Synopsis:
During the Battle of the Bulge, Major Falconer (Burt Lancaster) and his platoon pass by a local religious zealot (Bruce Dern) leading a small group of conscientious objectors as they head to a castle near the Ardennes owned by a count (Jean-Pierre Aumont) and his beautiful wife Therese (Astrid Heeren). As the men prepare for onslaught from Germans, Pvt. Benjamin (Al Freeman, Jr.) reflects on the novel he’ll write from his experiences; Captain Beckman (Patrick O’Neal) admires the castle’s art collection and is jealous of Lancaster’s affair with Heeren; a baker (Peter Falk) finds the local baker’s widow (Olga Bisera) and lives with her; Corporal Clearboy (Scott Wilson) falls in love with a rusty Volkswagen; and many of the men seek pleasure at a local brothel run by the Red Queen (Caterina Boratto).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Bruce Dern Films
• Burt Lancaster Films
• Historical Drama
• Patrick O’Neal Films
• Peter Falk Films
• Royalty and Nobility
• Soldiers
• Sydney Pollack Films
• World War II

Review:
Sydney Pollack’s follow-up to The Swimmer (1968) was this semi-surreal adaptation of a novel by William Eastlake, about a somewhat anachronistic encounter between nobility and military forces at a 10th century castle. As in Lancaster’s earlier The Train (1964), there is a bit of a focus on the preservation of precious art during a time of war — in this case embodied by O’Neal’s art-loving captain:

… who relates to the count’s desire to preserve his domain at all costs.

Lancaster’s primary interest (at least at first) is pairing up with Heeren:

… which Aumont is eerily accepting of (we later learn why). Meanwhile, as Lancaster’s men roam into town and encounter the beautiful women of the Red Queen brothel, we wonder if this is all a dream, or if these men are even actually alive.

It’s hard to tell, because the film mixes realism with satire pretty liberally — as in the subplot of Falk settling down with the baker’s wife and resuming his old craft.

While the film doesn’t really “work” overall, Pollack keeps things moving nicely, and the cinematography (by Henri Decae) is luminous throughout.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Peter Falk as Sergeant Rossi
  
• Henri Decaë’s cinematography
  
  
• Michel Legrand’s score

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one time look, and of course must-see for Pollack fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review