The Victors (1963)

The Victors is an underrated film directed by Carl Foreman and with an all-star cast. The notable performances of lives affected from D-Day to shortly after the war are highly believable, and well-acted. Included in the stellar roles are Eli Wallach, George Peppard, and Vince Edwards. On the distaff side, a very effective Melina Mercouri (the best performance in the film) outdistances all the other female supporting roles. Mercouri plays a Polish refugee who has mastered the black market, the Germans, the Americans, and anyone else who comes into her territory. VInce Edwards gives his role a decent effort, and even Mr. Sunscreen, George Hamilton, almost delivers a believable character. The photography is first-rate and the pacing of the film is impeccable. I highly recommend this as one the best WW 2 films ever to come out of Hollywood.

Primarily known for writing "High Noon" and for producing "The Guns of Navarone," Carl Foreman directed only a single film in his career, "The Victors." Foreman also produced and scripted the 1963 anti-war film, which was obviously a labor of love. Cut from its original 185-minute road-show running time, the still-lengthy film is episodic and uneven; reflecting the loss of more than a half hour, some sequences do not make sense, while others appear to be missing earlier explanatory details. However, the pluses still outweigh the negatives, and patient viewers with a tolerance for heavy-handed message films will be rewarded in this well-intentioned, if flawed work."The Victors" features a large cast of rising stars from the early 1960's, both American and European; George Peppard, George Hamilton, Chris Mitchum, Michael Callan, Vince Edwards, and Peter Fonda play the American GI's, while Jeanne Moreau, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger, Melina Mercouri, and Romy Schneider appear in sequences opposite one or more of the American actors. Eli Wallach gives arguably the best performance as Joe Craig, the fatherly sergeant in command of a troop that fights to liberate Italy, France, and Belgium, invades Germany, occupies Berlin, and convalesces in England; although the A-bomb detonating over Hiroshima is depicted, Craig's troop is spared the Japanese occupation. George Peppard is also quite good as Frank Chase, a cocky corporal; alongside Wallach, Peppard and George Hamilton are the principal characters who link the otherwise unrelated sequences that occur in the closing months of World War II. Albert Finney appears incongruously as a Russian soldier in the symbolic finale that whacks the audience like a sledgehammer. However, despite their marquee value, Foreman's handsome, youthful cast may have undercut his intentions; their careful grooming, well coiffed hair styles, and perfect make-up stand in sharp contrast to the gritty surroundings.The rain, mud, and grime are richly captured in Christopher Challis's memorable black-and-white cinematography, which is among the film's major assets. However, Foreman interweaves lengthy documentary footage and clips from period newsreels with the studio shots. Obviously ironic, the newsreel scenes of GI's waging a snowball fight and young women cavorting on a military obstacle course contrast with Wallach and company slogging through mud and dodging bombs and bullets. A newsreel clip of Shirley Temple's wedding illustrates how American audiences were distracted from the grim reality of events on the front, and FDR's morale-boosting talks seem more like empty platitudes. Foreman adds another layer of irony with his use of period songs. "Remember Pearl Harbor" plays on a radio, while racist soldiers on a "coon" hunt beat up two African-Americans in a bar. However, perhaps the most indelible scene and the hardest to watch is the execution of a young deserter amidst a snowy landscape, while "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" plays on the soundtrack.Although Foreman preaches against stereotypes in a scene that involves a kind, if drunken turbaned soldier, he indulges in them throughout the film: the English are kind hearted and generous, the Germans are calculating, the French are obsessed with their belongings, the Poles put business opportunities first, the Russians are savage, only the Americans show a range of personality types, and most of those are not commendable; no heroes here. However, Foreman's heart is in the right place in this fervent anti-war film that depicts the boredom, drudgery, and loneliness of war. "The Victors" is a war film without battles, heroics, or victories; just mud, rain, and ruins; while back at home, a young newly-wed movie star smiles for the cameras beside her handsome husband in uniform.

For reasons of which I remain ignorant this was the only film directed by Carl Foreman who, along with Joe Losey, fetched up in England as a direct result of the Senator from Wisconsin. Both men had done sterling work pre-HUAC, Losey helming such films as The Dividing Line, The Boy With Green Hair, The Prowler, etc, and Foreman writing - or co-writing - such titles as Champion, Cyrano de Bergerac, Home Of The Brave, Young Man With A Horn, High Noon etc. Once in the UK Foreman wrote The Sleeping Tiger which Losey directed with both men working under assumed names. Foreman went on to write a group of well-received films, The Key, The Guns Of Navarone, The Bridge On The River Kwai, and wrote and directed The Victors with no real top-drawer stars but a fairly decent second eleven like Vince Edwards, George Hamilton, Eli Wallach and George Peppard who for once actually acts in the odd moment. A series of vignettes rather than a plot its message, don't, whatever you do, go to a war, is hackneyed but nevertheless worth repeating. Weighing in at two and a half hours it manages to hold the attention.

Most of us can recall moments in our life where we vividly remember more than just a particular event. Sometimes, unimportant details such as the weather, where you were sitting or standing, or the day of the week can become as big a part of our memory as the actual event. This has been my experience since having watched the "The Victors" over forty years ago.I only saw it once but I intuitively knew that I had watched something important. Even now, I can see the face of actor Vince Edwards as he thoughtfully and solemnly manuevers his way through Europe as he participates in the war. I can't remember the other actors or the plot of the movie and am unable to be specific as to why it affected me so strongly.If I watched this movie again it is likely I would come to understand it's impact on my adolescent psyche. But from what I hear the movie is unavailable. Too bad for me any anyone else who never viewed this powerful film