Directed by:
Nicholas RayCinematography:
Michel KelberComposer:
Maurice LerouxCast:
Richard Burton, Curd Jürgens, Ruth Roman, Raymond Pellegrin, Anthony Bushell, Nigel Green, Christopher Lee, Raoul Delfosse, Andrew Crawford, Alfred Burke (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Set during WWII and unfolding mostly in the deserts of Libya, the film establishes a rivalry between its two main characters from the very beginning. The charismatic Captain James Leith (Richard Burton) and his cowardly superior, Major David Brand (Curt Jurgens), both accept a dangerous assignment to be sent to Libya to recover top-secret documents. Before they depart, Brand sees his wife Jane (Ruth Roman) dancing with the Captain, and becomes enflamed with jealousy; it turns out that Leith and Jane were lovers before the war. The rest of the exposition traces the two men's journey, made even more perilous by their intense enmity, and moves toward a climactic ending that plays up the absurdity of war. Refusing to draw a clear division between hero and villain, Ray highlights the way war ultimately reduces everyone to the same petty motivations and empty rhetoric. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Richard Burton
UK
Best movies:
The Longest Day (1962)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Medusa Touch (1978)
Curd Jürgens
German Empire
Best movies:
The Longest Day (1962)
Battle of Britain (1969)
The Artist in the Circus Dome: Clueless (1968)
Ruth Roman
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
The Sacketts (1979) (TV movie)
Raymond Pellegrin
France
Best movies:
Fantomas (1964)
Fantomas Strikes Back (1965)
Docteur Teyran (1980) (TV movie)
Anthony Bushell
UK
Best movies:
Hamlet (1948)
A Night to Remember (1958)
The Red Beret (1953)
Nigel Green
South Africa
Best movies:
Reach for the Sky (1956)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
The League of Gentlemen (1960)
Christopher Lee
UK
Best movies:
Raoul Delfosse
France
Best movies:
Charade (1963)
The Sicilian Clan (1969)
The Brain (1969)
Andrew Crawford
UK
Best movies:
Julius Caesar (1970)
One Wild Oat (1951)
Bitter Victory (1957)
Alfred Burke
UK
Best movies:
Harry Landis
UK
Best movies:
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
The Longest Day (1962)
Billy Liar (1963)
Joé Davray
Best movies:
Fan-Fan the Tulip (1952)
That Naughty Girl (1956)
The Light Across the Street (1955)
Sean Kelly
Best movies:
The War Lover (1962)
The Victors (1963)
First Men in the Moon (1964)
Ronan O'Casey
Canada
Best movies:
Trouble in Store (1953)
Blow-Up (1966)
Reach for the Sky (1956)