The Lost Command

Rating:
Summary: High Adventure with French Paratroopers
Review: 1966 film based on Jean Larteguy's novel "The Centurians" with Anthony Quinn starring as the story's main character Lieutenant Colonel Raspeguy. Commanding a paratrooper battalion in Indo China, Raspeguy is a hard-core dynamic leader and a maverick in the French officer corps with rough demeanor and peasant background. The film opens with his battalion defending its position at the ill-fated Battle of Dien Bien Phu that forced France to give up Indo China (Vietnam). Raspeguy with his surviving officers and soldiers are captured and later repatriated back to France. Raspeguy is relieved of his command, but is later reinstated over a newly formed paratrooper regiment to battle Arab insurgents in Algeria fighting for independence from France. Having learned bitter lessons from Indo China, Raspeguy trains the new paratrooper unit and fights the guerrillas in brutal fashion.

Despite the length of the film at 139 minutes, the movie version was not able to fully capture the novel's story. However, it does cover the important aspects such as Raspeguy's friction with the French senior command, his peasant background, recruitment of Indo China veterans, the new regiment, and one of his former officers, of Arab heritage, who defects and leads the guerillas in Algeria.

Overall a good film and an interesting subject with French paratroopers fighting guerrilla forces in Algeria. The story is a bit choppy in the beginning covering events from Indo China through France, but becomes more coherent once Raspeguy and the parachute regiment are in Algeria. Good action scenes on small unit combat, though tame by today's movie standards.

The DVD is finally here, imagery and sounds are excellent, and an excellent buy considering it was only available in an expensive VHS edition previously.

Rating:
Summary: High Adventure with French Paratroopers
Review: 1966 film based on Jean Larteguy's novel "The Centurians"with Anthony Quinn starring as the story's main character LieutenantColonel Raspeguy. Commanding a paratrooper battalion in Indo China,Raspeguy is a hard-core dynamic leader and a maverick in the Frenchofficer corps with his rough demeanor and peasant background; havingrisen through the ranks without the advantage of being from aprominent family. The film opens with his battalion defending itsposition at the ill-fated Battle of Dien Bien Phu that forced Franceto give up Indo China (Vietnam). Raspeguy with his surviving officersand soldiers are captured and later repatriated back to France.Raspeguy is relieved of his paratrooper command, but is laterreinstated over a newly formed paratrooper regiment to battle Arabguerilla forces in Algeria fighting for independence from France.Having learned bitter lessons from Indo China, Raspeguy trains the newparatrooper unit and fights the guerrillas in brutalfashion.

Despite the length of the film at 139 minutes, the movieversion was not able to fully capture the novel's story. However, itdoes cover the important aspects such as Raspeguy's friction with theFrench senior command, his peasant background, recruitment of trustedofficers who served with him in Indo China, the new regiment, and oneof his former officers, of Arab heritage, who defected and leads theguerillas in Algeria....

Overall a good film and an interestingsubject with French paratroopers fighting guerrilla forces in Algeria.The story is a bit choppy in the beginning trying to cover events fromIndo China through France, but becomes more coherent once Raspeguy andthe parachute regiment are in Algeria. Good action scenes on smallunit combat, though tame by today's movie standards.

Full screenformat and video quality is average - could do with some digitalremastering and restoration of its letterbox format. Sound is monotrack and OK, but restoration in this area would be nice.

Rating:
Summary: Colonial war film
Review: A fine action film, also a short overview of the French post-war attempt to keep hold of Indo-China then Algeria. The movie fairly shows French injustices in Algeria leading to the later excesses by both the French and rebels. Note how, at that time, all their military equipment larger than personal arms was American in origin. Good cast, great scenery, was told by 'Nam vets that the battle sequences are very authentic looking. Also note this: how many other post-war French colonial paratroop war movies are there?

Rating:
Summary: Jump into combat, lead men and defeat insurgents
Review: A lone C-47 aircraft flying high overhead.

Stand up! Hook up!

Red light buzzes.

Green light, GO!

As you jump into the surrounded French position of Dien Bien Phu with Aliane Delon, George Segal and the characters French Commando Jean Larteguy created in "The Centurions" and "The Praetorians"---you experience the mood and the feel of a desperate battle gone wrong. As they land to desperately reinforce the abandoned outpost, they meet Anthony Quinn's Raspeguy--his best movie role--a legendary figure modeled after Col Marcel Biegard to include his pipe---who keeps the men together and out of the prison camps by personal humanity and leadership-by-example. Its too bad Larteguy's books are out-of-print--you should read them as companions to the film, which differs in some details to keep you guessing. There is even a romance to keep the females interested with the dashing Delon and sexy Claudia Cardinale (WOW).

