up over Niagara Falls.
The marvellous thing is that both sides are PERFECTLY stereotyped and equally made fun of.
And it gives me a giggle to hear William Holden say Canada. (Alright, so I'm a school girl. What do you want?)
n This movie is just unbelievably underrated! One "critic" slammed it as a "routine imitation of the Dirty Dozen"... thus displaying his or her own ignorance To: wit,
1. Both the Dirty Dozen and The Devil's Brigade were filmed in 1968. How can a 1968 movie be a "routine" copy of YET ANOTHER 1968 movie?
2. The Devil's Brigade was based on a true story.. about the figurative grandfather of todays Green Berets. They may have been the BEST allied Special Forces unit in the Second World War!
In addition, the movie is quite hilarious and many nuances of the two sides very ACCURATELY portrayed.
3. THE DIRTY DOZEN was based on fiction and "Americanized" to make it more ostensibly marketable to U.S. movie crowds. How can a TRUE story be A ROUTINE IMITATION OF A NOVEL? Again, when both movies were made the same year...what an assanine review! My father is a retired police chief in Canada and he personally knew a man who was in the "DEVIL's BRIGADE" or "THE FIRST SPECIAL SERVICE FORCE". They forged their training together in Montana. I believe the community of Helena has erected a monument to this famous regiment in the Second World WAR!. "ROUTINE IMITATION" MY ASS! These guys were the REAL thing and REALLY DID take
Mount La DEFENSA AS SHOWN IN THE MOVIE. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
heard of their fame and PERSONALLY requested their help on occasion! I do hope that the critics HAVE heard of THE Supreme Allied Commander 5 Star General Eisenhower! At least he hopefully
will not be labelled a "routine imitation" of an American WWII GENERAL!
I agree. This movie is terribly underrated. See it if you get the chance.
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