Watch The Victors For Free

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Did you people see the same film I saw?

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Directed by Carl Foreman, "The Victors" (1963) watches as various American soldiers journey across Europe during World War 2. They're led by Sergeant Craig, played by the inimitable Eli Wallach.Beautifully shot, lit and framed, "The Victors" is at its best when simply observing as tired, grime-smeared soldiers trek across open fields and through bombed out buildings. The scale of the War's theatre, and the drudgery of soldiering, is conveyed well during such sequences.But Foreman has loftier intentions. Whilst early World War 2 films glorified combat and bolstered Good War mythology, Foreman hopes to do the opposite. And so we watch as black soldiers are assaulted by racist Americans, as troops are executed for desertion, as American soldiers get drunk, as surrendering Germans are mercilessly gunned down and as cute puppies are perforated by bullets. Though well meaning, few of these scenes feel anything but hokey. Throw in a heavy-handed soundtrack, and you have a film which attempts to be subversive but which is as maudlin as the overtly pro-war films it hopes to undermine.Most early World War 2 films ignored the complex socio-historical, economic and class based causes of the conflict. Kowtowing to Good War mythology, they instead reduced the war to a game of Goodies versus Baddies, in which mass murdering Imperialists are pitted against virtuous, "freedom loving" democracies who die, Christlike, for those in need. That all sides were colonialist, racist, classist, mass-murdering jerks typically goes ignored. There were some films, however, that offered more sobering perspectives on the war ("The Story of GI Joe", "The Best Years of Our Lives", "From Here to Eternity", "Home of the Brave", "The Men" etc), though none of these contested the value of the struggle itself. It was only from the mid 1950s onwards that stauncher anti-war perspectives began to be put forward. Such films included "The Young Lions", "The War Lover", ambiguous dramas like "The Americanzation of Emily" and, arguably, "Some Came Running". Of all these films, though, Foreman's "The Victors" is the most pessimistic. It ends, after-all, with American and Russian "allies" stabbing one another and then collapsing in a parody of a "victory" symbol. For Foreman, war is without winners. George Peppard co-stars.6/10 – Worth one viewing. See "Bridge at Remagen", "Decision before Dawn" and "Walker" (1987).

I just watched this movie for the first time on TV. I probably missed it before because I hate war films, but this is an anti-war film and one of the best I have ever seen. War is not only about the soldiers fighting, war is forced on the civilian population too, and post traumatic stress disorders were inflicted on those who did not fight too. War does not only destroy or maim the physical body but also the mind of anybody who is unlucky enough to get a too close to war. . I was reading through the comments and people commented on the American cast and completely ignored that the movie stars some of the greatest European actresses of that time. Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Melina Mercoury, Rosanna Schiaffino, Elke Sommer and Senta Berger and they make the movie. No wonder, that the movie is not listed as one of the top movies of all time. In a country where one war after the other is fought and those are fighting are told that it is glorious and honorable job they are doing. Reality only hits after they come home maimed in many ways and can't find a job and they end up homeless and unemployed and ridiculed because they have PTSD. I wish more movies like this would me made so that people see war more realistically and not glorify it.

I did not know this movie, even never heard of it, until it was aired on France 3 channel, in 2006, and presented by the mighty Patrick Brion, the most famous movie buff and American movie industry specialist in France, with of course François Guerif and Bertrand Tavernier. Yes, this war film is for me one of the best ever, if not THE best. The most intelligent and poignant too, on small sequences that you may miss if you pick up your handkerchief during the viewing. The characterization is also outstanding. I feel hurt to know this film was more than cut off. Such a shame. I will look for a full length version of this gem. And I think that when a producer such as Carl Foreman - or even an actor - becomes director, unlike other guys who always have been only filmmakers - that means they have really something strong to show, to express to the audiences. They not only direct to pay their gas or electricity bills. Foreman, produced, directed and wrote this real, genuine masterpiece. I feel hurt for him when I see what happened to this feature. Those b...above him, distributors I mean, destroyed half of his work. That makes me puke. But I keep hope. To, one day, at last watch this entire masterpiece.

I've only seen The Victors twice. First when originally released in London. That certainly was the "long" version; there was an interval, which followed the execution in the snow, and was the only time I've seen a full cinema audience remain hushed in their seats for several minutes. That was not the only sequence in the film that impressed itself on my memory. Some years later I was unfortunate to see the cruelly massacred version on TV. I've always wondered why it never figured highly in those lists (top 100 best of...) as I consider it to be one of the truly great films, in any genre. I gave up trying to find a video/DVD but reading these comments I now see I've not been alone. Does anyone know why we're deprived of seeing this film and, more importantly having the opportunity to introduce today's generation to an important movie?