The Hill (1965 film)

Last updated

The Hill
Hill movieposter.jpg
original film poster
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Screenplay by Ray Rigby
Story byRay Rigby
R.S. Allen
Produced by Kenneth Hyman
Starring
Cinematography Oswald Morris
Edited by Thelma Connell
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • 22 May 1965 (1965-05-22)(Cannes)
  • 17 June 1965 (1965-06-17)(UK)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million
Box office$4.3 million

The Hill is a 1965 British prison drama war film directed by Sidney Lumet and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It depicts the physical and psychological power struggles of a British military prison in North Africa, near the end of the Second World War. The title refers to a large mound prisoners are made to repeatedly climb. The film stars Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis, Ian Hendry, Alfred Lynch, Roy Kinnear and Michael Redgrave.

Contents

The film premiered at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award (for Ray Rigby). It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film, and won Best Cinematography (for Oswald Morris). Harry Andrews' performance was nominated for Best British Actor, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Plot

In a British Army "glasshouse" (military prison) in the Libyan desert, prisoners convicted of service offences such as insubordination, being drunk while on duty, going AWOL or petty theft are subjected to repetitive drill routines as a punishment in the blazing desert heat.

The arrival of five new prisoners slowly leads to a clash with the camp authorities. One new NCO guard who has also just arrived employs excessive punishments, which include forcing the five newcomers to repeatedly climb a man-made hill in the centre of the camp. When one dies, a power struggle erupts between brutal ex-civilian prison guard Staff Sergeant Williams, humane Staff Sergeant Harris, and Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson as they struggle to run the camp in conflicting styles.

Roberts is a former squadron sergeant major from the Royal Tank Regiment, convicted of assaulting his commanding officer – which he explains to his fellow inmates was because he was ordered to lead his men in a senseless suicidal attack. Roberts openly scorns Williams' brutality and serves as a challenge to his authority. Like Roberts, the RSM is a career soldier and commands authority within the prison in which he is working. He sees his duty as breaking down failed soldiers, then building them back up again "into men".

The other members of Roberts' cell are McGrath, a hard northerner serving a sentence for drunkenness, fighting and assaulting officers of the Military Police; Army office clerk Stevens, a timid and naive man jailed for going AWOL; Bartlett, a spiv who shirks active service and has been jailed for selling Army vehicle tyres to the Arabs; and the light-hearted King, a West Indian soldier serving a sentence for stealing three bottles of whisky from the officers club and being drunk and disorderly.

Staff Sergeant Williams' ambition is matched only by his cruel treatment of the prisoners; he seeks to use their suffering as a means for promotion. The RSM also questions Staff Sergeant Williams's motives for getting out of London, as in another scene, he mentions the fact that the Germans were bombing the UK (including the civilian prison Williams worked at) just as Williams was volunteering for prison duty in Africa. Staff Sergeant Williams openly admits that he is trying to impress the RSM by showing that he has got what it takes to do the job, and attempts to undermine the RSM with a late-night drinking contest.

Staff Sergeant Harris is the conscience of the prison who sympathises with the men. This causes the RSM to hold the viewpoint that Harris is far too lenient. The officers, both the commandant and the medical officer, take their duties casually.

Williams is not only a bully but also a coward and chooses to single out Bartlett and Stevens who are the two weakest members of the group, particularly Stevens. Stevens finally dies after repeated and unwarranted punishments by Williams, and the whole prison rises in protest. Roberts openly accuses Staff Sergeant Williams of murdering Stevens. King corroborates the story. The RSM faces down the general prison population, ultimately raising a cheer by offering cheese with their dinner. Meanwhile, with the help of two prison guard corporals, Staff Williams beats up Roberts in an empty solitary cell. Roberts suffers a broken foot and Harris gets him carried to see the medical officer. The RSM intervenes and orders Roberts to march despite his injury. King again protests, and after being subjected to racial abuse by the RSM, refuses to wear the uniform or acknowledge any form of army discipline.

