Writer & director Melville Shavelson was better known for his comedies, such as "Yours, Mine and Ours," "The War Between Men and Women," and "Houseboat," than his combat films. The closest he came to helming a war-time epic was the Charlton Heston World War II service comedy "The Pigeon That Took Rome." Despite his lack of familiarity with war movies, "Cast A Giant Shadow" emerged as better than average despite its tragic finale. John Wayne's production company Batjac co-produced it with the Mirisch brothers about the rise of the state of Israel in 1948 when everybody feared the Arabs would annihilate the Jews. Considering the scale of the subject matter, Shavelson does a good job of orchestrating events, jumping back and forth in time to show that the largely deskbound officer fought in World War II. Indeed, Daniel 'Mickey' Marcus took advantage of his friendship with fellow West Point classmate of General Maxwell D. Taylor to join the first wave of Taylor's 101st Airborne Division when they bailed out over Normandy the night before D-Day. Mind you, Marcus had never jumped out of a plane with a parachute! Later, Marcus went on to serve on General Lucius D. Clay's staff during the occupation of Germany. During the occupation, Marcus became the chief of the Army's War Crimes Division in Washington and supervised the legal and security procedures for both the Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.
Kirk Douglas plays Marcus with his usual virile bravado. Anyway, Marcus and his law partner are window shopping during the Christmas holidays when our protagonist spots somebody tailing them. Later, he learns the man is Israel Army Major Safir (James Donald of "The Great Escape"), and Safir does his best to persuade Marcus to serve as a military advisor for Israel. Despite his deep-set misgiving about leaving his fragile wife behind once again, Marcus accepts the post of a military advisor to a young country with no military armed forces. Eventually, Marcus straightened out this predicament. He brought the various military factions in Israel together and molded them into a force to contend with.
The interesting thing about "Cast A Giant Shadow" is its time and setting. Contemporary audiences who have grown up with Israel as a first-class fighting nation have undoubtedly forgotten the gigantic eight ball this country was behind after World War II. Basically, they had neither an army nor an air force, and they were surrounded by Arab enemies. Marcus toured the country. Supplies including uniforms, weapons, jeeps, tanks, etc., were lacking. Mind you, Marcus had to create an entire army, supply it, and use whatever men he could muster. Our hero was at a severe disadvantage because he wasn't conversant with the Israel language and relied principally on interpreters. He does the seeming impossible when he has non-combatants clear a mountain road so Jerusalem can survive a siege. Not long after their clashes with Egyptian tanks in the desert, Marcus was shot by a soldier who did not recognize him and couldn't understand what he was saying. Equal parts soap opera and war movie, "Cast A Giant Shadow" qualifies as an exciting, often inspirational epic about a man who gave everything to save his country.
Marcus behaves likes an insubordinate S. O. B. When he ignores the orders of his superior officer and bails out over Normandy. He carries on a love & hate relationship with a two-star American general. After the war, Marcus trades in his uniform for a lawyer's Homburg and an attaché case, but he is persuaded to act as an adviser to the fledgling Israeli army. Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, and John Wayne co-star in a war movie that shifts back and forth between soap opera and shooting. Mind you, it is terrifically inspirational stuff, especially when you consider the David versus Goliath predicament in which the Israelis found themselves. Shavelson's screenplay establishes the character of our protagonist as a man who would rather fight than love. The battle scenes are competently helmed. Angie Dickinson plays the long-suffering wife of Colonel Marcus, while voluptuous Israeli freedom fighter Senta Berger cannot take her eyes off him after her own husband dies in the war.
