The Devil's Brigade (film)
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The Devil's Brigade | |
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Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen Terry Morse, Jr. (Ass't) |
Produced by | David L. Wolper |
Written by | Robert H. Adleman & Col. George Walton (book) William Roberts (screenplay) |
Starring | William Holden Cliff Robertson Vince Edwards |
Music by | Alex North |
Cinematography | William H. Clothier |
Editing by | William T. Cartwright |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date(s) | May 15, 1968 |
Running time | 130 min. |
Language | English |
IMDb profile |
The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 motion picture action drama based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col. George Walton, a member of the 1st Special Service Force, a joint American-Canadian commando unit that saw action during World War II in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and later in the European Theater of Operations.
The film recounts the formation and training of a unique joint American-Canadian commando unit that became known as the "Devil's Brigade". Largely misfits, the Americans and their spit and polish Canadian counterparts overcome initial differences and eventually learn to respect each other and come together as a unit. The film dramatizes the Brigade's first mission in the Italian Campaign with the seemingly impossible task of capturing what to that point had been an impregnable Nazi mountain stronghold.
The motion picture was filmed in Utah with the 3rd United States Army Special Forces Group at Camp Williams, Utah and on location in Italy. In his first film as producer, David L. Wolper had originally purchased the film rights to Robin Moore's The Green Berets but found that no film studio would back him. Wolper had his troops wear attractive but imaginary red berets in a parade ground scene that also that featured on the film's poster and tie-in paperback of Adelman and Walton's book.
The cast of The Devil's Brigade included minor roles for NFL running back Paul Hornung and World Middleweight Champion boxer Gene Fullmer.
[edit] Principal cast
- William Holden - Lt. Col./Col. Robert T. Frederick
- Cliff Robertson - Maj. Alan Crown
- Vince Edwards - Maj. Cliff Bricker
- Andrew Prine - Pvt. Theodore Ransom
- Jeremy Slate - Sgt. Dermot 'Pat' O'Neill
- Claude Akins - Pvt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Rockman
- Carroll O'Connor - Maj. Gen. Hunter
- Jack Watson - Cpl. Wilfrid Peacock
- Dana Andrews - Lt. Gen. Walter Naylor
- Richard Jaeckel - Pvt. Omar Greco
- Richard Dawson - Pvt. Hugh MacDonald
- Tom Troupe - Pvt. Al Manella
- Paul Hornung : Lumberjack
- Gene Fullmer : Bartender