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Commando (1962 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Marcia o Crepa' (March or Die), known as 'The Legion's Last Patrol' in the UK and 'Commando' in the US, is a 1962 European (Italian, German, Spanish) co-production war film about the Algerian War of Independence.
It was released in 1964 in the US by American International Pictures on a double feature with 'Torpedo Bay'/'Beta Som'.
In the UK this film was shown at Odeon cinemas as part of a double feature with 'The Day of the Triffids'.
Plot
French Foreign Legion Captain Le Blanc (Stewart Granger) leads a section of his Legion parachutists to capture an FLN guerrilla leader. Along the way they are joined by a prostitute (Dorian Gray) and an Arab child. Their mission is a success but when their escape helicopter is shot down they have to fight their way back to the French lines.
Cast
* Stewart Granger : capitaine Leblanc
* Dorian Gray : Nora
* Fausto Tozzi : Brascia
* Riccardo Garrone : Paolo
* Carlos Casaravilla : Ben Bled
* Ivo Garrani : Colonel Dionne
* Alfredo Mayo : Mayor
* Pablito Alonso : Arab Kid
* Hans von Borsody : Fritz
* Maurizio Arena : Dolce Vita
* Dietmar Schnherr : Petit Prince
* Peter Carsten : Barbarossa
* Leo Anchriz : Garcia
Production
The theme music 'Concerto Disperato' by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino became a top selling instrumental in Italy performed by Nini Rosso and in the UK with a cover version by Ken Thorne reaching No. 4.Warwick, Neal, Brown, Tony & Kutner, Jon 'The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums' 2004 Omnibus Press
Reception
The 'Los Angeles Times' called it "mediocre, its timely subject matter reduced to the level of a formula Western."
The 'Monthly Film Bulletin' said "despite up-to-date dressing this is basically a schoolboy adventure story, though somewhat grimly executed... the narrative owes more to war movies than P.C. Wren, being a variation on the old idea of the gradual decimation of a patrol. Still, the film is an example of action all the way, apart from the gratuitously ironic ending which, though tart, comes as a decided anti-climax."MARCIA O CREPA
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 30, Iss. 348, (Jan 1, 1963): 87.
References
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