Up from the Beach (1965) User Reviews

Misses the boat!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 27 June 2017]

Based on the 1959 novel, "Epitaph for an Enemy:. Photographed in black-and-white CinemaScope. Westrex Sound system. Producer: Christian Ferry. Copyright 23 June 1965 by Panoramic Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Capitol and other theaters: 9 June 1965. U.S. release: 2 June 1965. U.K. release: 17 January 1966. 8,805 feet. 98 minutes.

NOTES: Almost 80 per cent of the film was photographed on outdoor locations in the Normandy villages adjacent to the Utah landing beaches. Figuring importantly in these outdoor sequences is a typical farmhouse built of fieldstone and slate in the village of Octeville-la-Venelle. Several other rarely-photographed, tiny, picturesque towns within the 20-mile radius were used for backgrounds, and these include Azeville, Beuzeville, Saint Germain de Varreville and La Malasserie.

COMMENT: Despite his top editing credentials, Robert Parrish always was an indifferent director, blessed with an uncanny ability to transmute even the most promising material into the dreariest dross. "Up from the Beach:, for all the money that's floating about in remarkably lavish production values, is no exception. True, there are some exciting action spots, and the interesting support cast includes welcome cameos by Broderick Crawford and James Robertson Justice.

The main problem is that Parrish does nothing with the leads. The good sergeant is so glumly and negatively played by Cliff Robertson as not to elicit an iota of audience involvement or sympathy. Miss Demick does little better, though the blame cannot be attached entirely to her or Mr. Parrish. Some of the dialogue handed her by Mann and Brulé might fairly be described as a cinematic high point of sheer tedium.

Watchable War Film set on D-Day, Plus One

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 26 May 2015]

UP FROM THE BEACH 1965

This Robert Parrish directed World War Two film is set on D-Day plus one. The film was based on the 1959 novel, Epitaph for an Enemy. The cast of this US-UK-French co-production include, Cliff Robertson, Red Buttons, Irina Demick, Marius Goring, Fernand Ledoux, Slim Pickens, James Robertson Justice and Broderick Crawford.

A group of four American Infantrymen are ambushed as they approach a farm several miles from Omaha Beach. One of their number is killed before they rush the house and dispose of the three SS troopers inside. Also inside of the farmhouse are 20 plus French civilians and a wounded Wehrmacht officer.

The American Sgt in charge, Cliff Robertson, pulls the wounded German, Marius Goring outside to put a round in him. Just then, a jeep with a Col. pulls into the courtyard. The Col, Slim Pickens, orders Robertson to take the civilians and the German back to the beach. He is to give them to the Navy for evacuation to England. Pickens takes the other two G.I.'s that are with Robertson. He does leave replacement, Red Buttons, to help Robertson. The group starts back to the beach picking up several more people and a dog along the way.

Several hours later, after reaching the beach, Robertson finds he cannot get the Navy to accept the group. The Beach-master on site, James Robertson Justice, orders Robertson to take the group back to the village. On the road they go again. Once there, the same officer, Slim Pickens, again orders Robertson to take the group back to the beach. (A royal Snafu or what?) Once back at the beach, Robertson tries to scare up some food and water for everyone. Now he runs into a "by the book" MP officer, Broderick Crawford. Crawford says, "There is no way I am giving U.S. Government water to civilians!" Robertson ends up stealing water, rations and some blankets to give to his group.

Yet again the band is chased off and ordered back up the road to the village. Robertson by this time has noticed that the French civilians are friendly with the German, Goring. They feed him and bandage his head wound. Miss Demick tells Robertson that Goring had been the local German Commandant. Goring had been fair and decent to the locals. He even helped arrange an escape by several villagers who had been rounded up by a Gestapo raid.

Half way back, the group is strafed by a German aircraft. A couple of passing Spitfires shoot down the offending German. The Nazi parachutes to safety and lands near the group. Rather than surrender to Robertson, the swine pulls a Luger and shoots one of the civilians. Robertson dispatches said German in return.

German officer Goring suggests they house the civilians in the vault of a nearby church. He knows it is well built and will provide cover for the civilians. Robertson and Goring head off to check out the church. Goring however gets himself blown up by a booby trap that had been left by the SS.

Robertson hoot-foots it back to the civilians and who should he run into again? Col Slim Pickens of course. This time Pickens tells Robertson to let the civilians go home. Their village has been cleared of Germans. Robertson sees off the group before loading Red Buttons on a medic jeep. Buttons had thoughtlessly got himself wounded by a random artillery round.

This filmed on location feature is full of unused footage that had been shot for producer Darryl Zanuck's, D-Day epic, "The Longest Day". This film was promoted as a sequel to the earlier film.

