No.113 : The Hill (1965)

The Hill at the IMDb

Sean Connery made this 1965, black and white drama immediately after he finished ‘Goldfinger’ presumably to show that there was more to him than Martinis and one liners. Well it worked - he can do shouting too!

Connery is one of five men who arrive in a British  North African army penal camp during World War 2. The four others are privates convicted for petty crimes whereas Connery is an officer charged with disobeying orders.

The camp is run by a team of sadistic guards who glory in running their charges into the ground. Their favourite torture device is the titular hill which, although quite small, breaks all who are set up and down it. Connery as a seemingly cowardly officer gets singled out for special treatment and this doesn’t sit well with his cellmates who are roped in too. These include Sandy out of ‘The Wild Geese’ Roy Kinnear and a spirited black chap who gets all kinds of racial abuse that seems outrageous by today’s standards.

The men are passed fit by an ineffectual medical officer and put in the grim hands of the evil Sgt Stevens. He reports to the blinkered RSM Wilson who in turn reports to the oblivious commandant. The brutal drills soon cause the men to faint and despite Connery’s knowledge of the regulations they get no respite. Only slightly fey officer Ian Bannen offers some support but the bullying climate keeps him in check.

After one brutal drill on the hill one of the cellmates collapse and dies. Can the men find justice or will the metaphorical hill of threats and lies be too much for them to surmount?

Two hours of sweaty men shouting at each other may not be everyone’s cup of tea but this is an excellent film with a lot to say about discipline, the law and class. The injustices are plain to see but these are guilty men and there’s a war on. Where should our sympathies lie? Director Sidney Lumet answers this from the off with the guards onto a hiding as soon as Sean shows up with his book of rules. His character was well drawn with the truth of his imprisonment slowly drawn out of him.

When the man dies a near mutiny ensues but this is swiftly quelled with some selective punishment and the lure of some cheese. Sean isn’t so easily bought and gets a strong kicking for his troubles. Can he convince the weak medical officer and the simpering Bannen to stand up for what is just? To convince them we get a near half hour scene of the men yelling at each other as battle lines are drawn and alliances are forged and quickly recanted when the tide turns.

The cast is uniformly (!) excellent and the drama is well realised against a massive set with dozens of extras. It would work well as a theatre production and the director wisely chooses to use a lot of close ups and jerky camera movements to give an unsettling sense of isolation and disconnection.

There are some uncomfortable scenes especially when the black actor, Ossie Davis, has to endure abuse and spend much of the film in his oversized pants, but I’m sure what was portrayed was mild compared to the real life environment.

Overall this was a fast paced two hours with the focus on character and dialogue. Top notch acting and directing saved it from being a cheap melodrama and it’s certainly one that’ll live long in the memory.

THE Tag Line : Climb this Hill!   76%

No.94 : The Bunker (1981)

The Bunker at IMDb

No, it’s not a sequel to ‘Happy Gilmour’, the Bunker in question is that of Hitler in this American TV movie from 1981. It was in fact a mini series with the version I saw chopped down to a meagre two and a half hours. At least its bound to have a surprise ending? What?

The film opens two months after Hitler’s demise with an American officer arriving at the bunker for a nosey. He provides a bit of narration before we dissolve into flashback as the bunker is being prepared for the fuhrer’s arrival. The sets aren’t that impressive but the cast is, with familiar faces raiding the dressing up box all over the place. We meet Martin Jarvis’ cockney mechanic as well as Drax off ‘Moonraker’ as Martin Bormann. Julian Fellowes of ‘Downton Abbey’ fame shows up as an officer and the pivotal role of Albert Speer is taken by Richard Jordan who was the baddie sandman in ‘Logan’s Run’.

The main role of Hitler is taken by Anthony Hopkins who for some reason plays the megalomaniac as a Welshman - they won’t like that in the valleys! The plot is basically that of the superior ‘Downfall’ with the frail Hitler battling his officers and sanity as he tries to salvage the war. He orders a scorched earth policy but Speer is keen to distract the head Hun to save the German nation. Meanwhile, Hitler’s dog has puppies.

The film is seen from the viewpoint of several characters such as Speer who is trying to bump off the horrible Herr at any cost and the kitchen staff, including Pat Butcher, who are having trouble keeping the dinners coming. Elsewhere Henry Davenport off ‘Drop the Dead Donkey and Mr Bronson off ‘Grange Hill’ boost their Cvs with small but well accented parts.

To lift the claustrophobic air we also get some scenes in flashback such as Hitler walking his dog and his birthday party - maybe the full version has him getting his hair cut too; they seem very thorough. As the war gets worse - seen only by more rumbles from outside - the officers gather to convince Hitler to seek peace in scene familiar to anyone who has seen ‘Hitler’s X-box stops working’ on YouTube

The plot doesn‘t need much more analysis as it‘s a well worn tale with a surprise free conclusion. The scale of the production is impressive although the uniforms look a bit too crisp for it to be believable as a last stand. There is no attempt at speaking German or even consistent accents but it is well staged with a good cast doing their best with familiar material.

The production won an Emmy and it was a clear template for ‘Downfall’ with many of the scenes such as the medals presentation complete and intact. It is however too long and fails to match the later film’s sense of authenticity. There is no grime, or sense of desperation present, merely Hitler’s shaky hand as his officers head off to their next acting gig.

Hopkins is OK in the lead but he’s let down by a moustache that’s too big and a script that has him shout too much and act irrationally too often. Of course we are dealing with a maniac here but his outbursts didn’t convince and his hands and accent were equally shaky and equally unconvincing.

Overall this was a decent stab at familiar material but it lacked authenticity or any sense of drama. I preferred ’Downfall’ for it’s use of German, its crumbling and dirty sets and it’s far creepier Goebbels.

THE Tag Line - Take a Sandwich to The Bunker (sand wedge - geddit?)
64%