Excellent Dramatization of French Colonial Collapse
Added 4/29/2009
Seems to be a bit of confusion in many of the reviews. This film does not attempt to glorify the French military action in Algeria, but rather highlights several off the salient issues and tensions that underscored the collapse of French colonialism.
Many, perhaps most of the French units which fought in French Indochina were recruited from colonial territories, but generally officered by mainland Frenchmen. The BPCs (battalions de parachutistes coloniales) are a good example, but by no means the only one. One of the young officers in Raspiguy's unit at the siege of Dien Bien Phu (where France lost Indochina)is named Mahidi -- an Algerian, played by George Segal.
Raspiguy is from peasant stock in the Pyrenees. In order to retain unit command in the French army after the Indochina debacle, he must manipulate an army widow who comes from the aristocratic class. A nice, cynical touch in the film, and, well, French. Depardieu was born too late for this film, but he might have been better in the lead role than Anthony Quinn. Maybe.
Raspiguy does indeed recruit a new unit, but tries to retain as many 'old hands' from Indochina as he can. This includes a bright young lawyer (my recollection of his profession) played by Alain Delon. Delon becomes a key player in the drama. And the unit Raspiguy recruits looks more like an REP (regiment de parachutistes entrangeres)(foreign legion), because it's definitely not full of north african or vietnamese troopers.
When Raspiguy's unit arrives in Algeria, they find themselves fighting -- you guessed it -- an Algerian independence movement which includes guerillas under the command of Mahidi. Claudia Cardinale plays Mahidi's sister, who assits the urban insurgency in Algiers.
As it was in Indochina, the Algerian independence movement was a nasty fight, with considerable brutality on both sides. Raspiguy and his men are caught up in this, and ultimately embrace it as the only effective means to complete the mission they were given. Delon breaks with Raspiguy over this issue, and ultimately resigns. The confrontation with Mahidi in the mountains (very well done depiction of small-unit infantry action) resonates of our own experience in Viet Nam: a very difficult and costly battle which Raspiguy ultimately wins, but to no avail -- as Delon leaves the HQ compound, it becomes clear to the audience which side will ultimately triumph in the struggle.
If the movie has one failing, it's a presumption of viewer familiarity with the history of French colonialism. Many folks probably don't have that, and consequently won't connect the dots: defeat by an independence movement in Indochina followed by capitulation to an independence movement in Algeria, the embitterment of French soldiers sent to fight a war they really couldn't win (other than at a cost which was unacceptable to their government), all kinds of internal tensions in the French Army itself, and, ultimately, an effort to extract a measure of revenge on the guy they held responsible for it all -- does anyone remember "Day of the Jackal'? (sp?)
In all, a very well done film. Good performances by everyone involved, though my personal favorite of AQ's work is 'High Wind in Jamaica'. If you're interested in the subject matter, try 'The Battle of Algiers', a chilling documentary film made in France, or the book 'Hell in a Very Small Place', the very best best account of Dien Bien Phu. And if you liked George Segal (not as well remembered as he should be), try two of his other films: 'The Quiller Memorandum', with Alec Guiness, and 'Bridge at Remagen', with Ben Gazzara.
Hope this helps.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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The Lost Command
Added 3/8/2009
This is an excellent war movie. It is about the occupation of France. It has an all star cast. The main reason that I bought it is because Alain Delon is in it. Anthony Quinn is also one of the main stars of this movie. So if you are a fan of war movies or of Alain Delon and Anthony Quinn among many others this is the movie for you. I would give it 5 stars!!!
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Top-notch action with French paratroopers in Dien Bien Phu, Algeria
Added 2/1/2009
Made the same year as Battle of Algiers, and dealing with the exact same subject matter, Lost Command is an oft-forgotten action story telling the story of the Algerian fight for independence from the French perspective. Following the end of the Indochina conflict with the disastrous defeat at Dien Bien Phu, French colonel Pierre Raspeguy are returned to France by their Vietminh captors, only Raspeguy discovers his regiment has been disbanded. It isn't long before Raspeguy is offered another regiment, a new group of paratroopers made up of some old comrades and a group of rejects from other units. Arriving in Algeria, Raspeguy's 10th Parachute Regiment must help to put down the Algerian fight for independence, only to discover the rebel leader is an old friend. Not many movies have been made about the Algerian War so any take is interesting to see. What stands out here are the top-notch action scenes, including a disastrous airborne drop to open the movie, an ambush by Algerian rebels, and the final firefight on a rocky mountainside. Mark Robson's movie tries to show both sides of the story, and mostly succeeds, but what's memorable about this movie is the action from start to finish.
