Go Tell the Spartans
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Movie Reviews of Go Tell the Spartans
Movie Review: Vietnam - The First Steps
Summary: 4 Stars
A very true to life accounting of the early days of our involvement in South Vietnam. I just hope we learnt something from the experience, and the errors made.Movie Review: Go Tell the Spartans
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought this was a good film but not a great film. The color was a bit off or it was too bright. But it is a must for any Vietnam War movie collection.Movie Review: What's the use of a DVD?
Summary: 3 Stars
Don't get me wrong! This movie is really a good movie. Not Excellent, but good.
My concern is actually more with the presentation of certain movies of this kind on DVD.
Like Universal Pictures, HBO and others seem to always revert to the FULL SCREEN video format to dish up their DVDs.
Many of the very same movies are available, through the same distribution companies in the UK, in their original
WIDESCREEN (either Letterboxed or Anamorphic) format. Sometimes in a ratio of 1.85:1, other times in 2.35:1.
While I can still understand a Full Screen presentation (1.33:1 ratio) for a 1.85:1 movie, why do the U.S. distributors
always resort to Full Screen?
The sources, in many cases, are the same. Yet many movies, like for instance "Colossus - The Forbin Project", "Charley
Varrick" and here "Go Tell the Spartans" are simply transferred in 1.33:1 (full screen) for U.S. DVD release, while
their UK counterpart comes in their original screen aspect ratio (with a very few exceptions to the rule).
So my question is, what is wrong with American distributors?
I am also thinking about the U.S. viewer who is not so fortunate as to have the money to afford a code-free player, in order
to actually order them from the UK, with their included additional international postage expenses.
It is a funny globalized world, where nothing is really globalized.
One would have assumed that at least in the Western Free World such differences would have been overcome in time.
But alas, no such luck!
While we are threatened from every corner of the world, we still amuse ourselves in bickering and find cultural and linguistic
differences within our own Countries.
And just to add insult to irony, we have so many non-sense commercial practices that seem concocted more by complete morons,
rather than judicious and wise corporate people.
China and Asia in general must really be grateful of so much incompetence and greed.
It is all playing in their hands.
Mind you, I have nothing against our Asian friends. I actually admire them.
I actually deplore the lack of a common conscience of who and what we are, culturally, and that this is actually causing
us to be the ultimate losers in this race for world predominance in trading.
Great way to be competitive...
I still recommend this movie, although with the reserves I have expressed above.
For those of you, lucky enough to own a code/region free player, stick with the UK release of this movie, which is in its
intended 1.85:1 ratio aspect ratio.
Sorry for my tantrum, but I am so fed up to be taken for a fool, when in reality I know more about how movies should be
professionally presented to the public than the executives in certain distribution companies around the world.
They should be ashamed of themselves, but they obviously aren't, otherwise they would change their minds about it.
A quick buck is still more important than quality or respect for the product one represents.
Take it as it is...
Movie Review: Good movie, production quality lacking
Summary: 3 Stars
First, the bad part. The production quality of this movie is more like a "movie of the week" from the same era (late '70s). It' possible that the DVD transfer may also be a bit to blame. There are no DVD extras like we would see from more recent movies.
For the good part. The movie is fairly engaging, and covers a period not often covered, the earliest beginnings of the American involvement. The central storyline about an undermanned unit being ordered to occupy a former French village/firebase highlights how the higher command misread the capabilities of the Viet Cong, and over estimated their own abilities (and how the men on the ground knew this, to various degrees). The movie's title comes from an inscription above a French cemetary located in the village.
The combat is simple, and doesn't rank up there with modern movie making, which is precisely why it's proabably a more accurate representation of small arms combat. (Gee, there's not a 80 foot fireball from each mortar round?).
Stereotypes abound, and a few things that occur are probably unrealistic, but a few things occur that are unexpected but totally believeable.
"Go Tell the Spartans" is a good movie, but it could have been better (much better).
Movie Review: A good premise for a movie, but poor execution
Summary: 3 Stars
"Go Tell the Spartans" is important in the genre of Vietnam war films primarily because, unlike Platoon or Full Metal Jacket, it looks at the earliest phase of American military involvement in Vietnam. The production values of the film suffer from its low budget (supposedly Burt Lancaster kicked-in his own money to get it made) and third-rate actors. It has the feel of a made-for-TV movie from the 70's. I think that the story would be a good subject for a higher-quality remake. I'm not sure why, but I still like the movie, although I think of it as a very rough cut of what the film could have been.