The medical officer and Staff Sergeant Harris insist on reporting the abuses at the camp whilst the RSM and Williams join forces in an attempt to intimidate them into backing down. The injured Roberts is left alone in the cell and Williams remains behind. He then prepares to administer another beating to Roberts, when King and McGrath enter the cell, proceed to attack Williams, and beat him off-camera. Roberts pleads with them to stop, knowing that if prisoners beat up a prison officer, any case they may have had against him is lost.

Cast

Production

The film was based on a screenplay by Ray Rigby, who wrote for TV and had spent time in military prison. Movie rights were bought by Seven Arts Productions, which had a production deal with MGM. Producer Kenneth Hyman arranged for Rigby's script to be rewritten by other people, but when American filmmaker Sidney Lumet came on board as director, Lumet went back to Rigby's original draft. He and Rigby did cut out around 100 pages of material before filming. [1]

"There really isn't a lot of story", said Lumet. "It's all character – a group of men, prisoners and jailers alike, driven by the same motive force, fear." [1]

Sean Connery agreed to play the lead because it represented such a change of pace from James Bond. "It is only because of my reputation as Bond that the backers put up the money for The Hill", he said. [2]

Lumet says he told Connery before filming began that, "'I'm going to make brutal demands of you, physically and emotionally', and he knew I'm not a director who has too much respect for 'stars' as such. The result is beyond my hopes. He is real and tough and not at all smooth or nice. In a way he's a 'heavy' but the real heavy is the Army." [1]

Filming took place in Almería, Spain starting 8 September 1964. An old Spanish fort in Málaga was used for the prison. [3] Many people associated with the production had regarded the filming as pleasant, despite difficult conditions: Temperatures went above 46 °C (114 °F) and nearly all the cast and crew became ill, even though thousands of gallons of fresh water were brought in. [4]

In a manner similar to Lumet’s previous film 12 Angry Men, also an analysis of the justice system, The Hill does not use a non-diegetic musical score.

Release

The film premiered in-competition at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, [5] where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won Best Screenplay (Ray Rigby). [6] It had its first theatrical release in France on June 11, 1965, before being released in the United Kingdom on June 17.

Reception

The Hill did not perform well in cinemas, although it was well-received by critics. [7]

A review in Variety called the film "harsh, sadistic and brutal entertainment, superbly acted by an all-male cast, and made without any concessions to officialdom. ... Sidney Lumet's forceful and authoritative direction gives added power to the production, and Oswald Morris's stark black and white lensing adds to the tough realism." [8]

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote "Strikingly shot in clear, clean lines by Ossie Morris, this subject, at least until the frenzied final stages when the plot takes over entirely, seems to provide the ideal outlet for Sidney Lumet's discursive and fastidious talent." [9]

The performances of the cast were widely praised. The Radio Times Guide to Films wrote: "When Sidney Lumet cast Sean Connery in The Hill, the former 007 cast his fake hair to the wind for the first time." [10] Variety wrote "Breaking away from his 007 image, Connery gives an intelligently restrained study, carefully avoiding forced histrionics, The juiciest role, however, is that of the prison regimental sergeant major, and Harry Andrews does a standout job. Always a solid and reliable actor, he has never bettered this performance." [8]

In a comparatively negative review, Leslie Halliwell called the film "Lurid melodrama which descends fairly quickly into black farce with a number of sweaty actors outshouting each other. Enjoyable on this level when you can hear the dialogue through the poor sound recording." [11]

The film holds a 71% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. [7]

Awards and nominations

InstitutionYearCategoryNomineeResult
BAFTA Award [12] 1966 Best Film Sidney Lumet nom
Outstanding British Film nom
Best British Screenplay Ray Rigby nom
Best British Actor Harry Andrews nom
Best British Cinematography Oswald Morris won
Best British Art Direction Herbert Smithnom
Cannes Film Festival [6] 1965 Palme d'Or Sidney Lumetnom
Best Screenplay Ray Rigbywon
National Board of Review [13] 1965 Best Supporting Actor Harry Andrewswon
Writers' Guild of Great Britain [14] 1966 Best British Dramatic Screenplay Ray Rigbywon

Aftermath

Lumet and Connery so enjoyed their collaboration that they would subsequently work together on four films: The Anderson Tapes, The Offence, Murder on the Orient Express, and Family Business. [15] The Hill was also the first of seven films American director Lumet made in the UK.

