The Tanks Are Coming | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lewis Seiler |
Written by | Samuel Fuller (story) Robert Hardy Andrews |
Produced by | Bryan Foy |
Starring | Steve Cochran Philip Carey Mari Aldon |
Cinematography | Edwin B. DuPar Warren Lynch |
Edited by | James Moore |
Music by | William Lava |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | October 31, 1951 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Tanks Are Coming is a 1951 war film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Steve Cochran and Philip Carey. The story is set during World War II in 1944 France. The film chronicles the U.S. 3rd Armored Division's advance across northern France and its attempt to pierce the Siegfried Line. [1] [2]
Not to be confused with the 20-minute educational film of the same name from 1941. [3]
Normandy, 1944, post-D-Day. A tank commander, Sgt. Joe Davis, is very popular with his men. So much so, that when he is killed during a brief skirmish with the enemy, his crew fall into despondency. That is, until Davis's replacement, Sgt. Sullivan, shows up. To the men, his arrival is like a splash of ice water. "Sully" rouses them out of their funk by ordering the immediate discard of Davis's personal effects. Further, he replaces their tank driver with a known drunkard named Tucker. Sully's anatagonism doesn't stop there. He challenges the loyalty of a German-American crew member named "Heinie." He verbally bullies another man, Kolowicz, into near-fisticuffs.
In short, Sully transforms a crew of emotional zombies, bemoaning their fate, into an over-achieving squad of efficient killers. All of this, despite their collective hatred of Sully. But in the following months, as they fight their way to the Siegfried Line, both Sullivan and the men begin to share a mutual respect.
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