Go Tell the Spartans The evacuation mission leaves behind the South Vietnamese troops and the walking wounded. Major Barker and his executive officer, the career-orientated Captain Olivetti, receive four replacement troops. On their way to Muc Wa, along a dirt road, the column encounters a booby-trapped roadblock. Against the Odds magazine #6 A solitaire game simulating the three day battle for the pass at Thermopylae from 18 August to 20 August 480 B.C. In 1954 the French lost the war to keep their Indochina colonies and those colonies became North and South Vietnam . *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. [7] Calling the script brilliant, Lancaster agreed to star in it, and when the 31-day production budget ran short, he paid $150,000 to complete it. Go Tell the Spartans is the best movie so far lo come out of the Vietnam war. The VC have withdrawn. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Oh stranger, go tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their decrees. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. On : August 19, 2014; By : Robert Mixon; In one of the most storied battles of ancient history, some 300 Spartans fought to the death to hold a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece for 3 days against over 10,000 Persian attackers in 480 B.C. Go, tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, That here obedient to their laws we lie. In between drinking cans of Fosters beer, Australian soldiers tread on a few landmines, and generally experience the war in Vietnam. 9 of 10 people found this review helpful. A tough view of the early Vietnam war that is provided in all terrible , bloody and violent detail . [5], Director Ted Post persuaded Avco Embassy Pictures to produce the film on a limited budget, with the film shot in Valencia, California. Frank Miller, in his comic series 300. Many sacrifice their dignity and morale to survive. Go tell the Spartans, passerby, That here, by Spartan law, we lie. During the Battle of the Bulge, an anachronistic count shelters a ragtag squad of Americans in his remote 10th Century castle hoping a battle there against the advancing Germans will not lead to its destruction and all the heritage within. Major Barker sends his four new men plus Cpl. Go Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel "Incident at Muc Wa." Certificate: Passed Courcey leads an ambush patrol that kills the Viet Cong mortar crew, which included one of the women seen earlier. One of which is a statue of King Leonidas I, portrayed as bearing a spear, and shield. Atmospheric cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr , though a perfect remastering being necessary . A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement find similarities between their helpless struggle against the Viet Cong and the doomed actions of a French unit at the same site a decade before in this bitter look at the beginnings of the Vietnam war. The film is based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa[1] about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation. That evening, the outpost is attacked. Go Tell the Spartans : A Novel of Falkenberg's Legion [Jerry Pournelle, S. M. Stirling] on Amazon.com. This movie presents the "advisor's" experience in Viet Nam better than any other that I have seen, providing a fair insight into the points of view of the VC the VN people and the US advisors that were there. Though he knows what works and what doesn't on the battlefield, Barker is obliged to carry out the go-nowhere policies of the American military brass. Barker stays to help evacuate the remaining troops. Go Tell the Spartans: How the 300 Misrepresents Persians in History. After the final battle, Courcey is the only survivor. Add the first question. Courcey wanders off the graveyard and onto the dirt road leading away from the ruins of the village. Courcey, a demolitions expert who extended his enlistment by six months to serve in Vietnam. The next day, Oleonozski commits suicide rather than face the pressure of command. