Review of The Victors (1963) by Darren G — 17 May 2010

I didn't know a thing about this film before I saw it, I didn't even know it was a war film until the film started. Written and directedy by Carl Foreman (writer of High Noon and Bridge on the River Kwai), it's a World War II film that tells several stories of soldiers across Europe interacting with each other and the villagers.

There are a lot of great moments throughout, I really loved the scene with Eli Wallach and the French woman, Peter Fonda and the dog, and the deserter. But all of the segments are very well done. I also enjoyed the newsreel clips that played between each story, particularly the scene with Bess Truman trying to break the bottle.

This was a very well made film, an excellent ensemble, and an overlooked war film from the 60s.