Novelization

Ray Rigby published a novel of the story in 1965. [16]

Home media

The Hill was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on 5 June 2007 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Connery</span> Scottish actor (1930–2020)

Sir Thomas Sean Connery was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Connery originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued starring as Bond in the Eon Productions films From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Connery made his final appearance in the franchise in Never Say Never Again (1983), a non-Eon-produced Bond film.

<i>Dog Day Afternoon</i> 1975 American crime drama film by Sidney Lumet

Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick and Charles Durning. The screenplay is written by Frank Pierson and is based on the Life magazine article "The Boys in the Bank" by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore. The feature chronicles the 1972 robbery and hostage situation led by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile at a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn.

<i>Two-Way Stretch</i> 1960 British film by Robert Day

Two-Way Stretch, also known as Nothing Barred, is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Lionel Jeffries and Bernard Cribbins. The screenplay is by Vivian Cox, John Warren and Len Heath. A group of prisoners plan to break out of jail, commit a robbery, and then break back into their jail again, thus giving them the perfect alibi – that they were behind bars when the robbery occurred. However, their plans are disrupted by the arrival of a strict new Chief Prison Officer.

The year 1965 in film involved several significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office and winning five Academy Awards. Fox Film, Universal City, California and Universal Studios Lot will celebrated their 50th anniversaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Lumet</span> American filmmaker (1924–2011)

Sidney Arthur Lumet was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York dramas which focused on the working class, tackled social injustices, and often questioned authority. He received several awards including an Academy Honorary Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for nine British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Andrews</span> English actor (1911–1989)

Henry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English actor often known for his film portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill (1965) earned Andrews the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the 1966 BAFTA Award for Best British Actor. The first of his more than 80 film appearances was in The Red Beret in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Bannen</span> Scottish actor (1928–1999)

Ian Edmund Bannen was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), the first Scottish actor to receive the honour, as well as two BAFTA Film Awards for his performances in Sidney Lumet's The Offence (1973) and John Boorman's Hope and Glory (1987).

<i>Prince of the City</i> 1981 film by Sidney Lumet

Prince of the City is a 1981 American epic neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the life of Robert Leuci, called ‘Daniel Ciello’ in the film, an officer of the New York Police Department who chooses, for idealistic reasons, to expose corruption in the force. The screenplay, written by Lumet and Jay Presson Allen, is based on a 1978 non-fiction book, by former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Daley.

<i>Night Falls on Manhattan</i> 1996 American crime drama film

Night Falls on Manhattan is a 1996 American crime drama film written and directed by Sidney Lumet. Based on the novel Tainted Evidence by Robert Daley, the plot centers on a newly elected district attorney played by Andy García, who is eager to stamp out corruption within the New York City Police Department. Ian Holm, James Gandolfini, Lena Olin, Ron Leibman, and Richard Dreyfuss feature in principal supporting roles.

<i>Time Lock</i> 1957 British film

Time Lock is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Gerald Thomas. The film follows the attempt to rescue a six-year-old boy who is accidentally locked in the South York branch of the Crown Canada Bank vault, in Toronto. With less than 10 hours of oxygen remaining in the vault, it becomes a race to save the boy. The film features a young, pre-James Bond Sean Connery. The boy is played by Vincent Winter and his parents are played by Lee Patterson and Betty McDowall.

<i>Family Business</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Sidney Lumet

Family Business is a 1989 American neo noir crime film directed by Sidney Lumet based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Vincent Patrick, who also wrote the film's screenplay. It stars Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick.

<i>The Anderson Tapes</i> 1971 film by Sidney Lumet

The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery and featuring Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam and Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders. The film is scored by Quincy Jones and marks the feature film debut of Christopher Walken.

