Primarily known for writing "High Noon" and for producing "The Guns of Navarone," Carl Foreman directed only a single film in his career, "The Victors." Foreman also produced and scripted the 1963 anti-war film, which was obviously a labor of love. Cut from its original 185-minute road-show running time, the still-lengthy film is episodic and uneven; reflecting the loss of more than a half hour, some sequences do not make sense, while others appear to be missing earlier explanatory details. However, the pluses still outweigh the negatives, and patient viewers with a tolerance for heavy-handed message films will be rewarded in this well-intentioned, if flawed work."The Victors" features a large cast of rising stars from the early 1960's, both American and European; George Peppard, George Hamilton, Chris Mitchum, Michael Callan, Vince Edwards, and Peter Fonda play the American GI's, while Jeanne Moreau, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger, Melina Mercouri, and Romy Schneider appear in sequences opposite one or more of the American actors. Eli Wallach gives arguably the best performance as Joe Craig, the fatherly sergeant in command of a troop that fights to liberate Italy, France, and Belgium, invades Germany, occupies Berlin, and convalesces in England; although the A-bomb detonating over Hiroshima is depicted, Craig's troop is spared the Japanese occupation. George Peppard is also quite good as Frank Chase, a cocky corporal; alongside Wallach, Peppard and George Hamilton are the principal characters who link the otherwise unrelated sequences that occur in the closing months of World War II. Albert Finney appears incongruously as a Russian soldier in the symbolic finale that whacks the audience like a sledgehammer. However, despite their marquee value, Foreman's handsome, youthful cast may have undercut his intentions; their careful grooming, well coiffed hair styles, and perfect make-up stand in sharp contrast to the gritty surroundings.The rain, mud, and grime are richly captured in Christopher Challis's memorable black-and-white cinematography, which is among the film's major assets. However, Foreman interweaves lengthy documentary footage and clips from period newsreels with the studio shots. Obviously ironic, the newsreel scenes of GI's waging a snowball fight and young women cavorting on a military obstacle course contrast with Wallach and company slogging through mud and dodging bombs and bullets. A newsreel clip of Shirley Temple's wedding illustrates how American audiences were distracted from the grim reality of events on the front, and FDR's morale-boosting talks seem more like empty platitudes. Foreman adds another layer of irony with his use of period songs. "Remember Pearl Harbor" plays on a radio, while racist soldiers on a "coon" hunt beat up two African-Americans in a bar. However, perhaps the most indelible scene and the hardest to watch is the execution of a young deserter amidst a snowy landscape, while "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" plays on the soundtrack.Although Foreman preaches against stereotypes in a scene that involves a kind, if drunken turbaned soldier, he indulges in them throughout the film: the English are kind hearted and generous, the Germans are calculating, the French are obsessed with their belongings, the Poles put business opportunities first, the Russians are savage, only the Americans show a range of personality types, and most of those are not commendable; no heroes here. However, Foreman's heart is in the right place in this fervent anti-war film that depicts the boredom, drudgery, and loneliness of war. "The Victors" is a war film without battles, heroics, or victories; just mud, rain, and ruins; while back at home, a young newly-wed movie star smiles for the cameras beside her handsome husband in uniform.

