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IMDb > Victory (1981)
Victory
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Photos (see all 11 | slideshow) Videos (see all 53)
Victory (1981) -- WatchMojo.com takes you on a tour of The Netherlands' cultural sites.
Victory (1981) -- A handy travel guide for anyone planning on visiting the capital city of Canada, Ottawa.
Victory (1981) -- A handy travel guide for anyone visiting the city of excesses, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Victory (1981) -- A helpful travel guide for anyone planning on visiting the beautiful South Beach of Miami.
Victory (1981) -- A look at five things you've gotta check out if visiting Philadelphia.

Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   6,948 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 25% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Huston
Writers:
Yabo Yablonsky (story) and
Djordje Milicevic (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Victory on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 July 1981 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Sport | War more
Tagline:
Their goal was freedom... more
Plot:
As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
How Come There Are No Great Soccer Films?
 (From Cinematical. 26 March 2009, 11:32 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Once again, you can't trust the critics. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sylvester Stallone ... Captain Robert Hatch

Michael Caine ... Capt. John Colby - The Players: England
Pelé ... Cpl. Luis Fernandez - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Trinidad
Bobby Moore ... Terry Brady - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: England
Osvaldo Ardiles ... Carlos Rey - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Argentina
Paul Van Himst ... Michel Fileu - The Players: Belgium
Kazimierz Deyna ... Paul Wolchek - The Players: Poland
Hallvar Thoresen ... Gunnar Hilsson - The Players: Norway
Mike Summerbee ... Sid Harmor - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: England
Co Prins ... Pieter Van Beck - The Players: Holland
Russell Osman ... Doug Clure - The Players
John Wark ... Arthur Hayes - The Players: Scotland
Søren Lindsted ... Erik Ball - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Denmark
Kevin O'Callaghan ... Tony Lewis - Allied Goalkeeper - The Players: Ireland

Max von Sydow ... Major Karl Von Steiner - The Germans (as Max Von Sydow)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Escape to Victory (UK)
more
Runtime:
116 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:L | West Germany:6 (f) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Budapest, Hungary more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the footballers, Mike Summerbee, became friendly with Michael Caine. After retiring from football, Summerbee went into bespoke shirt-making. Caine is one of his favored customers. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The microphone used by the radio announcer at the soccer match is an RCA model 77B, a model not introduced until the late-1940s. more
Quotes:
Hatch: This frigging game is ruining my life. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Pelé Eterno (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Symphony 5, 4th movement more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 19 people found the following comment useful:-
Once again, you can't trust the critics., 3 February 2002
8/10
Author: wgfinley from Chicago, Illinois

John Huston's Victory has probably seen so much critical scorn it's mind boggling. Is this movie Oscar material? Certainly not, but it's a great film in many ways.

First of all, Bill Conti offers up a first rate uplifting musical score. It's outstanding work and you hear a bit of resemblence to the score he wrote for a 1982 film that received a little bit of notoriety -- The Right Stuff.

Next, the cinematography is simply gorgeous. Soccer is not an easy sport to film and I think this film was done wonderfully. I thought the choice of film stock, a certain amount of grain to make it almost like you're watching a documentary was a nice touch. Some of the action shots and slow-mos are absolutely wonderful to behold.

Finally, we have a nice plot with a couple of surprises, a great cast, and an auteur director. Certainly, Huston was in failing health and not at the top of his game by this time but his work on this film was still memorable. For me I will always remember the wonderful line with "The Forger" asking Hatch "You don't want to get shot as a spy do you?" And the quick reply, "No, I don't want to get shot as anything." Simple one liner, uncomplicated, yet funny.

Victory is a great inspirational film, a sure hit for soccer fans (of course he wasn't offside - he was behind the ball when it was struck!) and a nice film for war buffs. Just ignore Maltin et al and spend the time watching it, widescreen DVD recommended, you won't be sorry.

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