The Devil's Brigade
by Andrew V. McLaglen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrew Prine, Cliff Robertson, Jeremy Slate, Vince Edwards, William HoldenDirector: Andrew V. McLaglen
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: William H. Clothier
Producer: David L. Wolper
Producer: Julian Ludwig
Producer: Theodore Strauss
Writer: George Walton
Writer: Robert H. Adleman
Writer: William Roberts
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Devil's Brigade
Movie Review: Finally gets Deserved Homage on this Indelible DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
At the time of the release of THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE it was unfairly compared to THE DIRTY DOZEN as being another copycat in the same genre. That was both inaccurate and unfortunate. THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE is a great film and an entity unto itself. The only similarity between the two films is the use of Army convicts to develop what would now be called a 'special forces' unit. The similarities end there. Robert Aldrich tries to imitate John Ford's directorial style with only partial success in THE DIRTY DOZEN. Aldrich tries to go for a type of realism throughout his film and doesn't really seem to know how to manage the fine balance between comic relief and drama. In THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE Andrew V. McLaglen certainly knows when to play it straight and when to lay on the heavy-handed comedy that was a John Ford trademark. John Ford no doubt influenced Andrew V. McLaglen the son of Victor McLaglen. Victor McLaglen was one of John Ford's favorite actors and was one of many influenced by this great director. The bawdy humor in THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE prepares us for the emotionally charged final confrontation with the Germans and makes the carnage all the more real for the viewer. There is exceptionally great depth to all the characters in THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE and McLaglen builds real camaraderie between them. The dialogue is very engaging with its shear magnetism and is never cynical. When these guys fight, kill and die in combat we really feel for them. We cheer them on and we cry when they fall. There is more than just the mission at stake. There are lives on the line. Lives that we grew to like and feel for. The final mission is just not a little sortie to attack a Nazi stronghold on a hillside precipice. It is an assault, which breaks out into a full-scale battle with deadly hand-to-hand combat and feats of genuine heroism. William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Claude Akins, Richard Jaeckel, Andrew Prine, Jeremy Slate, Jack Watson, Michael Rennie and Carroll O'Connor are all excellent in their roles. Alex North's fine score and theme have also never been given their due. This is a strong film that examines friendship, camaraderie, and teamwork. Its message is not one of cynicism but the good that can be found in the human spirit. You just have to stand up and cheer for this should-be-classic. Seeing this film's images in widescreen after all these years gives it even greater depth and shows how well a craftsman Andrew V. McLaglen really was. There are just so many scenes that have multiple images going on simultaneously that add richness and texture to the legend of these unsung heroes. My heart really goes out to this film and to the human spirit of the men that it eloquently captures so effortlessly but so indelibly. This is one of my favorite films of all time.
Summary of The Devil's Brigade
They were misfits, rebels and heroes. Oscar(r) winners* William Holden and Cliff Robertsontopline this riveting World War II saga based on the true story of the First Special Service Force.Capturing the drama of combat with "outstanding" cinematography and an "exceptionally strong cast" (The Hollywood Reporter), The Devil's Brigade is a thrilling tribute to this renowned fighting unit. Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick (Holden) takes on the daunting task of melding a renegade group of American and Canadian recruits into a crack team of commando warriors. Frederick's superiors doubt the rookies until Frederick volunteers them for a perilous attack on a Nazi stronghold in the mountains. His men will be outnumbered and outgunned, but that's a fair fight to "the devil's brigade."Dismissed in 1968 as a plodding rip-off of The Dirty Dozen--without that 1967 film's sardonic, antiestablishment satire--The Devil's Brigade now plays like a nostalgic last gasp of the sentimental World War II action genre. Celebrating the 1st Special Service Force (a commando-like unit formed to fight in Norway but ultimately deployed in Italy), this typically broad Andrew V. McLaglen production recounts the teaming of some miscreant GIs with "the handpicked best of the best-trained army in the world"--the Canadians--under a U.S. officer (William Holden) who had never commanded men in combat. The first hour, heavy on machismo and low comedy, depicts the unit's training at an abandoned base in Montana, with nonstop international rivalry until Yanks and Canadians bond in a lusty saloon brawl. After that, the Germans are easy meat. Holden is solid, as usual, and so is the widescreen work of veteran cameraman William H. Clothier, impeccably rendered on the DVD. --Richard T. Jameson
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