Product Description

Movie DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2381 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-05-03
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 150 minutes

Amazon.com
A group of conscripted convicts, most already destined for death row, are drafted to go on a near-suicide mission with the understanding that if the Nazis don't kill them, the U.S. Army won't, either. In the hands of hardboiled director Robert Aldrich and a tough-as-leather cast headed by Lee Marvin (as a troublesome U.S. Army major), that's all the plot that's needed to make one rip-roaring World War II action flick. Marvin's mission is two-fold: first turn his dozen prisoners into a fighting unit and then turn them loose on a French chateau occupied by partying German officers. His crime-minded charges include John Cassavetes as a chronic malcontent, Telly Savalas as a ready-to-blow psycho, Donald Sutherland as a lame-brained lummox, and Charles Bronson and then-just-retired NFL superstar Jim Brown as a couple of clutch performers. The first half of the film allows the colorful cast of character actors to have their fun as they get their tails whipped into shape and develop shaky bonds with their commander. The second part is all action, as the culprit commandos wreck havoc and then run for their lives. Despite the fact that few of the "heroes" survive the bloodbath, the message here isn't that war is hell. Rather, it seems to be: war can be a hell of a good time... if you've got nothing to lose. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

War Classic Stands Test of Time...
"The Dirty Dozen", Robert Aldrich's 1967 adventure classic, would redefine a whole genre of films, as public attitudes towards warfare and heroism changed, due to Vietnam. With 'heroes' who were certainly not noble, a mission that would require a level of cruelty film audiences had never before seen from American fighting men, and graphic language and bloodshed, the impact of the the film was both immediate (despite huge 'box office', many critics panned the film as 'disturbing' and glorifying violence), and continuing (influencing films as diverse as "Patton" and "Saving Private Ryan"). It can be viewed at many levels, as a crackling good adventure yarn, an 'anti-establishment' and anti-war statement, the ultimate 'buddy' film...few films have generated as much controversy, or stood the passage of time, better!

Based on E.M. Nathanson's novel (of rumored 'Death Row' convicts offered a pardon or reduction of sentence for volunteering for a suicide mission), with a large dash of the Pathfinders' legendary "Filthy Thirteen" of WWII tossed in, the property was purchased as a potential starring vehicle for John Wayne. The Duke passed on the project, however (choosing to make "The Green Berets", instead). Director Aldrich never envisioned Wayne in the lead, preferring WWII Marine vet Lee Marvin in the complex role of maverick Maj. John Reisman, and the actor, fresh from winning an Oscar for "Cat Ballou", was dead-on perfect in the part. Veteran stars Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker, Robert Webber, George Kennedy, and Richard Jaeckel were cast as Marvin's military allies and adversaries.

For the "Front Six" of the Dozen, sullen Charles Bronson (another WWII vet), John Cassavetes (who would garner an Oscar nomination), Telly Savalas (in the most 'whacked-out' role in his career), Clint Walker (of "Cheyenne" TV fame), football legend Jim Brown (in only his second film), and popular singer Trini Lopez (in his film debut) would dominate the screen time, with a "Back Six" of character actors in much smaller roles, simply filling out the rest of the twelve parts. But a movie 'miracle' occurred; when Walker objected to a scene where, as a bogus 'General', he would idiotically review an Airborne unit (feeling it demeaned Native Americans, who his character portrayed), Aldrich passed the scene to "Back Six" actor Donald Sutherland...and the scene would spectacularly launch his career, leading to his starring role in "M.A.S.H."

Aldrich's meticulous shooting style, and the often rainy British weather (where the film was shot), more than doubled the shooting schedule, and after seven months on location, Trini Lopez (on the advice of friend Frank Sinatra), informed Aldrich and the producers that he was missing singing dates, and would need a pay hike to continue. To Lopez' surprise, Aldrich 'dropped' him, having him die in the climactic parachute drop!

The director was warned that if he didn't eliminate the film's most controversial scene (pouring gasoline and dropping grenades on the women guests, as well as the Nazi officers seeking refuge in the bomb shelters), he would lose any chance of a 'Best Director' Oscar. After soul-searching, he left the scene in ("War is Hell, and HAS to be portrayed that way"), and while he sacrificed the prize, Robert Aldrich gave the film a brutal honesty that subsequent wars would sadly verify.

With loads of Disc Two Special Features that open up the film and gives an insight into why it has become a 'classic' (including the first "Dirty Dozen" TV 'sequel', a Lee Marvin Marine 'Leadership' training film, and an astonishing documentary on the "Filthy Thirteen"), it is absolutely an essential for any 'War Film' library.

"The Dirty Dozen" survived contemporary criticism, and has proven to be one of the most enduring war films of all time, as fresh today as when it debuted in 1967.

Dirty Dozen is nice and clean on HD!
Wow...this HD presentation captures everything, including (much maligned) film grain. It is most likely a better presentation than this film had when originally released to theaters. Visuals are wonderfully clear, the print is exceptionally clean and the sound, for a movie almost 40 years old, is top shelf. This is definitely the version to own!!

