Ten-HUT and fall in, class! The Rad Revival House explores one of the greatest yet criminally-underrated war films of all time: Samuel Fuller’s 1980 autobiographical epic, THE BIG RED ONE, starring the incomparable Lee Marvin!
Joining us for the first time is Kass Smiley, host of The Big Lee Marvin Fan Podcast and big Lee Marvin superfan. As a first time Special Guest Lecturer on the RRH, Kass brings her significant expertise in the life and work of Lee Marvin as she accompanies host Professor Cesare Augusto in this wild, yet solemn war drama.
THE BIG RED ONE focuses on a ragtag group of U.S. Army sharpshooters, led by The Sergeant (Marvin), as he is joined by young, yet already battle-hardened grunts across the WWII battlegrounds of Europe and Northern Africa. Rounding out the ranks as “The Four Horsemen” are Griff (Mark Hamill), Zab (Robert Carradine), Vinci (Bobby DiCicco), and Johnson (Kelly Ward), all of whom are characters equipped with unique backgrounds and idiosyncrasies to accompany the Sergeant’s own gruff mannerisms. From the bloody shores of Normandy to the broiling sands of Tunisia, the Sergeant and his platoon scour the battlegrounds and fight not just to win the war, but to secure their very survival.
Being both veterans of World War II, both director Fuller and star Marvin add their own personal authentic personal touches to the film, carrying on with them the scars of their war experiences which make their contributions all the more believable, and convincing. Kass and Cesare discuss the beauty of the performances, especially by that of Marvin (in one of his most excellently heartbreaking roles), Hamill (fresh off his success in STAR WARS), and Carradine, whose role as Zab mirrors that of Fuller’s own wartime experiences.
THE BIG RED ONE is a great example of a war film used to capture the horrors of war, as well as the humanity of the professional soldier. Our reviewers both agree that this film effectively captures the harshness of warfare, as well as proving tough guy actors such as Lee Marvin are also capable of being absolutely talented and multi-layered in their creative craft!
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