The Green Berets (1968)

Directors:

Ray Kellogg
John Wayne

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Robin Moore (novel)

Release Date:

27 July 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

They had to be the toughest fighting force on earth - and the men who led them had to be just a little bit tougher!

Plot:

Col. Mike Kirby picks two teams of crack Green Berets for a mission in South Vietnam. First off is to...

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | War | Vietnam | Green Berets | Military

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. Mike Kirby
David Janssen	...	George Beckworth
Jim Hutton	...	Sgt. Petersen
Aldo Ray	...	Sgt. Muldoon
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Doc McGee
Bruce Cabot	...	Col. Morgan
Jack Soo	...	Col. Cai
George Takei	...	Captain Nim
Patrick Wayne	...	Lt. Jamison
Luke Askew	...	Sgt. Provo
Irene Tsu	...	Lin
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. MacDaniel
Jason Evers	...	Capt. Coleman
Mike Henry	...	Sgt. Kowalski
Craig Jue	...	Hamchunk

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (1998) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1968) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1984) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (1992) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Fort Benning, Georgia, USA

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: As enemy soldiers are thrown into the air by an exploding grenade.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The M-16 that Col. Kirby smashes against a tree is a toy gun made by Mattel in the 1960s. You can see tell by the speaker holes in the magazine (which is also much larger than a real M-16 magazine).

Quotes:

George Beckworth: Petersen, what was all that talk about the enemy building ladders and coffins?
Sgt. Petersen: Well, when Charlie knows he's got a nice box to be buried in, he's just as brave as hell.
George Beckworth: What about the ladders?
Sgt. Petersen: They throw the ladders across the wire to get at us. And later on, they use them for litters to stack on and carry away the dead bodies.
George Beckworth: Later on... you mean after everybody's dead?
Sgt. Petersen: Yes, everybody. Men... women... and children. Everybody.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Robert Duvall" (2006)

A SOLDIERS VEIW

This film is often criticised by the left wing film critics because they judge all films by their twisted politics.Its a film about men defending villages and people from cruel opressors. The film is in two parts the first showing what life is like living under constant attack,the second involves a dangerous mission.The film captures the tension of a war zone and the difficulty of knowing which side some of the soldiers are on,treacherous acts are never far away.The film shows the hatred of the south for the north which John Wayne looks disaprovingly on.The cast includes the typical USA sgt played by Aldo Ray,the tragi/comedy part of the scrounger played by Jim Hutton and the kindly Doc. The village ransacked by the vietcong is movingly done and the battle scenes very well done and quite violent for the movies release date,so watch this movie and leave your prejuidices aside and you will be gripped by it.8/10