Commandos (film)

Commandos
Commandos
Directed by	Armando Crispino
Screenplay by	Lucio Battistrada; Armando Crispino; Menahem Golan; Stefano Strucchi; Dario Argento;
Story by	Don Martin; Artur Brauner;
Based on	A short story; by Menahem Golan
Produced by	Alfonso Sansone; Artur Brauner;
Starring	Lee Van Cleef; Jack Kelly; Joachim Fuchsberger; Götz George;
Cinematography	Benito Frattari
Edited by	Daniele Alabiso
Music by	Mario Nascimbene
Production; companies	P.E.C.; C.C.I.; CCC Film;
Distributed by	Columbia Filmgescellschaft mbH;
Release dates	19 November 1968 (Italy); 8 August 1969 (West Germany);
Running time	112 minutes
Countries	Italy; West Germany;

Commandos a.k.a. Sullivan's Marauders is a 1968 Italian-produced war film starring Lee Van Cleef and Jack Kelly and directed by Armando Crispino.^[1] The film is set in North Africa but was shot in Sardinia.^[2]

Dario Argento is credited as co-screenwriter.

Plot[edit]

The film is set in the middle of World War II, and in the deserts of Africa, Sgt. Sullivan puts together a group of Italian-Americans into disguise as Italian soldiers in order to infiltrate a North African camp held by the Italians. Sullivan, along with Dino, was one of three that survived from the Pacific War against the Japanese, although Lieutenant Freeman was killed in his last mission. Their Captain in charge of the mission, Captain Valli, has several soldiers with special training.

Cast[edit]

Lee Van Cleef as Sgt. Sullivan
Jack Kelly as Captain Valli
Giampiero Albertini as Aldo
Marino Masé as Italian Lt. Tomassini
Götz George as Oberleutnant Rudi
Pier Paolo Capponi as Corbi
Romano Puppo as Dino
Ivano Staccioli as Rodolfo, Radio Man
Marilù Tolo as Adriana
Joachim Fuchsberger as Oberleutnant Heitzel Agen (called "Professor")
Heinz Reincke as Offizier Hans
Helmut Schmid as Sergeant Miller
Otto Stern as Sergeant Braumann
Pier Luigi Anchisi as Riccio
Gianni Brezza as Marco
Duilio Del Prete as Bruno

Release[edit]

Commandos was released in Italy on 19 November 1968.^[1] It was released in West Germany as Himmelfahrtskommando El Alamein in several cities on 8 August 1969.^[1]

Reception[edit]

In a contemporary review in the Monthly Film Bulletin, Richard Comb commented that the conclusion of the film was "the kind of meaningless apocalyptic moment much favoured when international producers get together to meditate over mutual insanity in war", and that Commandos was "rife with such rhetoric, interspersed with all the action cliches of the war movie and fitfully jerking its line with type" ^[3]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "Himmelfahrtskommando El Alamein". Filmportal.de. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
^ "Commandos film review - The Grindhouse Cinema Database". www.grindhousedatabase.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
^ Combs, Richard (1972). "Commandos". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 39, no. 456. pp. 68–69.

External links[edit]

[filmportal-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "Himmelfahrtskommando El Alamein". Filmportal.de. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[2] "Commandos film review - The Grindhouse Cinema Database". www.grindhousedatabase.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.

[mfb-3] Combs, Richard (1972). "Commandos". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 39, no. 456. pp. 68–69.

[1]

[2]

[3]