Reportedly, Douglas feuded with Shavelson throughout the production. Neither Wayne's production company nor Douglas' Bryna Productions scrimped on production values. "Cast A Giant Shadow" looks spectacular, with no end of extras trudging off to fight the war. Indeed, the film presents a realistic enough picture of the problems that faced an army without any officers and soldiers who didn't know how to switch off the safety mechanism on their weapons. Furthermore, this army spoke in many different languages. Matters are not helped by a downbeat ending after the underdog Israelis construct a road out of solid stone to relieve the besieged town of Jerusalem. The ending is a downer and "Cast A Giant Shadow" didn't cast a giant shadow at the box office. Composer Elmer Bernstein contributed one of his least memorable orchestral scores. Filmmaker Otto Preminger fared much better with his earlier epic "Exodus" that covered similar ground. The action was lensed on location in Israel and Rome. Naturally, John Wayne is cast as 'General Mike Randolph,' but he appears to be a composite of General George Patton and some other American generals.
Kirk Douglas plays Marcus with his usual virile bravado. Anyway, Marcus and his law partner are window shopping during the Christmas holidays when our protagonist spots somebody tailing them. Later, he learns the man is Israel Army Major Safir (James Donald of "The Great Escape"), and Safir does his best to persuade Marcus to serve as a military advisor for Israel. Despite his deep-set misgiving about leaving his fragile wife behind once again, Marcus accepts the post of a military advisor to a young country with no military armed forces. Eventually, Marcus straightened out this predicament. He brought the various military factions in Israel together and molded them into a force to contend with.
The interesting thing about "Cast A Giant Shadow" is its time and setting. Contemporary audiences who have grown up with Israel as a first-class fighting nation have undoubtedly forgotten the gigantic eight ball this country was behind after World War II. Basically, they had neither an army nor an air force, and they were surrounded by Arab enemies. Marcus toured the country. Supplies including uniforms, weapons, jeeps, tanks, etc., were lacking. Mind you, Marcus had to create an entire army, supply it, and use whatever men he could muster. Our hero was at a severe disadvantage because he wasn't conversant with the Israel language and relied principally on interpreters. He does the seeming impossible when he has non-combatants clear a mountain road so Jerusalem can survive a siege. Not long after their clashes with Egyptian tanks in the desert, Marcus was shot by a soldier who did not recognize him and couldn't understand what he was saying. Equal parts soap opera and war movie, "Cast A Giant Shadow" qualifies as an exciting, often inspirational epic about a man who gave everything to save his country.
Marcus behaves likes an insubordinate S. O. B. When he ignores the orders of his superior officer and bails out over Normandy. He carries on a love & hate relationship with a two-star American general. After the war, Marcus trades in his uniform for a lawyer's Homburg and an attaché case, but he is persuaded to act as an adviser to the fledgling Israeli army. Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, and John Wayne co-star in a war movie that shifts back and forth between soap opera and shooting. Mind you, it is terrifically inspirational stuff, especially when you consider the David versus Goliath predicament in which the Israelis found themselves. Shavelson's screenplay establishes the character of our protagonist as a man who would rather fight than love. The battle scenes are competently helmed. Angie Dickinson plays the long-suffering wife of Colonel Marcus, while voluptuous Israeli freedom fighter Senta Berger cannot take her eyes off him after her own husband dies in the war.
Reportedly, Douglas feuded with Shavelson throughout the production. Neither Wayne's production company nor Douglas' Bryna Productions scrimped on production values. "Cast A Giant Shadow" looks spectacular, with no end of extras trudging off to fight the war. Indeed, the film presents a realistic enough picture of the problems that faced an army without any officers and soldiers who didn't know how to switch off the safety mechanism on their weapons. Furthermore, this army spoke in many different languages. Matters are not helped by a downbeat ending after the underdog Israelis construct a road out of solid stone to relieve the besieged town of Jerusalem. The ending is a downer and "Cast A Giant Shadow" didn't cast a giant shadow at the box office. Composer Elmer Bernstein contributed one of his least memorable orchestral scores. Filmmaker Otto Preminger fared much better with his earlier epic "Exodus" that covered similar ground. The action was lensed on location in Israel and Rome. Naturally, John Wayne is cast as 'General Mike Randolph,' but he appears to be a composite of General George Patton and some other American generals.