The Hill is obviously a movie that would interest former military personal, WWII movie buffs and Sean Connery fans. However, anybody interested to see some fine British character actors would not be disappointed with this too. There is Harry Andrews who is in his element playing a strutting disciplinarian Sergeant-Major in a British Military prison during WWII. Ian Hendry who probably never played a more nasty role, Ian Bannen as Staff Sgt Harris, Ossie Davis, Alfred Lynch, Roy Kinnear, Michael Redgrave and Jack Watson all in support.
We are introduced to Sgt Major Bert Wilson played by Harry Andrews a tough as nails squared jawed career army man who takes pride in straightening out soldiers who have got out of line. A few months in his stockade and he will make new men of you, "fit to be in his majesties army",this is clear from the debriefing he gives to two soldiers about to be discharged from his custody. Also, he does not care for the commandant at the camp who he regards as a desk jockey and nothing but a symbolic position. He is really in charge of what goes on in the camp, he's respected by many of the inmates as tough but fair, this is made clear later in the film.
However, with the intake of trooper Roberts a busted down Sgt Major (disobeyed a direct order and struck a superior officer) and a black soldier he lets his personal feelings and racial prejudice get the better of him. Wilson does things by the book and loathes Roberts also a career soldier who he thinks lets down everybody and undermines everything the army stands for. Jako King is a colored soldier who he thinks is not fit to were the uniform of a British soldier, uncivilized etc. He makes it clear that he plans to break and humiliate Roberts and make him pay, so he passes them over to the supervision of Staff Sgt Williams to drill Roberts, King and the others over a huge man made hill of sand.
Staff Sgt Williams is a sadist who revels in dishing out the indignities to the men now under his supervision. He also takes exception to Roberts who would normally be barking out orders, so Williams takes the opportunity to stick it to a former superior officer. He's a bully and a coward too because he can't deal with people on equal terms but only when the odds are heavily stacked in his favor i.e. the beating he hands out to Roberts while two other staffs are holding him down and his persistent tormenting of Stevens who unlike Roberts is too frightened to stand up to him. Pvt Stevens who perhaps reminds him of his own shortcomings, is weak and totally unsuited to the army. He is way over his head in a military stockade and so Williams singles him out in particular.
There is a scene at night when the conditions are cooler,Staff Williams stripped to the waist can only manage run up the hill 3 times before finding it all too much. Despite his obvious physical inadequacies he still drives the prisoners up and down again and again during the midday heat with them wearing full kit and battle fatigues until they are on the verge of exhaustion and heat stroke.
Also there is Staff Sgt Harris who despises Williams and his methods but can't do anything because he is considered too soft by Sgt-Major Wilson. Lastly, the chief medical officer played by Michael Redgrave. Often in military or prison movies the medical officer either is respected and prepared to confront a superior officer on medical grounds or alternatively they are weak and useless. In this film he leans to the later as his medical is - "turn you head and cough, ------ OK fit for punishment!". He opts for the quiet life and really couldn't be bothered! Things had got well out of control before he started to assert himself and even then he was trying to save his own skin.
In movies such as TAKE THE HIGH GROUND, FULL METAL JACKET and OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN Richard Widmark, J. Lee Emery and Louis Gossett Jr's characters respectively, were mean SOB's who may have singled people out and even crossed the line, but they did what they did for a reason, not because they liked seeing people suffer.
In the famous STANFORD EXPERIMENT in the 1970's after a few days it was called off because the jailers started to enjoy giving orders as well as punishing the prisoners. Jailers need a chain of command and close supervision too, in this movie it's an interesting character study of when things get out of hand. Although there is no doubt that some real hard cases and rotten apples pass through these camps and probably deserve a difficult time, the staff supervising have to be disciplined too. Once they bring in their personal feelings or else start to enjoy their work too much, things start to break down. In addition it raises the spectacle that if personal grudges are held the jailers certainly have the upper hand!
In this case we have sympathy with the inmates who seem to be nothing but malcontents, misfits and chancers and we are led very quickly to have sympathy for Roberts who felt justified in his disobedience as his unit that he refused to lead was massacred. Also, the stress of war time conditions back in WWII on individuals that led to AOL, desertion or cowardice could now be described as post pneumatic stress disorder.