This film is simply a masterpiece and must-see for every American in uniform or who ever wants to serve. Its our guide of how a fighting force should be--a force of esperit de corps, yes, but a force that THINKS. After Raspeguy's "lost command" in Indo-China, he reflects and decides to surround himself with bright, innovative young officers and to learn from his experiences. He realizes that men will fight for an identity reflected in a piece of head gear---I love how in the book, Raspeguy says that if he had been Jewish, he would have made the cursed yellow Star of David the Nazis used to march Jews to the death camps, his unit's insignia of honor--to embrace it---to turn its symbolism on its abusers--to fight for and make it a symbol of honor and courage. In the film, he chooses the "Leopard" camouflage cap and makes it the symbol as we would the beret if we were smart in the U.S. Army and made a universal BROWN BERET our symbol to live up to. Raspeguy's men, outcasts from other units---soon start believing in themselves and winning in battles noone thought they could win.

The film is just superb in its depiction of truck and helicopter-mobile tactics fighting the guerrillas in desert Algeria. It has some of the best, most realistic combat scenes of a light infantry assault uphill against a dug-in foe ever depicted on film, Raspeguy's SLAM-esque style of cross-talking by radio his subordinate leaders is superb. All of the key figures are thinking infantry leaders not mindless macho stooges/tyrants as is the common American stereotype depicted in films and emulated too often in real life.

If this were not enough, the film has a My Lai-type moral leadership dilemma incident that would make a good place to stop the tape and discuss among your men.

I cannot rate this film too high, its one of the best war films ever made, its more helpful to watch than even Saving Private Ryan because it has a positive message of what to go out and do if you are in the military, whereas SPR brings on negative sadness and an anger that if properly channeled by a pursuit of how to do it better would be helpful. Most people when they see something negative go no further, its better to see the French Colonial Paratroops find a way to win in this film. I pin a medal for bravey on the leopard camouflage uniforms of the film-makers and old Commando Larteguy wherever he is--and render the salute!

Airborne!

Rating:
Summary: Jump into combat, lead men and defeat insurgents
Review: A lone C-47 aircraft flying high overhead.

Stand up! Hook up!

Red light buzzes.

Green light, GO!

As you jump into the surrounded French position of Dien Bien Phu with Aliane Delon, George Segal and the characters French Commando Jean Larteguy created in "The Centurions" and "The Praetorians"---you experience the mood and the feel of a desperate battle gone wrong. As they land to desperately reinforce the abandoned outpost, they meet Anthony Quinn's Raspeguy--his best movie role--a legendary figure modeled after Col Marcel Biegard to include his pipe---who keeps the men together and out of the prison camps by personal humanity and leadership-by-example. Its too bad Larteguy's books are out-of-print--you should read them as companions to the film, which differs in some details to keep you guessing. There is even a romance to keep the females interested with the dashing Delon and sexy Claudia Cardinale (WOW).

This film is simply a masterpiece and must-see for every American in uniform or who ever wants to serve. Its our guide of how a fighting force should be--a force of esperit de corps, yes, but a force that THINKS. After Raspeguy's "lost command" in Indo-China, he reflects and decides to surround himself with bright, innovative young officers and to learn from his experiences. He realizes that men will fight for an identity reflected in a piece of head gear---I love how in the book, Raspeguy says that if he had been Jewish, he would have made the cursed yellow Star of David the Nazis used to march Jews to the death camps, his unit's insignia of honor--to embrace it---to turn its symbolism on its abusers--to fight for and make it a symbol of honor and courage. In the film, he chooses the "Leopard" camouflage cap and makes it the symbol as we would the beret if we were smart in the U.S. Army and made a universal BROWN BERET our symbol to live up to. Raspeguy's men, outcasts from other units---soon start believing in themselves and winning in battles noone thought they could win.

The film is just superb in its depiction of truck and helicopter-mobile tactics fighting the guerrillas in desert Algeria. It has some of the best, most realistic combat scenes of a light infantry assault uphill against a dug-in foe ever depicted on film, Raspeguy's SLAM-esque style of cross-talking by radio his subordinate leaders is superb. All of the key figures are thinking infantry leaders not mindless macho stooges/tyrants as is the common American stereotype depicted in films and emulated too often in real life.

If this were not enough, the film has a My Lai-type moral leadership dilemma incident that would make a good place to stop the tape and discuss among your men.

I cannot rate this film too high, its one of the best war films ever made, its more helpful to watch than even Saving Private Ryan because it has a positive message of what to go out and do if you are in the military, whereas SPR brings on negative sadness and an anger that if properly channeled by a pursuit of how to do it better would be helpful. Most people when they see something negative go no further, its better to see the French Colonial Paratroops find a way to win in this film. I pin a medal for bravey on the leopard camouflage uniforms of the film-makers and old Commando Larteguy wherever he is--and render the salute!

