The Victors (1963) on Netflix
An American infantry squad is sent to Italy. In a Sicilian town, Sergeant Craig keeps his men from looting, and Baker becomes involved with Maria, whose soldier husband is missing.
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- Netflix2.2/5
- IMDb6.9/101,991 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes20%
Plot summary
An American infantry squad is sent to Italy during the Second World War. Its members include Sergeant Craig, Corporals Trower and Chase, and the GI Baker. The squad takes possession of a small town in Sicily, and Craig keeps the men from looting. Baker becomes involved with Maria, a young mother. Her soldier husband is missing. They also meet a lonely Sikh soldier who speaks of the children he misses. In a bar, four white American soldiers set upon two black soldiers; the military police arrive and the attackers flee.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Victors (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Sophia Loren and Simone Signoret were originally cast in The Victors, but both dropped out and were replaced by Jeanne Moreau and Rosanna Schiaffino.
- American film executives encouraged Carl Foreman to include Elke Sommer's nude scene, already in the European and British versions, as a bargaining chip with the Production Code. He submitted the more modest version shot for the American market, and the film passed without incident.
- The Hollywood Production Code forced the deletion of several scenes from The Victors, among them one in which an 11-year-old boy, Jean Pierre, propositions American soldiers to exchange sex for food money.
- The Victors was cut by about 20 minutes within a few weeks of its opening. The version in circulation runs 154 minutes.
- Saul Bass created the opening montage and title sequence, which covers European history from the First World War to the Battle of Britain. His edit of historical footage argues that the failures of World War I and its aftermath led directly to Fascism and World War II.
SPOILER
The film's firing-squad execution scene deliberately resembles the execution of Eddie Slovik, the only US GI to be shot for desertion during World War II. It takes place in a snow-covered field near a chateau at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines on Christmas Eve.
