I've always felt that The Big Red One is at the top five of Lee Marvin's best films. It's also one of the best war pictures ever made.
The Big Red One is a product of the personal vision of director Samuel Fuller and his experiences in World War II. In the film, Fuller's character is played by Robert Carradine who narrates the film. Carradine is one of four soldiers, the others being Mark Hamill, Bobby DiCicco, and Kelly Ward. The four of them are part of a rifle squad and were together from the landings in Morocco against the Vichy French through North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater until V.E. Day.
The sergeant of this squadron is Lee Marvin, every inch the professional soldier. I'm sure it helped that in World War II, Marvin did serve in the Marines in the Pacific theater and had the role of sergeant down perfectly due to his life experience. He really does become the experienced non-commissioned officer who shepherds the young soldiers of our greatest generation through war.
These guys are not heroes by any means, but they are doing a necessary job and being led by the best when it comes to their survival.
My favorite scenes are when the U.S. Army's First Division liberates a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia towards the end of the war. The young men of the squadron see the reason for their trip overseas up close and personal. Particularly touching is the dialogless scenes involving a young boy with Lee Marvin. The boy and Marvin's expression say more than all the talk any writer could have given them. It's what movies are all about.
Mark Hamill straight from his iconic role as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars gets billing second to Marvin. His performance is good, but it doesn't stand out from the others. My guess is he was contracted to do this before Star Wars was out and the success of Star Wars mandated elevated billing for Hamill.
The Big Red One is one of the best war films ever done. It will be an enduring classic and actually should be viewed in classrooms for the young of every subsequent generation who want to know what the European theater of World War II was all about. And it is an absolute must see for fans of Lee Marvin.
The Big Red One is a product of the personal vision of director Samuel Fuller and his experiences in World War II. In the film, Fuller's character is played by Robert Carradine who narrates the film. Carradine is one of four soldiers, the others being Mark Hamill, Bobby DiCicco, and Kelly Ward. The four of them are part of a rifle squad and were together from the landings in Morocco against the Vichy French through North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater until V.E. Day.
The sergeant of this squadron is Lee Marvin, every inch the professional soldier. I'm sure it helped that in World War II, Marvin did serve in the Marines in the Pacific theater and had the role of sergeant down perfectly due to his life experience. He really does become the experienced non-commissioned officer who shepherds the young soldiers of our greatest generation through war.
These guys are not heroes by any means, but they are doing a necessary job and being led by the best when it comes to their survival.
My favorite scenes are when the U.S. Army's First Division liberates a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia towards the end of the war. The young men of the squadron see the reason for their trip overseas up close and personal. Particularly touching is the dialogless scenes involving a young boy with Lee Marvin. The boy and Marvin's expression say more than all the talk any writer could have given them. It's what movies are all about.
Mark Hamill straight from his iconic role as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars gets billing second to Marvin. His performance is good, but it doesn't stand out from the others. My guess is he was contracted to do this before Star Wars was out and the success of Star Wars mandated elevated billing for Hamill.
The Big Red One is one of the best war films ever done. It will be an enduring classic and actually should be viewed in classrooms for the young of every subsequent generation who want to know what the European theater of World War II was all about. And it is an absolute must see for fans of Lee Marvin.