The Devil’s Brigade Movie (1968)
I have blogged previously on The Devil’s Brigade as an actual unit in the Second World War. In that post, I commented on a movie made of the same name but at that time I had not seen it.
I just recently watched the 1968 The Devil’s Brigade movie. I have a soft spot for that era of war movies, as it was many of them that I used to watch on television with my father. There is a nostalgic value even when the production is not that great.
I will say that I really enjoyed The Devil’s Brigade. In some ways it is typical of that era but it also pioneers a formula that is still in use in war movies today. Much of the movie is about the training, the Americans and Canadians learning to respect each other, and then finally coming together to accomplish their mission.
While we may think of The Devil’s Brigade as an elite unit, the Americans and Canadians came at it from different angles. The Americans who were sent to it were often from jails and brigs, the worst of the worst, those under charges. The Canadians handpicked some of their best soldiers for the unit.
Much of the fun of the movie is the interaction between the Americans and the Canadians, especially their first meeting. The Americans completely lack discipline and are fighting each other when suddenly they hear bagpipes. It’s the Canadians, looking sharp and doing fine drill.
Despite their differences, these soldiers come together as a team. There is a surprising amount of character development for the era. By the time they are ready to go into combat, the Americans and Canadians are ready to die for each other.
Unfortunately, we do not often see Canadians in war movies. I appreciated the portrayal here, even they often came across as more British than Canadian. Still, it was good to see.
If you like old war movies, then I encourage you to watch The Devil’s Brigade. It is a fun time. (Amazon affiliate link) Just be aware that this far from being a documentary and if you want the facts of the true story, you better go elsewhere.