By this point in his career an established star, Anthony Quinn leads the cast as Lt. Colonel Pierre Raspeguy, a career soldier given one more chance to make good, lead his inexperienced regiment in attempt to squash a rebellion. Quinn brings just the right amount of world-weariness and need to accomplish his mission to make Raspeguy a very interesting character. Alain Delon is Captain Phillipe Esclavier, an idealistic young soldier who becomes Raspeguy's close friend and second in command. In a weird bit of casting, George Segal plays Mahidi, an Arab leader of the Algerian fight for independence who use to fight alongside the men now hunting him. Michele Morgan is Countess Clairfons, a rich widow who recently lost her husband and starts to fall for Quinn, while the very beautiful Claudia Cardinale gets to play a villainous role as Aicha, Mahidi's sister who starts to play Delon. Maurice Ronet leads Raspeguy's group of support as the cold-blooded Boisfeuras, along with Maurice Sarfati, Jean-Claude Bercq, Syl Lamont, and Gordon Heath. Also look out for small parts for spaghetti western bit players Al Mulock and Aldo Sambrell.
The DVD is a good buy, especially for the high quality widescreen presentation. Filmed in Spain, the desert locations have never looked better. Special features include a Lost Command trailer along with a Guns of Navarone trailer. It's a movie that has flown under the radar all these years, but don't miss out on this chance to catch it on DVD. Great action, and good performances from Quinn and Delon, check out Lost Command!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Good movie
Added 11/25/2008
We have enjoyed watching this movie. It is well done. It respects the history and the actors are very good.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Few if any Good Guys in this One
Added 8/18/2008
In "Lost Command", Anthony Quinn plays Colonel Raspeguy, a French paratrooper of peasent origins who finds himself caught up in the battles of the dying French empire. The film begins in May 1954 as Giap's Communist Vietminh overrun the French positions around Dien Bien Phu and capture most of the garrison. After leaving a POW camp, Raspeguy heads back to France desperate to find a new command and a chance at glory. He finds it in a horrific guerilla conflict in Algeria.
"Lost Command" is an interesting film for several reasons. For one, the subject matter of France's wars in Algeria and Indochina is rarely covered in films to my knowledge. The combat scenes and terrorist attacks are on the whole well shot in the picture. Another thing that makes the film interesting is its lack of heroes. The Vietmienh are depicted as radical Communists. The Algerian insurrgents and terrorists don't mind bombing civilians or mutilating the bodies of dead French soldiers (the guerilla leader [a former French officer] is at least slightly sympathetic and has a sense of honor). The French paratroopers seem to start out the "good guys" but as the war escalates, they deliberately murder civilians in one incident and also begin using torture (mostly offscreen) in their interrogations. Colonel Raspeguy is rather disgusted at the slaughter of civilians (he didn't order it) but is willing to do almost anything to win.
Oh, as this film was shot in Spain, people who have seen pictures of the area around Dien Bien Phu will quickly notice the radical difference in terrain between the Film's depiction and the actual battle.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Excellent Dramatization of French Colonial Collapse
Added 4/29/2009
Seems to be a bit of confusion in many of the reviews. This film does not attempt to glorify the French military action in Algeria, but rather highlights several off the salient issues and tensions that underscored the collapse of French colonialism.
Many, perhaps most of the French units which fought in French Indochina were recruited from colonial territories, but generally officered by mainland Frenchmen. The BPCs (battalions de parachutistes coloniales) are a good example, but by no means the only one. One of the young officers in Raspiguy's unit at the siege of Dien Bien Phu (where France lost Indochina)is named Mahidi -- an Algerian, played by George Segal.
Raspiguy is from peasant stock in the Pyrenees. In order to retain unit command in the French army after the Indochina debacle, he must manipulate an army widow who comes from the aristocratic class. A nice, cynical touch in the film, and, well, French. Depardieu was born too late for this film, but he might have been better in the lead role than Anthony Quinn. Maybe.
Raspiguy does indeed recruit a new unit, but tries to retain as many 'old hands' from Indochina as he can. This includes a bright young lawyer (my recollection of his profession) played by Alain Delon. Delon becomes a key player in the drama. And the unit Raspiguy recruits looks more like an REP (regiment de parachutistes entrangeres)(foreign legion), because it's definitely not full of north african or vietnamese troopers.
When Raspiguy's unit arrives in Algeria, they find themselves fighting -- you guessed it -- an Algerian independence movement which includes guerillas under the command of Mahidi. Claudia Cardinale plays Mahidi's sister, who assits the urban insurgency in Algiers.
