CONSENSUS #26. The Big Red One (1980)

 

SYNOPSIS: "The Big Red One" is a small unit movie set in WWII Europe. It follows the adventures of a crusty veteran sergeant (Lee Marvin) and his squad of four G.I.s plus a parade of expendables. They campaign through North Africa, Sicily, France, and into Germany. They participate in the Battle of Kasserine Pass, D-Day, the Huertgen Forest, and help liberate a concentration camp. It's all at the squad level and is basically a series of vignettes.

BACK-STORY:  The movie is loosely based on the writer/director Samuel Fuller’s experiences with the 1st Division in WWII. The character Zab (Robert Carradine) represents Fuller. The movie was released in 1980 with a substantial amount left on the cutting room floor. In 2004, the director’s cut was released almost doubling the length of the film.  The movie stars Lee Marvin in arguably his best role. Marvin was a veteran of WWII, having served in the Marines and was wounded at Saipan.

TRIVIA:  Wikipedia, IMDB

1.  Samuel Fuller was a WWII veteran and some of the vignettes were based on his experiences.  He participated in the North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy invasions.  He served in Belgium and Czechslovakia.  He was there for the liberation on Falkenau concentration camp.  He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.

2.  “The Big Red One:  The Reconstruction” premiered at Cannes seven years after Fuller’s death.  It has 47 additional minutes.

3.  Two particular incidents from Fuller’s war experiences are included.  When Zab (who represents Fuller in the movie) is playing basketball and sees Keiser reading his book and when Zab is a runner on Omaha Beach.

4.  Warner Brothers wanted to make the movie in the 1950s (with John Wayne as the sergeant).  Fuller’s “Merrill’s Marauders” was preparation for it.  However, when Fuller protested the cuts the studio insisted on for MM, the project got dropped because of bad blood.

5.  The movie was shot in Israel to save money.  The concentration camp guards were played by Israeli soldiers.

6.  Lee Marvin was 54 at the time.  Mighty old for a sergeant.  He supervised the mini boot camp the younger actors went through.  On their way to a shooting range via taxi with Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward, Marvin opened with “Fuck you, Carradine”.  Later when Robert asked him why he did this Marvin said “Yours was the only name I recognized”.

7.  It was Fuller’s first film in eleven years.

8.   Marvin was a Marine veteran of WWII in the Pacific.  His wounding in the movie was reminiscent of his wounding in the war.  He was wounded on Saipan when a bullet severed his sciatic nerve.  He was soon after hit in the foot by a sniper.  He spent over a year in hospitals.

 

Belle and Blade  =  N/A

Brassey’s              =  5.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  3.8

Military History  =  #71

Channel 4             =   #98

Film Site                =  no

101 War Movies  =  yes

Rotten Tomatoes  =  #56 

ACCURACY: “The Big Red One” is a personal story and a small unit tale, so historical accuracy is not really a factor. Two minor incidents are based on Fuller’s experiences: when Zab discovers Keiser reading a novel written by Zab and when Zab acts as a runner to inform their colonel that they have broken through on Omaha Beach. That’s pretty puny to back up the claim that the movie is based on fact.  Much of the historical incidents are handled in a simplistic manner. For example, the Torch invasion where the French open fire, but once their commander is killed, it's all hugs and kisses between the new allies. One could argue that the landing at Omaha Beach was much busier and complex than the movie implies, but the low budget of the film and the emphasis on following just five soldiers makes that a moot point. The 1st Division did fight in the different locales shown in the film. It did liberate the concentration camp. The arms and equipment (with the exception of the German tanks) are authentic.

OPINION:  “The Big Red One” plays as a series of weird vignettes. They are all interesting and move the narrative along and although each of them may have been based on an actual incident, it is highly unlikely than any squad would have had all these incidents happen to them.  In fact, some of the scenes (e.g., the tank birth) seem unlikely to have happened to anyone. The movie gets cred because supposedly it is autobiographical, but it is telling that the companion book by Fuller is a novel.

                The film is strongest in its depiction of soldier life. The dialogue rings true. The relationships are realistic, including the paternal attitude of the sergeant and the core group's refusal to bond with replacements. Fuller throws in little details that make the movie feel authentic. Things like the condoms on the rifle barrels, salt peter in the food to lower libido, and an “appearance” by “Axis Sally”.

                Fuller has a sparse style. Some scenes end abruptly. It gives the movie something of an episodic feel. One begins to wonder what mess the squad will get into next. The battles are small-scale and end quickly. The battles are meant to be gritty, but the movie is firmly in the old school style, pre-“Saving Private Ryan”. One problem is the important theme of Griff’s (Mark Hammill) cowardice is never resolved. Another theme, war is brutal and arbitrary in dealing out death, is undercut by the survival of all five. In fact, only the sergeant even gets wounded. The movie would have much more powerful if one of the five had been killed. The deaths of most replacements are exaggerated, the invulnerability of the five is unrealistic.

                In conclusion,  “The Big Red One” is an entertaining and in many ways amusing war movie. Marvin is marvelous and the young actors are competent. It does a good job of informing the viewer about what it was like to be in a rifle squad in the 1st Division in WWII. However, on close examination, the movie does not hold up well. Much of it is implausible. This would be less of an issue if the movie was not touted as based on Fuller’s experiences. It's a fun movie, but undoubtedly overrated by many critics. On a personal note, I was very fond of this movie when it first came out but I find that each time I watch it I see more flaws.