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Blundering and a little boring war film , but politically interesting pre-dating the flood of the eighties , plenty of patriotic , jingoist , apologetic Vietnam pictures . Go Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film directed by Ted Post and starring Burt Lancaster. Ignoring Oleonozski's warnings, Lt. Hamilton tries to rescue the man but is killed. Three skydivers and their travelling thrill show barnstorm through a small midwestern town one Fourth of July weekend. The film is based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation. Stranger, go tell the men of Lacedaemon That we, who lie here, did as we were ordered. "Go Tell the Spartans" is a 1978 movie based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel "Incident at Muc Wa." First Sergeant Oleozewski served in the Korean War under Major Barker and is burnt out from three tours in Vietnam; his last assignment saw his previous unit massacred. The mystery to Major Barker is the fourth man, the draftee Cpl. Written by "Moc Hoa" was a real Special Forces base in the, This is the second film where Lancaster was bedeviled by knee troubles. Go Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford’s 1967 novel “Incident at Muc Wa.” It tells the story about U.S. Army military advisers during the early part of the Vietnam War. Go Tell the Spartans is an anti war movied as are all war movies. At the rear of the hamlet is a graveyard of 302 French soldiers, massacred in a Viet Minh attack ten years earlier. The motion picture was compelling and professionally directed by Ted Post who directed to Clint Eastwood in ¨Magnum force¨ , ¨Hang'em high¨ and Chuck Norris in ¨Good guys wear black¨ . Keith Loh . The Army response stated that its advisors to Vietnam in 1964 were "virtually all outstanding individuals, hand picked for their jobs, and quite experienced ... [I]n presenting an offhand collection of losers it is totally unrealistic of the Army in Vietnam in that period". Minh offers the requested troops in exchange for 1,500 shells. EMBED. But the corrupt Minh refuses, claiming that he needs the troops in Saigon to prevent a potential coup. [8], Go Tell the Spartans was released in the United States on June 14, 1978. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Was this review helpful to you? View production, box office, & company info. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. This FAQ is empty. After the Allies liberate Naples in 1943, the life for the locals is not much easier, especially for women. Unlike the elite US Army Special Forces of Ford's original novel, whom he called the "US Army Raiders", Mayes' screenplay of Military Assistance Advisory Group military advisors comprised a collection of misfits. Stranger, bear this message to the Spartans, that we lie here obedient to their laws. The game does not allow the player to reverse history (i.e., totally defeat the Persians to the extent The Spartans are well remembered throughout Western culture as their name surfaces many times not least in the naming of sports teams. Drama. They find a shadow of a former gang and although disappointed, still try to help them escape from a vigorous Marshal. Rogue intelligence agents, right-wing politicians, greedy capitalists, and free-lance assassins plot and carry out the JFK assassination in this speculative agitprop. In 1979, Wendell Mayes' screenplay was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Stirling is now somewhat of a modern-day heir to Ruyard Kipling , both in prose and political orientation. Screen legend, Burt Lancaster stars in GO TELL THE SPARTANS, a Vietnam Conflict tale set in 1964, early in the U.S. armed forces involvement in South Vietnam.… [3] The graves inspired the film's title, taken from Simonides's epitaph to the 300 soldiers killed in the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persians in 480 B.C. They capture the lone Viet Cong soldier manning the roadblock, who is beheaded by the over-enthusiastic Cowboy. Thermopylae was the narrow mountain pass where in 480 BC a small Greek force led by … In the Vietnam film Go Tell the Spartans (1978), an American unit makes a last stand in a French graveyard. The film's name thus constitutes a deliberate spoiler, as the film's soldiers–like the Spartans at Thermopylae–are sent to their deaths. On reaching the hamlet, Hamilton follows Oleozewski's advice to set up his defenses in a triangular formation and the unit receives supplies brought in by helicopter. Post made all kinds of genres as SciFi : ¨Beneath of the planet of apes¨, ¨Harrard experiment¨ , as Thriller : ¨Nightkill¨, ¨The baby¨ and Western : ¨Yuma¨ , ¨Stagecoach¨. Advisory Command in Vietnam and not the full-blown war we are all used to. This is one of Lancaster's best performances: embittered, a cog in the military juggernaut, this good man foresees the killing waste to come.[11]. It was released on DVD by HBO Home Video on August 30, 2005[9] and as a limited-edition Blu-ray by Scorpion Releasing in June 2016.