Lost Command
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.86 You Save: $7.13 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.31 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Lost Command
Movie Review: "There's only one rule...don't die!"
Summary: 4 Stars
One reviewer categorized Anthony Quinn, who's purported to have been in more Oscar winning movies than any other actor, as Hollywood's All Purpose Ethnic...I thought that was not only an humorous description, but also an accurate one, too...I really wasn't sure about the film Lost Command (1966), but given the praise posted, I decided to give it a chance, and I wasn't disappointed. Based on a novel by Jean Lartéguy, the film was directed by Mark Robson (Peyton Place, Von Ryan's Express, Earthquake). Starring in the film is Anthony Quinn (The Guns of Navarone, Lawrence of Arabia), Alain Delon (Scorpio), and George Segal (Fun with Dick and Jane). Also appearing is Claudia Cardinale (The Professionals), Maurice Ronet (Three Rooms in Manhattan), and Michèle Morgan (Joan of Paris).
The film begins as the mid-20th century conflict between the French and the Vietminh guerrillas battling each other somewhere in Indo-China comes to a close, with Quinn, playing Lt. Col. Pierre Raspeguy, finding his relatively small band of fighters overrun and eventually captured. Soon after they're deposited in a prisoner of war camp, an armistice is declared, and the men are released to return home. This is when Raspeguy, who comes from humble beginnings, learns his unit has been disbanded, and is effectively out of a job. The French command is hesitant to give him another as not only is he perceived as someone who's difficult to work with by his superiors (only when they give inane commands that will needlessly kill his men), but he's also looked down upon as an officer because he's not of noble blood, something that used to be a requirement for high ranking positions in the French Army. Anyway, through some assistance, Raspeguy does receive a new command, that of a newly formed paratrooper division made up of volunteers and rejects from other units, and his first assignment is to return to Algeria to deal with a growing insurgency among the Muslim population (the Vietminh effectively threw off the yoke of French control, and now others are getting similar ideas), led by a former French officer (who's originally of Arab descent), who, incidentally, used to be under Raspeguy's command. As Raspeguy and his men move in, the situation is far from ideal as not only do they have to find this well hidden and highly armed insurgency force, but they also have to deal with a sympathetic population (sympathetic to the rebels, not the French) and the conflict becomes increasing dirty as the rebels/terrorists use whatever means possible to push the French from their land (but that's not to say the French didn't resort to less than savory methods also). Not only that, but Raspeguy also must face harsh scrutiny from his superiors, who, it seems, are looking for any reason to put him out of commission, so success is critical (they're less likely to prosecute a hero over a scapegoat), even if it means adopting some rather harsh tactics (secretly, though, I think they admire his ability to get `down and dirty').
I think one of the many things I liked about this film is, while the story was fairly complex, it wasn't difficult to follow, and I think this stems from a strong sense of direction and an eye for details provided by Robson. There may not be fluid and grace in how in how the story proceeds, but that probably comes from the desire to stay close to the source material rather than trying to appease a more general audience. I did feel some of the melodramatic elements included felt a little out of place, but given some of Robson's previous films, it's not surprising their inclusion here. The film has similarities to another film, released a year later, titled The Dirty Dozen, in that you have a band of misfits lead by a strong leader, forced to take on a very dangerous assignment, so I can't help but wonder if that film took a little from Lost Command. The main difference between the two films, in my opinion, besides the obvious, is The Dirty Dozen presents the characters in terms of heroic types, and the audience develops a sense of empathy with them, while in Lost Command, there's not so much of that as we see the some very strong-armed tactics employed by Quinn and his group, tactics that many would probably view as unfavorable, therefore not developing any strong attachments to the core characters, but given what they were up against, who's to say what one would do in a situation like that, against an enemy willing to sacrifice all for their ideals. There aren't really any strong heroes here, but men doing what they must to survive...anyway, I though Quinn did a really excellent job as Raspeguy, and I could actually believe he was not only an officer in the French army, but also a native of the country. I wasn't sure how Segal (darkened face and all) would come off as an Arab, and there were times it was a bit hard to swallow, but overall I think he managed to pull it off. And having Claudia Cardinale, as the sister of the independence movement's leader, in the film sure didn't hurt...yowsa. I enjoyed how the film showed both sides of the conflict, the difficulties they faced, and the tactics employed. I haven't seen The Battle of Algiers (1965), released a year earlier, but I have heard it deals with the same conflict, both films covering the historical aspects very well.
The anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) picture on this DVD looks very sharp, and the 2-channel Dolby surround audio comes through clearly. There are slim pickings with regards to special features as the only extras include a trailer for this film, along with another for The Guns of Navarone (1961).
Cookieman108
By the way, watch for an early appearance by Burt Kwouk as a Vietminh officer...most will remember him as Inspector Clouseau's manservant Cato Fong, from the Pink Panther series...Clouseau: You raving Oriental idiot! There is a time and a place for everything, Cato! And this is it!
Movie Review: Top-notch action with French paratroopers in Dien Bien Phu, Algeria
Summary: 4 Stars
Made the same year as Battle of Algiers, and dealing with the exact same subject matter, Lost Command is an oft-forgotten action story telling the story of the Algerian fight for independence from the French perspective. Following the end of the Indochina conflict with the disastrous defeat at Dien Bien Phu, French colonel Pierre Raspeguy are returned to France by their Vietminh captors, only Raspeguy discovers his regiment has been disbanded. It isn't long before Raspeguy is offered another regiment, a new group of paratroopers made up of some old comrades and a group of rejects from other units. Arriving in Algeria, Raspeguy's 10th Parachute Regiment must help to put down the Algerian fight for independence, only to discover the rebel leader is an old friend. Not many movies have been made about the Algerian War so any take is interesting to see. What stands out here are the top-notch action scenes, including a disastrous airborne drop to open the movie, an ambush by Algerian rebels, and the final firefight on a rocky mountainside. Mark Robson's movie tries to show both sides of the story, and mostly succeeds, but what's memorable about this movie is the action from start to finish.
