The Hill (1965)

How is it possible that such a brilliant, remarkable film won only a handful of awards and has passed into relative obscurity over the years? It includes some of the finest, most committed and powerful acting you will ever see from superb British stalwarts such as Harry Andrews (truly powerful), Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Michael Redgrave, Ian Hendry (genuinely vicious), Alfred Lynch, et al. Everyone involved is outstanding and it is brilliantly directed. It simply never ceases to amaze me that so few people know of this film. It is deemed so minor that it fails even to get a mention on the page of the IMDb biography for the great Sidney Lumet (http://www.imdb.com/news/ni9436556/) which says it all really yet accurately mirrors the movie's strange obscurity. You won't see many better, more coruscating and more believable films than The Hill. Unquestionably 5-stars.

Fmovies: Just a few short moments ago, my life was changed. There is something to be said of plays brought to the silver screen because when they are done well they bring an aura and energy that regular films just don't have. Lumet was someone who understood this, and it is very clear how he cherishes the energy of the stage. Not only does Lumet transfer this energy to the silver screen, but he does it without losing any of it. The two mediums of film and theater are very different in that one is quite literally alive and has actions that are never repeated the exact same way twice while the other medium perhaps has the comfort of monotony and repetitious energy. Take a moment to consider this.

Sidney Lumet's "The Hill" is absolutely riveting and I'm finding it very hard to type. Quite honestly, I am still shaking from the stunning and sheer horrifying matter that I have just laid eyes upon. "The Hill" is a gritty war/prison film that'll have you invested in no time. Some scenes will have you frustrated, others will have your heart pumping. You will feel trapped like the characters. Heck! Take it from Connery who says "Even the screws are doing time."

Sidney Lumet has created one of the greatest climactic sequences between the morality of man and the amazing struggle for one's freedom against all odds. Harry Andrews and Ian Hendry are the epitome of terrifying brutality while Ian Bannen is fantastic as the sympathetic other. It is a shame as to why this film is not better known because it really should be. "The Hill" deserved and still deserves so much more recognition.

Mr. Lumet, who many filmgoers never seem to talk about beyond his 4-5 "classics and seem to always have under the shadow of Scorsese, has given the world another masterpiece. "The Hill," without a doubt, belongs in the category of 'best films ever made' along with his most well known classic, "12 Angry Men." Everything down to the acting and intense claustrophobia of the setting, makes this an unforgettable experience.

EDIT: Just watched it again...

Holy moly. The entire ensemble deserves a standing ovation. I am still dumbfounded as to why this diamond of diamonds was never recognized by the awards. But who needs the awards? This film is a masterpiece. Hands down.

Sidney Lumet is one of my favorite directors. His films sometimes have weak plots or poor dialogue, but he always elicits superb performances from his cast, and seems to encourage them to really dig into the characters. This film is no exception.

"The Hill" features top-notch performances from the entire cast in a gritty anti-war film with a unique perspective - it's filmed in a British Army prison camp. It raises the issues of racism, indolence, sadistic camp guards, a failed bureaucracy, and ultimately, the actions of true non-conformists and their treatment by a class-driven society.

Connery took a 180-degree turn from James Bond at just the right time in his career, and proves he's a great actor without the babes and the gadgets. Lumet makes one of his tightest films, from the script and camera work through to the final editing.

Although not always pleasant to watch, a definite 10...one of the finest anti-war films made.

The Hill fmovies. In which Connery doesn't get to cop off with the customary harem of beach babes, doesn't get to save the world and more importantly gets his butt kicked by Ian Hendry! Sidney Lumet seasons Ray Rigby's claustrophobic screenplay with some stunning black and white cinematography (reminiscent of his earlier masterpiece '12 Angry Men') and then bakes it in about 6 million degrees of scorching desert sun. The story of five squaddies holed up in a military stockade at the tail end of WW11 is as preoccupied with examining political conflict within British society (through the interactions of the microcosmic cell mates) as it is with presenting a taut, compelling psychodrama. The allegorical tone of the movie is never clumsy or heavy handed though and Lumet keeps the narrative on the rails every step of the way. The dialogue crackles with blunt barrack room banter and black humour throughout perfectly offsetting the grim circumstances the prisoners find themselves in. Roy Kinnear, Ossie Davis and Ian Hendry (as a deranged martinet of a prison guard) all deserve special mention but the film surely belongs to Connery who stumbles 'bruised, battered and scarred but hard' through to the bitter climax with an extraordinary kind of dignity as he rails against the brutal injustices of 'the system'! It is a truly unmissable picture if only for Connerys' star turn but don't take my word for it. Check it out now.

Gritty emotional story of men being subjected to ill treatment at a British Army disciplinary camp in the desert. Human drama is of interest to anyone who has been a cog in a corporate machine, not just a veteran. Symbolic of human defiance in the face of rigid rules and inconsiderate authority.

Excellent cast takes every opportunity of limited time frame to give their characters amazing depth. Every character is fully realized and recognizable by anyone who has a few tough life experiences.

Naturally as good as the other actors are, the focus will always be on Connery's screen presence. Here he seems to be portraying his true personality, his face never suited Bond as much. Tough, self respecting and self disciplined sergeant who resolves not to lose his dignity in the face of harsh cruelty. This is an amazing performance, and it's too bad we don't use men like this as role models in modern American society.

As good as the performances are, the best thing about this film is the photography---check out the 360 degree camera movement during the opening sequence. It's a masterpiece which is rare to see even today.

This was one of the most poinant lines of the film, neatly summarising the general mood and feeling of the characters.

A lot of people think that this is an anti-war film, which to some degree it is. More accurately, however, it could be labelled an anti-army film. Interestingly enough both views could be maintained without there being any real warfare displayed on the screen. This is a measure of how powerful the film is.

The fighting which we see is actually between the various prison officers and convicts. The film does not simply divide them into opposing groups, but rather explores the differences and tensions between the people who are in power and those who are subject to it.

Like 'Full Metal Jacket', many years later, this movie is a condemnation of the dehumanising process soldiers are forced to go through in order to survive the army. Military prison, as we learn, is a further step down into the merciless and brutal world of the army.

If 'The Hill' was made today, the violence we see would undoubtedly be more explicit and obvious. However, this does not take away anything from the original , as it is the mental torture more than the physical suffering which is portrayed so well in Lumet's work.

It has aged fairly well, mainly due to the accomplished and original way the film is shot and the script is written. Camera angles to induce feelings of dominance, claustrophobia and pressure are utilised perfectly as are the varying degrees of light and dark contrast which accentuates the blazing sun. Every actor is well cast and gives well judged performances, most career bests. Those that stand out are Bannen, Hendry, Connery and Andrews.

At the core of the film is the struggle between Andrews and Bannen's respective characters for ultimate authority in the prison. The bittersweet ending shows that Andrews' charcter, although shaken, will still reign in the hellhouse of a military prison.

Superb, thought provoking film, that rewards the viewer for staying with it as the powerful ending is reached.