[10]. As Courcey wanders to the French graveyard, he finds an enemy survivor: the wounded, one-eyed VC scout whom he had seen earlier. The bloody ending reflects the bitterness and disillusion felt by most Americans . During the early 1960s, U.S. military advisers in South Vietnam discover the same challenges that plagued the French army in Indochina ten years prior. Since the late 20th century, the Soviet-American CoDominium had kept the peace, both on Earth and among the stars. A Kentucky widower bound for 1820's Texas with his young son is thwarted in his efforts by a corrupt constable, a long-standing family feud, and a beautiful indentured servant. That night, the outpost is attacked again by massive numbers of well-armed Viet Cong, not the few dozen predicted by high command. Courcey befriends one of the teenage Vietnamese girls. Go Tell the Spartans A good war film needs heroes. In John Frankenheimer's, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "After 'Platoon,' Can 'spartans' Come Back? Go tell the Spartans, you who passeth by, That here, obedient to their laws, we lie. Courcey is wounded but taken to shelter and hidden under some bushes by an elderly militiaman. Roger Grooms, in the Cincinnati Enquirer, judged it to be "one of the noblest films, ever, about men in crisis". "Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium (Screen)". Rob Gonsalves eFilmCritic.com. The Vietnamese civilians that Courcey found and brought into the base camp steal several weapons and try to escape, forcing Cowboy to kill all of them. Barker and Courcey are forced to destroy all of the arms and equipment left behind and then lead the group on the road departing the village, as friendly artillery fire begins raining down on the area. Use the HTML below. That evening, the Viet Cong attack Muc Wa and Lincoln is wounded. From Wings to Parasite, here's a look back at all of the Best Picture Oscar winners in the history of the ceremony. Go Tell the Spartans is primarily a solitaire game simulating the three day battle for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates) between the Persian horde of Xerxes and a mixed Greek force dominated by Leonidas and his small force of Spartans. There a tough veteran Major , But Lancaster , is ordered to establish a garrison at Muc Wa with a platoon of burned out soldiers and Vietnamese Mercenaries . Go Tell the Spartans is set in Vietnam during that period in which American troops were euphemistically termed "advisors." A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement find similarities between their helpless struggle against the Viet Cong and the doomed actions of a French unit at the same site a decade before in this bitter look at the beginnings of the Vietnam war. Major Asa Barker has been given command of a poorly manned outpost overlooking three villages named Boo Jum, Mung Tau and Hat Song. The next morning, Barker travels to Saigon to meet with Colonel Minh, the military chief of the region, and tries to persuade Minh to send reinforcements of at least 300 ARVN troops to Muc Wa. (1978). Go tell the Spartans, you who read; We took their orders, and are dead. Go Tell the Spartans : A Novel of Falkenberg's Legion Go Tell the Spartans is part of a series containing: - a 'breakthrough' of sorts in Stirling's maturity as a writer. Including a realist and thought-provoking dialog and dealing with foreign intervention in Vietnam . Written by Keith Loh Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis Go tell the Spartans Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. There are several monuments around the battlefield of Thermopylae. Second Lieutenant Hamilton has been passed over for promotion and sees volunteering for Vietnam as a way to obtain a promotion to remain in the Army. An imprisoned rogue USAF general with a secret personal agenda, escapes the brig and takes over an ICBM silo, threatening to start WW3. Based on Daniel Ford novel titled ¨Incident at Muc Wa¨ , it describes a pretty honest portrayal of America's early days in Vietnam . Ackley, a communications expert, to garrison Muc Wa with a half-French, half-Vietnamese interpreter/interrogation specialist named Cowboy, a hardcore squad of Hmong mercenaries and a motley mob of about 20 South Vietnamese Popular Force civilian "troops", armed with shotguns and old rifles with a sprinkling of machine guns, to attempt to create a defensible outpost at Muc Wa. The story was inspired by a futile 1964 special-forces operation at Tan Hoa in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, an objective that turned out to be an abandoned settlement containing only a field, an abandoned airstrip and three or four French gravestones. It reads something akin to: Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, That here, obedient to their laws, we lie, and is in memory of Spartan heroics. 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