Directed by Carl Foreman, "The Victors" (1963) watches as various American soldiers journey across Europe during World War 2. They're led by Sergeant Craig, played by the inimitable Eli Wallach.Beautifully shot, lit and framed, "The Victors" is at its best when simply observing as tired, grime-smeared soldiers trek across open fields and through bombed out buildings. The scale of the War's theatre, and the drudgery of soldiering, is conveyed well during such sequences.But Foreman has loftier intentions. Whilst early World War 2 films glorified combat and bolstered Good War mythology, Foreman hopes to do the opposite. And so we watch as black soldiers are assaulted by racist Americans, as troops are executed for desertion, as American soldiers get drunk, as surrendering Germans are mercilessly gunned down and as cute puppies are perforated by bullets. Though well meaning, few of these scenes feel anything but hokey. Throw in a heavy-handed soundtrack, and you have a film which attempts to be subversive but which is as maudlin as the overtly pro-war films it hopes to undermine.Most early World War 2 films ignored the complex socio-historical, economic and class based causes of the conflict. Kowtowing to Good War mythology, they instead reduced the war to a game of Goodies versus Baddies, in which mass murdering Imperialists are pitted against virtuous, "freedom loving" democracies who die, Christlike, for those in need. That all sides were colonialist, racist, classist, mass-murdering jerks typically goes ignored. There were some films, however, that offered more sobering perspectives on the war ("The Story of GI Joe", "The Best Years of Our Lives", "From Here to Eternity", "Home of the Brave", "The Men" etc), though none of these contested the value of the struggle itself. It was only from the mid 1950s onwards that stauncher anti-war perspectives began to be put forward. Such films included "The Young Lions", "The War Lover", ambiguous dramas like "The Americanzation of Emily" and, arguably, "Some Came Running". Of all these films, though, Foreman's "The Victors" is the most pessimistic. It ends, after-all, with American and Russian "allies" stabbing one another and then collapsing in a parody of a "victory" symbol. For Foreman, war is without winners. George Peppard co-stars.6/10 – Worth one viewing. See "Bridge at Remagen", "Decision before Dawn" and "Walker" (1987).

Many war movies before and since "The Victors" claim to be anti-war. However, the anti-war sentiments are usually tacked onto the end of an action-packed movie full of exhilarating battle scenes. In other words they cheat. The filmmakers want to have their cake and eat it as well."The Victors" does not cheat. Using a portmanteau story structure, the film follows a squad of GIs as they fight through WW2 Europe. Set piece scenes punctuate a background of war and movement, revealing the relationships the soldiers have with the women and the families they encounter in Sicily, France, Britain and Germany. As each vignette fits into place, the strength, weakness, kindness and meanness of the characters is shown. By the end, "The Victors" has revealed war's brutalising effect on the people involved.I can't think of many other movies that used this episodic technique before 1963. The treatment of "The Victors" seems a precursor to the approach Robert Altman took on his later, non-war films "Nashville" and "Short Cuts". In fact "The Victors" was based on a book of short stories as was "Short Cuts" Using WW2 Lowell Thomas newsreels as an ironic counterbalance, but without narration or awkward exposition, "The Victors" makes its points without too heavy a hand. The audience is left to make up its own mind about the events depicted.The episodic nature of the story means that certain sequences pack more punch than others. But every one of these segments delivers yet another insight that if cut would detract from the whole.But it seems the movie was cut in 1963. This was done because of bad reviews at the time. While most reviews of the film these days are glowing, that wasn't always the case.A recurring criticism in 1963 was that a film showing how war brutalises people was simply stating the obvious - as though all war movies at the time showed this. However, with notable exceptions, the opposite was most often the case.Although "The Victors" tackled some of the darker issues of WW2 in an intimate way - sometimes casting the GIs in a bad light - the fact that they were fighting for a higher purpose was summed up in a wordless scene when a concentration camp inmate kisses the hand of one of the approaching GIs after the Germans have fled.Not only is "The Victors" a unique war movie but it is also worthy to sit beside a classic such as "The Best Years of our Lives" in depicting the effects of war and it's aftermath on the lives of ordinary people.

This war film was very great for one thing a)It shows the contribution of Indians(sub-continent) and African soldiers from the British Army and African-Americans fighting for freedom of Europe in World War 2.My grand-uncle from Nigria(West Africa) fought with the British Army as an African in North Africa and Southern Italy.I thank the film director of this great film for showing these minor characters and the historical truth of World War 2 whereby other races from Africa and Asia contributed to Europe's freedom.Most of the Western Nations intellectuals have swept the contributions of black and Indians in World War 2 under the carpet.To prove my facts visit southern Italy and especially the old people of the southern Italian towns and they will tell you the number of black and Indian peoples that gave their life trying to free their towns from the Nazis.