The Big Red One (1980)

VHS CASE/SIDE

MPPA Certifcate Number: 25923

Length of film: 113 Minutes (Reconstruction Version: 162 Minutes)

Rated: R

Genre: Drama, War

Director: Samuel Fuller

Starring: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, Kelly Ward, Stepane Audran, Siegfried Rauch

IMDB Rank: 7.1/10

Part 1 Time:  79 Minutes (Reconstruction Version: 101 Minutes)

Part 2 Time:  34 Minutes (Reconstruction Version: 61 Minutes)

Where does the first part end? The Squad delivers a baby in an army tank. Schroeder (Siegfried Rauch) uses this opportunity to escape.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “We got a bunch on metals, not for delivering the kid, just for killing Krauts.” narrates Zab of the American 1st Squad

First line of dialogue on the second part:  It is now 1944 the Squad is stationed in Belgium, Zab narrates “In September, we slipped across the Meusue River into Belgium ahead of the main American push.”

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal, the Squad has successfully survived another battle, while also delivering a new born baby. How will the Squad manage in the later stages of World War Two.

Which part is better? The entire film follows the Sargent “The Big Red One” (Lee Marvin) as told by private Zab. The accounts are a combination of various World War Two stories, events, and struggles. Part two is given a slight edge due the emotional feelings felt when the Squad liberates the Falkenau concentration camp.

Academy Awards: None