<i>The Offence</i> 1973 film directed by Sidney Lumet

The Offence is a 1973 British neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet starring Sean Connery, Trevor Howard, Vivien Merchant, and Ian Bannen. Connery plays a veteran police detective who suffers a psychological breakdown and kills a suspect during an interrogation. The screenplay was written by John Hopkins, who adapted his 1968 stage play This Story of Yours.

Vincent Francis Patrick was an American author and screenwriter. He wrote the cult crime novels The Pope of Greenwich Village and Family Business, and adapted both novels for the screen. The Pope of Greenwich Village, directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke and Daryl Hannah, was released in 1984. Family Business, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick, was released in 1989. He also co-wrote The Devil's Own and wrote uncredited early treatments for films including Beverly Hills Cop and The Godfather Part III.

<i>That Kind of Woman</i> 1959 film by Sidney Lumet

That Kind of Woman is a 1959 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, who was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival. It stars Sophia Loren and Tab Hunter. The screenplay by Walter Bernstein, based on a short story by Robert Lowry, is highly reminiscent of the 1938 film The Shopworn Angel.

<i>Cuba</i> (film) 1979 film by Richard Lester

Cuba is a 1979 American adventure thriller film directed by Richard Lester and starring Sean Connery, portraying the build-up to the 1958 Cuban Revolution, filmed in Panavision. Neil Sinyard in his The Films of Richard Lester wrote that the film, "developed originally out of an idea of Lester's own, inspired by a conversation with a friend about great modern leaders. From there, Lester's thoughts began to formulate in complex ways around Castro and Casablanca (1942), and out of that audaciously bizarre combination comes Cuba.

<i>A French Mistress</i> 1960 British film by Roy Boulting

A French Mistress is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Cecil Parker, James Robertson Justice, Agnès Laurent, Ian Bannen, Raymond Huntley, Irene Handl and Thorley Walters.

<i>On the Fiddle</i> 1961 British film by Cyril Frankel

On the Fiddle is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, Mike Sarne, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Kathleen Harrison, Victor Maddern and John Le Mesurier. The screenplay was by Harold Buchman, based on the 1961 novel Stop at a Winner by R.F. Delderfield who served in the RAF in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 18th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 16 May 1965. Olivia de Havilland became the first woman president of the jury.

Ray Rigby was a British screenwriter and novelist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "War Is 'Hill,' Mate!". New York Times. 10 January 1965. p. X9.
  2. ↑ London. (22 November 1964). "Mr. Kisskiss Bangbang: Mr. Kisskiss Bangbang". New York Times. p. SM38.
  3. ↑ EUGENE ARCHER (26 July 1964). "GLOBAL FILMMAKING: Americans Find New Movie Terrain In Brazil, Norway and Spain". New York Times. p. X5.
  4. ↑ Ben Mankiewicz on Turner Classic Movies
  5. ↑ "New Connery Film, 'The Hill,' Is Shown At Cannes Festival". The New York Times. 24 May 1965. p. 37.
  6. 1 2 "Festival de Cannes: The Hill". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  7. 1 2 The Hill, Rotten Tomatoes
  8. 1 2 Staff, Variety (1 January 1965). "The Hill". Variety. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "The Hill". Variety . Vol. 239, no. 3. 9 June 1965. p. 6. ProQuest   1017134106 – via ProQuest.
  10. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 419. ISBN   9780992936440.
  11. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 468. ISBN   0586088946.
  12. ↑ "BAFTA awards". BAFTA. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "1965 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Writers' Guild Awards1965". WGGB. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  15. ↑ Harrison, Mark (4 October 2019). "Revisiting the film collaborations of Sean Connery and Sidney Lumet". Film Stories. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  16. ↑ J.D. SCOTT. (11 July 1965). "Desert Belsen: THE HILL. By Ray Rigby. 256 pp. New York: The John Day Company. $4.50". New York Times. p. BR39.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.