The black and white print gives it a cold harsh WWII feel and a claustrophobic setting as much of the dialog was inside. It's well written, with good directing, great camera angles and close up shots too. I'd certainly recommend this movie!
We are introduced to Sgt Major Bert Wilson played by Harry Andrews a tough as nails squared jawed career army man who takes pride in straightening out soldiers who have got out of line. A few months in his stockade and he will make new men of you, "fit to be in his majesties army",this is clear from the debriefing he gives to two soldiers about to be discharged from his custody. Also, he does not care for the commandant at the camp who he regards as a desk jockey and nothing but a symbolic position. He is really in charge of what goes on in the camp, he's respected by many of the inmates as tough but fair, this is made clear later in the film.
However, with the intake of trooper Roberts a busted down Sgt Major (disobeyed a direct order and struck a superior officer) and a black soldier he lets his personal feelings and racial prejudice get the better of him. Wilson does things by the book and loathes Roberts also a career soldier who he thinks lets down everybody and undermines everything the army stands for. Jako King is a colored soldier who he thinks is not fit to were the uniform of a British soldier, uncivilized etc. He makes it clear that he plans to break and humiliate Roberts and make him pay, so he passes them over to the supervision of Staff Sgt Williams to drill Roberts, King and the others over a huge man made hill of sand.
Staff Sgt Williams is a sadist who revels in dishing out the indignities to the men now under his supervision. He also takes exception to Roberts who would normally be barking out orders, so Williams takes the opportunity to stick it to a former superior officer. He's a bully and a coward too because he can't deal with people on equal terms but only when the odds are heavily stacked in his favor i.e. the beating he hands out to Roberts while two other staffs are holding him down and his persistent tormenting of Stevens who unlike Roberts is too frightened to stand up to him. Pvt Stevens who perhaps reminds him of his own shortcomings, is weak and totally unsuited to the army. He is way over his head in a military stockade and so Williams singles him out in particular.
There is a scene at night when the conditions are cooler,Staff Williams stripped to the waist can only manage run up the hill 3 times before finding it all too much. Despite his obvious physical inadequacies he still drives the prisoners up and down again and again during the midday heat with them wearing full kit and battle fatigues until they are on the verge of exhaustion and heat stroke.
Also there is Staff Sgt Harris who despises Williams and his methods but can't do anything because he is considered too soft by Sgt-Major Wilson. Lastly, the chief medical officer played by Michael Redgrave. Often in military or prison movies the medical officer either is respected and prepared to confront a superior officer on medical grounds or alternatively they are weak and useless. In this film he leans to the later as his medical is - "turn you head and cough, ------ OK fit for punishment!". He opts for the quiet life and really couldn't be bothered! Things had got well out of control before he started to assert himself and even then he was trying to save his own skin.
In movies such as TAKE THE HIGH GROUND, FULL METAL JACKET and OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN Richard Widmark, J. Lee Emery and Louis Gossett Jr's characters respectively, were mean SOB's who may have singled people out and even crossed the line, but they did what they did for a reason, not because they liked seeing people suffer.
In the famous STANFORD EXPERIMENT in the 1970's after a few days it was called off because the jailers started to enjoy giving orders as well as punishing the prisoners. Jailers need a chain of command and close supervision too, in this movie it's an interesting character study of when things get out of hand. Although there is no doubt that some real hard cases and rotten apples pass through these camps and probably deserve a difficult time, the staff supervising have to be disciplined too. Once they bring in their personal feelings or else start to enjoy their work too much, things start to break down. In addition it raises the spectacle that if personal grudges are held the jailers certainly have the upper hand!
In this case we have sympathy with the inmates who seem to be nothing but malcontents, misfits and chancers and we are led very quickly to have sympathy for Roberts who felt justified in his disobedience as his unit that he refused to lead was massacred. Also, the stress of war time conditions back in WWII on individuals that led to AOL, desertion or cowardice could now be described as post pneumatic stress disorder.
The black and white print gives it a cold harsh WWII feel and a claustrophobic setting as much of the dialog was inside. It's well written, with good directing, great camera angles and close up shots too. I'd certainly recommend this movie!