As it was in Indochina, the Algerian independence movement was a nasty fight, with considerable brutality on both sides. Raspiguy and his men are caught up in this, and ultimately embrace it as the only effective means to complete the mission they were given. Delon breaks with Raspiguy over this issue, and ultimately resigns. The confrontation with Mahidi in the mountains (very well done depiction of small-unit infantry action) resonates of our own experience in Viet Nam: a very difficult and costly battle which Raspiguy ultimately wins, but to no avail -- as Delon leaves the HQ compound, it becomes clear to the audience which side will ultimately triumph in the struggle.
If the movie has one failing, it's a presumption of viewer familiarity with the history of French colonialism. Many folks probably don't have that, and consequently won't connect the dots: defeat by an independence movement in Indochina followed by capitulation to an independence movement in Algeria, the embitterment of French soldiers sent to fight a war they really couldn't win (other than at a cost which was unacceptable to their government), all kinds of internal tensions in the French Army itself, and, ultimately, an effort to extract a measure of revenge on the guy they held responsible for it all -- does anyone remember "Day of the Jackal'? (sp?)
In all, a very well done film. Good performances by everyone involved, though my personal favorite of AQ's work is 'High Wind in Jamaica'. If you're interested in the subject matter, try 'The Battle of Algiers', a chilling documentary film made in France, or the book 'Hell in a Very Small Place', the very best best account of Dien Bien Phu. And if you liked George Segal (not as well remembered as he should be), try two of his other films: 'The Quiller Memorandum', with Alec Guiness, and 'Bridge at Remagen', with Ben Gazzara.
Hope this helps.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
The Lost Command
Added 3/8/2009
This is an excellent war movie. It is about the occupation of France. It has an all star cast. The main reason that I bought it is because Alain Delon is in it. Anthony Quinn is also one of the main stars of this movie. So if you are a fan of war movies or of Alain Delon and Anthony Quinn among many others this is the movie for you. I would give it 5 stars!!!
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
Top-notch action with French paratroopers in Dien Bien Phu, Algeria
Added 2/1/2009
Made the same year as Battle of Algiers, and dealing with the exact same subject matter, Lost Command is an oft-forgotten action story telling the story of the Algerian fight for independence from the French perspective. Following the end of the Indochina conflict with the disastrous defeat at Dien Bien Phu, French colonel Pierre Raspeguy are returned to France by their Vietminh captors, only Raspeguy discovers his regiment has been disbanded. It isn't long before Raspeguy is offered another regiment, a new group of paratroopers made up of some old comrades and a group of rejects from other units. Arriving in Algeria, Raspeguy's 10th Parachute Regiment must help to put down the Algerian fight for independence, only to discover the rebel leader is an old friend. Not many movies have been made about the Algerian War so any take is interesting to see. What stands out here are the top-notch action scenes, including a disastrous airborne drop to open the movie, an ambush by Algerian rebels, and the final firefight on a rocky mountainside. Mark Robson's movie tries to show both sides of the story, and mostly succeeds, but what's memorable about this movie is the action from start to finish.
By this point in his career an established star, Anthony Quinn leads the cast as Lt. Colonel Pierre Raspeguy, a career soldier given one more chance to make good, lead his inexperienced regiment in attempt to squash a rebellion. Quinn brings just the right amount of world-weariness and need to accomplish his mission to make Raspeguy a very interesting character. Alain Delon is Captain Phillipe Esclavier, an idealistic young soldier who becomes Raspeguy's close friend and second in command. In a weird bit of casting, George Segal plays Mahidi, an Arab leader of the Algerian fight for independence who use to fight alongside the men now hunting him. Michele Morgan is Countess Clairfons, a rich widow who recently lost her husband and starts to fall for Quinn, while the very beautiful Claudia Cardinale gets to play a villainous role as Aicha, Mahidi's sister who starts to play Delon. Maurice Ronet leads Raspeguy's group of support as the cold-blooded Boisfeuras, along with Maurice Sarfati, Jean-Claude Bercq, Syl Lamont, and Gordon Heath. Also look out for small parts for spaghetti western bit players Al Mulock and Aldo Sambrell.
The DVD is a good buy, especially for the high quality widescreen presentation. Filmed in Spain, the desert locations have never looked better. Special features include a Lost Command trailer along with a Guns of Navarone trailer. It's a movie that has flown under the radar all these years, but don't miss out on this chance to catch it on DVD. Great action, and good performances from Quinn and Delon, check out Lost Command!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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