Bitter Victory

1957
PG
1h 42m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

2.4K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:01

1 Video

38 Photos

Drama War

A commander receives a citation for an attack on Erwin Rommel's headquarters, which is actually undeserved, as the commander is unfit for his job. On top of that, unbeknownst to him, his wif... Read allA commander receives a citation for an attack on Erwin Rommel's headquarters, which is actually undeserved, as the commander is unfit for his job. On top of that, unbeknownst to him, his wife is having an affair with one of his officers.A commander receives a citation for an attack on Erwin Rommel's headquarters, which is actually undeserved, as the commander is unfit for his job. On top of that, unbeknownst to him, his wife is having an affair with one of his officers.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

2.4K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

User reviews36

Featured review

9/10

One of Nicholas Ray's finest

Thankfully now available in its full 103-minute version, this is one of Nicholas Ray's strongest works and one of the handful that doesn't bear the marks of studio meddling. It's an unrelentingly grim tale of cowardice and lost love which is almost incidentally set during WWII. Richard Burton manages to deliver cutting, pointed dialogue without making it hammy, and Curt Jurgens' performance of a deceitful squad leader is extremely strong; a coiled spring which never quite releases.

I can't help but wonder if some of the comments above are based upon the US version, which was cut by a whopping 21 minutes, because this is unquestionably one of the best of the Nick Ray canon. Working in many of his trademark themes of sacrifice and loss but keeping the melodrama surprisingly low-key, it's also gorgeously photographed in 'Scope black-and-white and none of the performances falter. Those who have enjoyed ATTACK, HELL IS FOR HEROES, THE BIG RED ONE and particularly Anthony Mann's brilliant MEN IN WAR are well advised to check this out, and it's a must-see for Ray enthusiasts, right up there with ON DANGEROUS GROUND, THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS, JOHNNY GUITAR and IN A LONELY PLACE.

Videos1

Trailer 2:01

Bitter Victory

Photos38

+ 33

More like this

7.0

Party Girl

6.7

Run for Cover

6.5

Wind Across the Everglades

7.3

6.8

5.6

7.4

6.2

The True Story of Jesse James

7.2

On Dangerous Ground

6.2

We Can't Go Home Again

6.7

55 Days at Peking

5.8

Sea Wife

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The making of this film was especially difficult. Screenwriter Gavin Lambert was, in later years, inclined to blame this chiefly on the abrasive and dictatorial personality of producer Paul Graetz, whom he and director Nicholas Ray both disliked intensely. The original plan was to cast Richard Burton as Brand and Montgomery Clift as Leith, but, when Clift dropped out of the film, Burton was promoted to the heroic role and Graetz insisted on Curt Jurgens being cast as the cowardly Brand, as he was a popular European star who was just starting to make American films, and it was assumed that this casting would be good for box-office. The fact that a German actor would be unlikely to be convincing as a British officer was ignored by Graetz. Ray and Lambert made the character South African to explain Jurgens' accent. The screenplay was constantly changed throughout filming, causing the actors much distress and bafflement, and Ray found the whole experience a disheartening one, although the film came to be recognized as one of his best. It was a box-office failure which was heavily cut to a running time of 82 minutes in the US.

Goofs
After the raid on the German compound, in the fight out in the desert, an explosion goes off under a German vehicle, but there is a slight delay before it is obviously pulled over on its side.

Quotes
Capt. Leith: [surveying the ruins of a Berber city in the desert] Tenth century, I'd say. Too modern for me.

Crazy credits
The credits are designed to look like they came from a typewriter (although in white on a dark or transparent background). There are no upper case letters (capitals) in the credits.