Airborne!

Rating:
Summary: Another look at the Lost Command
Review: The film is an excellent adaptation of Jean Larteguy's pivotal novel "The Centurians" which was written just after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and during the Algerian war. It is NOT about a unit of the French Foreign Legion, but rather about a newly-formed French Colonial Parachute Regiment. The events described in novel and film are modeled after those of a famous officer of the French Army named Bigeard who went on to a lengthy career in the French service. The important aspect of this history is that it led up to a defacto mutiny of several key elements of the French Army. The film catches the bitterness of French soldiers who gave their all in a lost cause and the book was almost required reading for our own Special Operations people in the early days of the Vietnam war. An excellent film.

Rating:
Summary: Another look at the Lost Command
Review: The film is an excellent adaptation of Jean Larteguy's pivotal novel "The Centurians" which was written just after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and during the Algerian war. It is NOT about a unit of the French Foreign Legion, but rather about a newly-formed French Colonial Parachute Regiment. The events described in novel and film are modeled after those of a famous officer of the French Army named Bigeard who went on to a lengthy career in the French service. The important aspect of this history is that it led up to a defacto mutiny of several key elements of the French Army. The film catches the bitterness of French soldiers who gave their all in a lost cause and the book was almost required reading for our own Special Operations people in the early days of the Vietnam war. An excellent film.

Rating:
Summary: Anthony Quinn, The All Purpose Ethnic!
Review: This is a surprisngly good movie with Anthony Quinn, the all purpose ethnic! I say this because he has been used to play everything from American Indians to Arabs over the years! Here he plays a fairly conventional character modeled after the actaul charasmatic Marcel Biegeard, a French paratrooper. I would concur with the other reviews that its one of Quinn's better roles.

The movie has plenty of action taking the viewer from the defeat of Dien Bien Phu to Algeria. The scenes in Algeria are less propagandistic than some portrayals, though I believe the French were a good deal more brutal than this movie shows.

Again, the best features really are the combat scenes, and the depiction of how Quinn's character molds a solid and versatile combat unit able to take on terrorists in the mountains and the city. My question when watching this movie was why didn't the French show this kind of courage and determination in 1940 against the Germans when it would have really mattered? The movie conveys a subtle anti-French message toward colonialism at the end which does not come across very clearly. Reviewers have tended to pan it because of this, but that's no reason not to give this film a chance.

Despite these minor quibbles this is still a unique film covering an exotic topic. With increased American involvement in Afghanistan and elsewhere there's a lot of added interest here. The movie conveys quite well the difficulties of dealing with insurgents. There's lots of good action without gore, some good acting, and even a romance or two. Not a bad deal considering this movie was out of print until the recent DVD re-issue.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting and entertaining French Foreign Legion film
Review: This movie capures the action and drama of the French Foreign Legion in the post-WWII period as they fought to retain France's colonial empire, especially Algeria. Well-made movie with strong performance by Anthony Quinn as a Legion commander. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Combat Classic on DVD
Review: Very good film released in 1966 based on Jean Larteguy's novel "The Centurians" with Anthony Quinn portraying the main character Lieutenant Colonel Raspeguy. The film opens with Raspeguy and his paratrooper battalion fighting to the bitter end at Dien Bien Phu in Indo China. Raspeguy with his surviving officers and soldiers are interned by the Viet Mihn forces and repatriated back to France.

Raspeguy loses his battalion command, but later obtains command of the 10th Paratrooper Regiment, activated for battle in Algeria against Arab guerrilla forces fighting for independence. Raspeguy recruits his trusted veterans and they train the regiment with lessons learned from their experiences in Indo China.

Raspeguy is the typical maverick, a hardcore soldier who runs operations his way. His unconventionalal methods for weeding out terrorist factions and insurgent forces causes friction with the French senior command and government officials. He suffers a setback after his soldiers commit atrocities against local villagers in an area where several comrades were ambushed. Raspeguy is under investigation and faces a second relief from command and possibly imprisonment. Victory is his key to success and he pulls out all stops to defeat the terrorists and a large insurgent force led by one of his former officers who defected from France.

Overall a very good film and an interesting subject with French paratroopers fighting guerrilla forces in Algeria. Good action scenes on small unit combat, though tame by today's movie standards.

The DVD release is finally here and an excellent deal considering its previous VHS edition was expensive and of average quality. The DVD edition's imagery is sharp and clear, in letterbox format, and sound is significantly improved.