By this point in his career an established star, Anthony Quinn leads the cast as Lt. Colonel Pierre Raspeguy, a career soldier given one more chance to make good, lead his inexperienced regiment in attempt to squash a rebellion. Quinn brings just the right amount of world-weariness and need to accomplish his mission to make Raspeguy a very interesting character. Alain Delon is Captain Phillipe Esclavier, an idealistic young soldier who becomes Raspeguy's close friend and second in command. In a weird bit of casting, George Segal plays Mahidi, an Arab leader of the Algerian fight for independence who use to fight alongside the men now hunting him. Michele Morgan is Countess Clairfons, a rich widow who recently lost her husband and starts to fall for Quinn, while the very beautiful Claudia Cardinale gets to play a villainous role as Aicha, Mahidi's sister who starts to play Delon. Maurice Ronet leads Raspeguy's group of support as the cold-blooded Boisfeuras, along with Maurice Sarfati, Jean-Claude Bercq, Syl Lamont, and Gordon Heath. Also look out for small parts for spaghetti western bit players Al Mulock and Aldo Sambrell.
The DVD is a good buy, especially for the high quality widescreen presentation. Filmed in Spain, the desert locations have never looked better. Special features include a Lost Command trailer along with a Guns of Navarone trailer. It's a movie that has flown under the radar all these years, but don't miss out on this chance to catch it on DVD. Great action, and good performances from Quinn and Delon, check out Lost Command!
Movie Review: Anthony Quinn, The All Purpose Ethnic!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a surprisngly good movie with Anthony Quinn, the all purpose ethnic! I say this because he has been used to play everything from American Indians to Arabs over the years! Here he plays a fairly conventional character modeled after the actaul charasmatic Marcel Biegeard, a French paratrooper. I would concur with the other reviews that its one of Quinn's better roles. The movie has plenty of action taking the viewer from the defeat of Dien Bien Phu to Algeria. The scenes in Algeria are less propagandistic than some portrayals, though I believe the French were a good deal more brutal than this movie shows.
Again, the best features really are the combat scenes, and the depiction of how Quinn's character molds a solid and versatile combat unit able to take on terrorists in the mountains and the city. My question when watching this movie was why didn't the French show this kind of courage and determination in 1940 against the Germans when it would have really mattered? The movie conveys a subtle anti-French message toward colonialism at the end which does not come across very clearly. Reviewers have tended to pan it because of this, but that's no reason not to give this film a chance.
Despite these minor quibbles this is still a unique film covering an exotic topic. With increased American involvement in Afghanistan and elsewhere there's a lot of added interest here. The movie conveys quite well the difficulties of dealing with insurgents. There's lots of good action without gore, some good acting, and even a romance or two. Not a bad deal considering this movie was out of print until the recent DVD re-issue.
Movie Review: Few if any Good Guys in this One
Summary: 4 Stars
In "Lost Command", Anthony Quinn plays Colonel Raspeguy, a French paratrooper of peasent origins who finds himself caught up in the battles of the dying French empire. The film begins in May 1954 as Giap's Communist Vietminh overrun the French positions around Dien Bien Phu and capture most of the garrison. After leaving a POW camp, Raspeguy heads back to France desperate to find a new command and a chance at glory. He finds it in a horrific guerilla conflict in Algeria.
"Lost Command" is an interesting film for several reasons. For one, the subject matter of France's wars in Algeria and Indochina is rarely covered in films to my knowledge. The combat scenes and terrorist attacks are on the whole well shot in the picture. Another thing that makes the film interesting is its lack of heroes. The Vietmienh are depicted as radical Communists. The Algerian insurrgents and terrorists don't mind bombing civilians or mutilating the bodies of dead French soldiers (the guerilla leader [a former French officer] is at least slightly sympathetic and has a sense of honor). The French paratroopers seem to start out the "good guys" but as the war escalates, they deliberately murder civilians in one incident and also begin using torture (mostly offscreen) in their interrogations. Colonel Raspeguy is rather disgusted at the slaughter of civilians (he didn't order it) but is willing to do almost anything to win.
Oh, as this film was shot in Spain, people who have seen pictures of the area around Dien Bien Phu will quickly notice the radical difference in terrain between the Film's depiction and the actual battle.
Movie Review: A Good War Film
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a pretty good film, although from a historical point of view it misses a few important points about the conflict in Algeria.
The director's intent was clearly to show how a good soldier (LTC Raspeguy) becomes compromised in his efforts to stop a terror war in the French colony. The more dangerous and extreme the actions of the terrorists the more Raspeguy looks the other way when his soldiers take extreme steps in response. A man of physical courage, Raspeguy fails to invoke moral courage in himself and his soldiers.
A few minor technical issues, such as the matchbox bombs used in the film. There is no way such a small device could be as destructive as they are portrayed in the film, but it is an important plot point.
Anthony Quinn is as good as ever in this film, although I think the role could have been expanded to take better advantage of his acting skills.
Be sure to look for "Cato" at the beginning of the film. I also had my doubts about him...