Weird

August1991

The music in this film is the tip off that something weird is afoot. I mean the cheery 1960s American sitcom style orchestrals. But there's also the singing scene in the back of the truck with Peter Falk. What the ... ? This is a weird war movie. Anyone know 'Kings Go Forth' with Sinatra and Martin? 'Anzio' is the 60s version. Or rather, 'Anzio' is one of the last war movies before filmmakers (in this case, Dino de Laurentiis) clued into Stanley Kubrick. (Better than Kubrick? See William Wyler's 'Thunderbolt'.)

With all this said, the history is right. The Americans could have entered Rome without problem. Their fear of casualties stopped them, leading to worse. The film clearly shows this.

Lastly, I have been to Anzio and walked through the American war cemetery at Nettuno. I smoked a cigarette over the gravestone of one guy - as I usually do in such places - and thanked them all for my right to be there to do it. God knows what they'd think of people today watching such silly war movies.

score 3/10

August1991 2 February 2004

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0101180/