The Hill (film)
| The Hill | |
|---|---|
original film poster
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| Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
| Produced by | Kenneth Hyman |
| Written by |
R.S. Allen (play) Ray Rigby (screenplay) |
| Based on |
The Hill 1965 play by Ray Rigby |
| Starring |
Sean Connery Harry Andrews Ian Bannen Ossie Davis Roy Kinnear Jack Watson Ian Hendry Michael Redgrave |
| Cinematography | Oswald Morris |
| Edited by | Thelma Connell |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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May 1965 (Cannes Film Festival) 11 June 1965 (France) |
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Running time
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123 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
The Hill is a 1965 film directed by Sidney Lumet, set in a British army prison in North Africa in the Second World War. It stars Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis, Ian Hendry,Alfred Lynch, Roy Kinnear and Michael Redgrave.
In a British Army "glasshouse" (military detention camp) in the Libyan Desert, prisoners convicted of service offences such as insubordination, being drunk while on duty, going AWOL or petty theft etc. are subjected to repetitive drill in the blazing desert heat.
The arrival of five new prisoners slowly leads to a clash with the camp authorities. One new NCO guard who has also just arrived employs excessive punishments, which include forcing the five newcomers to repeatedly climb a man-made hill in the centre of the camp. When one dies, a power struggle erupts between brutal Staff Sergeant Williams (Ian Hendry), humane Staff Sergeant Harris (Ian Bannen), Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson (Harry Andrews) and the camp's Medical Officer (Michael Redgrave) as they struggle to run the camp in conflicting styles.
Roberts (Sean Connery) is a former Squadron Sergeant Major from the Royal Tank Regiment, convicted of assaulting his Commanding Officer - which he explains to his fellow inmates was because he was ordered to lead his men in a senseless suicidal attack. Roberts openly scorns Williams's brutality and serves as challenge to his authority. The RSM is a career soldier who sees his vital task as breaking down failed soldiers, then building them back up again, in his words, "into men!"
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Wikipedia