Even though 'The Hill' won best screenplay at Cannes, this story fell short of depicting a brutal military prison camp.
The worst form of punishment for thieves, AWOL privates and disobedient soldiers in this desert prison is being forced to run up and down a sandy hill in the hot desert sun. While this probably would be a grueling form of punishment, the way it was depicted didn't convey this hardship in a thoroughly believable way and since this hill is the film's namesake the overall message of the film wasn't conveyed as clearly.
For it's time, this was probably considered a stark depiction of a prison camp especially because it stared "James Bond" in a vulnerable role. The character development was sloppy and point of conflict was dealt with much too delicately to genuinely shock an audience. The highly skilled acting was what saved the mediocre screenplay and Ozzie Davis was especially brilliant with his performance as the resilient Jocko King.
One award this film absolutely deserved was for the cinematography. It was filmed entirely on location in a prison constructed specifically for this film and. Sidney Lumet and Oswald Morris took full opportunity of having this unique environment to create a visually engaging film which certainly helped prop up the tame script.
This film is worth watching if you're a fan of anyone involved but it doesn't completely follow through with what it promises to deliver.
The worst form of punishment for thieves, AWOL privates and disobedient soldiers in this desert prison is being forced to run up and down a sandy hill in the hot desert sun. While this probably would be a grueling form of punishment, the way it was depicted didn't convey this hardship in a thoroughly believable way and since this hill is the film's namesake the overall message of the film wasn't conveyed as clearly.
For it's time, this was probably considered a stark depiction of a prison camp especially because it stared "James Bond" in a vulnerable role. The character development was sloppy and point of conflict was dealt with much too delicately to genuinely shock an audience. The highly skilled acting was what saved the mediocre screenplay and Ozzie Davis was especially brilliant with his performance as the resilient Jocko King.
One award this film absolutely deserved was for the cinematography. It was filmed entirely on location in a prison constructed specifically for this film and. Sidney Lumet and Oswald Morris took full opportunity of having this unique environment to create a visually engaging film which certainly helped prop up the tame script.
This film is worth watching if you're a fan of anyone involved but it doesn't completely follow through with what it promises to deliver.