American troops land unopposed on Italian beaches during World War II, but instead of pushing on to Rome, they dig in and the Germans fight back ferociously.
Acting
Peter Falk's hustler corporal is the only pulse in this corpse.
Production
Actual Italian locations that the script doesn't deserve.
Director
Edward Dmytryk
Robert Mitchum
Dick Ennis
Peter Falk
Cpl. Jack Rabinoff
Robert Ryan
Gen. Carson
Arthur Kennedy
Maj. Gen. Jack Lesley
Giancarlo Giannini
Pvt. Cellini
Earl Holliman
Platoon Sgt. Abe Stimmler
Mark Damon
Wally Richardson
Reni Santoni
Pvt. Movie
Joseph Walsh
Doyle
Thomas Hunter
Pvt. Andy
Anthony Steel
Gen. Marsh
Patrick Magee
Gen. Starkey
Arthur Franz
Maj. Gen. Luke Howard
Tonio Selwart
Gen. Van MacKensen
Elsa Albani
Emilia
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dmytryk was a Hollywood blacklist survivor; Coletti was Italian. Their visions clashed so hard the film has two distinct personalities fighting for dominance.
The real Battle of Anzio was a catastrophic Allied stalemate—this film's muddled tone accidentally mirrors the military confusion it depicts.
IT
