This film is known as BITTER VICTORY in Britain and not by its French title AMERE VICTOIRE . I also couldn`t help noticing that the IMDB classes this movie as an American / French co -production . America and France co-operating on something ! I guess BITTER IRONY would be a great title for this movie with hindsight
The film makes the point that because someone holds rank it doesn`t necessarily indicate they`re the best man for the job which seems to be far more of a civilian sensibility far more than a military one . The point isn`t made well either and as noted several films have made the point much better , my own personal favourites include ATTACK and TOO LATE THE HERO . It also seems contradictory to have a movie with this subtext set in the North African desert with this particular campaign one of the effective in British military history . Wouldn`t the western front during 1914 -18 be a better setting ?
It also seems very heavy handed on the part of director Nicholas Ray . There`s a scene where Richard Burton`s anti-hero has to carry out a mercy killing for for a reason I won`t spoil can`t . He then carries a wounded man across the desert . This scene would have worked far , far better if it were much more subtle but the director insists on using melodramatic music and dialogue to hit the audience over the head as to how terrible some desicions are during wartime when combined with cruel luck when in fact the point didn`t need to be hammered home . There`s a couple of other examples through this movie
Despite this BITTER VICTORY is far from being a bad war movie and I can think of several worse war movies Burton has starred in like RAID ON ROMMEL , and the cast do a great job . Where this movie fails is when it doesn`t allow the audience to think for itself
The film makes the point that because someone holds rank it doesn`t necessarily indicate they`re the best man for the job which seems to be far more of a civilian sensibility far more than a military one . The point isn`t made well either and as noted several films have made the point much better , my own personal favourites include ATTACK and TOO LATE THE HERO . It also seems contradictory to have a movie with this subtext set in the North African desert with this particular campaign one of the effective in British military history . Wouldn`t the western front during 1914 -18 be a better setting ?
It also seems very heavy handed on the part of director Nicholas Ray . There`s a scene where Richard Burton`s anti-hero has to carry out a mercy killing for for a reason I won`t spoil can`t . He then carries a wounded man across the desert . This scene would have worked far , far better if it were much more subtle but the director insists on using melodramatic music and dialogue to hit the audience over the head as to how terrible some desicions are during wartime when combined with cruel luck when in fact the point didn`t need to be hammered home . There`s a couple of other examples through this movie
Despite this BITTER VICTORY is far from being a bad war movie and I can think of several worse war movies Burton has starred in like RAID ON ROMMEL , and the cast do a great job . Where this movie fails is when it doesn`t allow the audience to think for itself