The DVD fans of THE DIRTY DOZEN have been waiting for
The movie THE DIRTY DOZEN led to three sequels, easily the best of which was the 1985 TV movie DIRTY DOZEN: THE NEXT MISSION. That movie, which reunited Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Richard Jaeckel from the original movie is featured in the two-disc collectors set DVD as the primary special feature.
Learning of a German plot to kill Hitler, Allied intelligence is worried. The war is not going well for the Reich and Hitler is making illogical and irrational decisions. The Allies realize that if the Fuhrer is assassinated, that the decision-making powers could be given to a more capable military commander and thereby prolong the war, as Borgnine's Gen. Worden notes, Hitler is in fact their best ally.
What follows is a largely retread of the recruitment and training that was seen in the first movie, however the target this time is a train and instead of killing a whole mansion full of generals, the target this time is one. However, as expected, things do not go entirely to plan and the closing minutes of the movie are laden with a couple of surprises for the team. It's lightweight fun and not at all up to the same quality as the original, but it's entertaining enough and has its great moments. The 1985 movie's running time is 1 hour, 35 minutes and is (since it was made for television) full-frame. It's inclusion as a special feature here is reason enough for this movie to be a recommended purchase.
But it's not alone in the special features department. Add to that a scene specific commentary that is held together by film historian David Schlow. For the most part the participants appear to have been recorded separately (with former marine Capt. Dale Dye being the sole participant for the first eight minutes), and at times it can be a little dry, but it's fascinating and informative. Joining Dye and Schlow are cast members Jim Brown, Trini Lopez, Stuart Cooper, and Colin Maitland, producer Kenneth Hyman and original novelist E.M. Nathanson.
For his part Nathanson is also featured in two of the featurettes, "Armed and Deadly: The Making of The Dirty Dozen" and "The Filthy Thirteen: Real Stories from Behind the Lines." Surprisingly the second of these is the most extensive of the two with the retrospective documentary running at a little less than 30 minutes (27:18) and the story on the actual WWII events running at over 45 minutes (47:10). Both are well done in their own respect (and are in widescreen) with a number of new on-camera interviews with George Kennedy, Donald Sutherland and Ernest Borgnine. The first details the development of the movie from book form to finished movie. Interesting among this documentary is the fact that director Robert Aldrich was denied an Oscar because he decided not to cut the scene of the gasoline being poured on the Germans in the underground bunker. Sticking to his principles Aldrich commented that "war is hell" and refused to compromise the quality of his vision. Also interesting is the revelation that newcomer Donald Sutherland originally only had one line in the movie, but when one of his fellow cast members declined to do the scene where they impersonate an American general, Sutherland was picked to do it instead. Little did anyone suspect that almost 40 years later it is arguably Sutherland who is the most famous of the original cast. Author of the book "Guts and Glory" Lawrence Suid talks about how realistic the movie was compared to earlier WWII movies and Nathanson tells us (on camera) that Aldrich attempted to buy the rights to the book before it was published, only to discover that MGM had already acquired them.We also learn that the part of Col. Reisman was originally offered to John Wayne who turned the part down much to the relief of Aldrich who feared that it would have become "a John Wayne movie." In his on-camera interview former footballer Jim Brown reflects on the fact that Aldrich (who was a big football fan) gave dialogue and scenes intended for other actors to Brown so that he would have a bigger role and also the fact that he received some valuable instruction from the other actors, saying "It's almost like having 15 acting coaches."
The second documentary traces the origins of the DIRTY DOZEN story. Author Nathanson had been told that a unit such as the Dirty Dozen had been formed in World War II and two surviving members of what were named "The Filthy Thirteen" are interviewed on camera including veteran Jake McNiece who was a soldier referred to by one historian who just wanted to kill the enemy and didn;t see what discipline had to do with it. Prior to the jump into Normandy McNiece shaved his head to prevent head lice infection and painted his face, a style that his companions copied. War corresspondants became interested in the group and one (Arch Whitehouse) coined the phrase "Dirty Dozen." For his part Nathanson says he used court martial records and his imagination and to this date no evidence has ever been presented to conclusively prove that allied prisoners were recruited for suicide missions, in fact Dye notes in the audio commentary that no U.S. soldier was hanged in WWII.
Two vintage featurettes are also included. "Operation Dirty Dozen" (at 9:13) is little more than a short promo for the movie, although it does offer some interesting clips of the behind the scenes shooting, this is in fact the same feature that was included on the previous release and though it is evidently old, it appears to be in good shape. The second is perhaps the most unusual of all the special features. Former WWII Marine Lee Marvin hosts a Marine Corp training and recruitment film that runs just shy of a half hour at 29:39. Sadly the film quality on this featurette is less than perfect.
Rounding out the special features is a 3:29 on-camera introduction by Ernest Borgnine where he references the three sequels.
All in all, this is the DVD set that fans of the movie have been waiting for. Highly recommended.