The Hill (1965) sean connery

[lester1/2jr]

             
                         This has been compared favorably to kubrick's anti-war "Paths of Glory"  so I was very curious.  It's very good, but a little too british for me.  Only Ossie Davis's had-enough-of-this sarcastic soldier seemed logical /dignified. 


                      At the same time, there is, as they say, "alot to like".  First, unlike "Paths of glory"  this is shot in a desert, not on a Hollywood lot and it adds immeasurably to the story.  The actors, like the characters they are playing, are truly suffering in the desert heat.  There is some clever writing too, my particular favorite being the crafty warden's way of appealing to the men's masculinity and patriotism to keep them in line.  The title refers to the manmade monument to their own sadism the british army has created to teach wayward soldiers a lesson, or murder them via sunstroke, whichever comes first.

[Neville]

I've heard of it before and sounds very good. I'll put it on my viewing list. BTW, I've heard very good things about another Lumet / Connery film, this time a police drama. It's called "The offence". If you liked this one maybe you should give this other one a try.

[The Burgomaster]

I had a VHS copy of THE HILL several years ago.  I thought it was a well-made movie, but I seem to remember that it was very bleak and left me feeling sort of depressed and empty.

[lester1/2jr]

burgomaster-  the reason I felt the same way is because of the wimpiness of the soldiers.  it sounds ridiculous, but i think our (american) culture and/ or our cinema dictates that we go apes**t in these circumstances rather than be made fools of. 

    This is why I preferred "punishment park" despite the fact that "the hill" has much much better acting writing directing etc.