Go Tell the Spartans

I wasted good money on what I had read was a "good film". This is befitting of something that panders to stereotypes of the Vietnam war. The mid-1970s long haircuts, WWII vehicles, and over-acting detracted from what might have been a good film. If they had gotten a real soldier as a technical advisor for the film making, they could have avoided making it a cheap version of MASH. Sorry, the film is not instructive, does not realistically portray the Army of 1964 and is not very entertaining. As a Vietnam-era infantry veteran I give this film two-thumbs down.

I have watched this movie before on VHS. So when I saw that AMAZON had it on DVD I was delighted. However, then I noticed that it was released in FULLSCREEN. I would hope that the studios would re-release the movies in the aspect ratio that the movies were originally released in. I will not purchase any FULLSCREEN movies.

This is not one of Lancaster's best films. One of the things that kill it is the stereotypical Pro-Vietnam War propaganda that was common during that period. The depiction of the NVA and VC even borders on racism. Forget this one!

FILMED IN ASPECT RATIO 1:85 WIDESCREEN BUT RELEASED IN 1:33 FULLSCREEN WITH 1/3 OF THE SCENES CROPPED OFF FROM THE SIDES FOR WHAT REASON? FULLSCREEN WENT OUT WITH THE 20TH CENTURY THANK GOD! BUT THE OLD SCHOOL STUDIOS CAN'T SEEM TO LET IT GO?

LEONARDO DA VINCI'S 'LAST SUPPER' PAINTING WITH ONLY 6 DISCIPLES SHOWING INSTEAD OF 12 BECAUSE IT WOULD TAKE UP TO MUCH CANVAS, WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE STUDIOS AS LONG AS YOU CAN SEE JESUS IN THE MIDDLE!

BUYERS STOP PURCHASING THESE BUTCHERED VERSIONS OF MOVIES AND FORCE THE HAND OF THE STUDIOS TO RELEASE THEM AS THE ARTIST INTENDED! LET'S DRAG THEM KICKING AND SCREAMING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY WHERE MOST OF US OWN WIDESCREEN TV'S OR PREFER SEEING THE WHOLE FILM AS INTENDED. AFTER ALL IF YOU BUY SOMETHING YOU WANT TO OWN THE WHOLE AND NOT THE PART!

Based on the fine novel INCIDENT AT MUC WA by Daniel Ford, here is a gem of a war movie; full of insights, barbs, politics, exciting battle scenes, and caustic wit. Burt Lancaster played Maj. Asa Barker, a 30 year career officer, long ago adjusted to being assigned to "garbage details"--after a disastrous incident, a youthful and macho escapade, left him vulnerable and in need of being "punished" for the rest of his career. His terrific one-liners and anti-hero weariness initially created a kind of M.A.S.H. environment, whereby it seemed that all the foul-up in the U.S. Army was sent to his outfit. But in no time the film shifts its serio-comic aspects into a grim primer about the price of arrogance and ignorance strutting around in some else's country.

A young Marc Singer, fresh from his theatrical triumph as Petrucio at ACT San Francisco, played Capt. Olivetti -a very brash second-in-command who felt that "a little combat" put him on the fast track for career advancements. The delicious scene between him and Lancaster, as Maj. Barker explained why "after 30 years and a bucket of medals" he was still a major is priceless; a real high point to be added to Lancaster's lexicon of great scenes in great films.

Craig Wasson played Cpl.Courcey, a draftee who "volunteered for combat", who felt the need to reach out to the people, the villagers, until he was disastrously betrayed by his own naiveté -having to accept the fact that no one was trustworthy, not women or children. Jonathan Goldsmith, a very good actor who spent most of his career doing television roles, shined as Sgt. Oleonowski. For a time, his take-charge non-com saved everyone's bacon, until the terrible ghosts of his past and PTSD caught up with him and pulverized him emotionally first into lethargy and then into suicide. Goldsmith's character stole every scene he was in. We wanted to see more of this sergeant, and to let this character have more focus; like a shining story within a story. In just a few brief scenes it was obvious that his back story was very clear to this actor.

Dolph Sweet was Gen. Harnitz, who was determined that by God no Americans would ever face the humiliating defeats that the French had experienced. We watch as America's great mistakes in Southeast Asia were planted as seeds of hubris, underestimating the enemy, and attempting to fight a conventional war against guerillas -against an indigent population who had fought all their lives, first against the Japanese, then the Chinese, the French, and now the ugly Americans.

The movie was directed by Ted Post, a veteran TV director from the golden age of television who did not graduate to feature films until the 60's; but he never had the verve or style of say a Robert Altman, John Frankenheimer, or Sydney Pollack. His directing on GO TELL THE SPARTANS (1978) was a bit lackluster at best. Some of his earlier efforts included HANG `EM HIGH (1968), BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (1970), and MAGNUM FORCE (1973). He did have a good but uninspired cinematographer, Harry Stradling Jr., and with a modest budget, a brilliant script, and a powerhouse cast, Ted Post gave use a very good military film that paved the way for other anti-war films to follow it. One of my favorites was HBO's A BRIGHT SHINING LIE (1998) with Bill Paxton.