Irina Demick was the mistress at the time of producer Zanuck, and as such moved up the pecking order in the billing. Demick, Red Buttons and Fernard Ledoux had also been in the earlier film, "The Longest Day". Demick is probably best known for her multiple roles in the 1965 comedy, "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines".

Robert Parrish was a twice Oscar nominated, one time winner, film editor before making the switch to directing. His Oscar win was for his work on 1947's "Body and Soul". As a director he cranked out several top flight film-noir, "Cry Danger" and "The Mob". He also scored with a couple of excellent westerns, "The Wonderful Country" and "Saddle the Wind". He never really came close to matching those four films.

This one was plagued with problems as Zanuck was always on set checking on Miss Demick. This constantly threw the production schedule off. It is a watchable film, but it does seem to run longer than the 99 minute runtime.

Up From the Beach

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 4 January 2024]

This is quite a curiously pointless wartime adventure for Cliff Robertson. He is "Sgt. Baxter" who liberates the residents of a French village after the D-Day landings and then, with "Pte. Devine" (Red Buttons) spends the rest of the film ferrying these 21 civilians from pillar to post getting different instructions from a superior officer at every junction. Along the way, he does manage to find time for a little romance with "Lili" (Irina Demick) but must always be on his guard as the Nazis - including his sophisticated captive Commandant (Marius Goring) are still very much in the game. Their escapades are not without their tragedy and there is a general sense of the horror of war as buildings are bombed out, their column is strafed by fighter aircraft and they must sleep where they can foraging as they go. It's filmed on location, which adds a degree of authenticity to the proceedings and the writing is not without some pith now and again. Perhaps it's sarcastically looking at the futility of war? Interestingly novel take on this genre.

The continuation of the Longest Day

[searchanddestroy-1 · 22 April 2008]

That's the third feature released by Twentieth Century Fox - after D Day 6th of June and The Longest Day - about the "Landing Party" in Normandy.

This feature is rather quite good, looking towards the future "Saving Private Ryan", nearly thirty years later...

The tale of a group of US soldiers lead by an officer - Robertson - whose orders have been given to protect french countrymen, evacuate them from their devastated village to the beach, before send them to England, across the Channel. The odyssey through a dangerous and deadly country side filled up with German soldiers. This film gives a good study of characters. Red Buttons shows here an unusual performance, besides what he does in his others films.

But all that doesn't prevent this movie not to be inventive, if you compare it with productions of this kind.

A very good time waster, however

War is hell when you can't get a straight answer.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 24 June 2023]

What to do with natives of a waterfront town and their previous captors during the invasion of Normandy. That's the issue for Cliff Robertson and Red Buttons just trying to do the right thing on D-Day, their village basically in rack and ruin, with language trouble definitely causing an issue of confusion. One official says leave them there, and another says bring them along, so it's two barking dogs keeping a cat trapped and unsure of what to do. They get to know the townsfolk including pretty Irina Demick, and are shocked to learn of the kindness of a German officer sent to control the town aiding the resistance in the most surprising way. So Nazis can be human, or maybe they're Nazis in uniform only, opposed to their methods of control, or perhaps secretly disgusted by their anti-human goals and efforts to dominate the world.

An interesting but lower budgeted Wirld War II drama with cameos by Slim Pickens, Broderick Crawford and James Robertson Justice, and surprisingly Buttons being a lot more subtle than usual although his brashness comes out in the scene where he tells the German officer that not one of the other soldiers will feel an ounce of sympathy for him. A scene with Cliff Robertson and a young boy with a gun who speaks no English is very sweet, showing a trust that is established by Robertson allowing him to put on Robertson's helmet. The black and white photography lessens the impact of the drama, indicating that 20th Century Fox didn't think of this as anything other than a second string "Longest Day", relegating it to neighborhood theaters rather than giving it epic treatment. Still watchable and fast moving, a better programmer than I expected directed by Academy Award winning film editor Robert Parrish.

Very different from your usual war picture!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 8 July 2022]

"Up From the Front" is a most unusual war film. Most war movies are almost nonstop action...with lots of death and sacrifice. This one, in contrast, is a bit absurd...showing how incredibly mundane things can be in the midst of all sorts of chaos!

The stoy is set on the day after D-Day, the invasion of Normandy by the Allies. A small group of soldiers capture a German General and free up a group of a couple dozen French non-combatants. Two men (Cliff Robertson and Red Buttons) are ordered to escort the people back to the beach so they can be taken to safety. But when they finally make the long trek, they are told NOT to leave the prisoner nor the townsfolk there! And, when they return them to the village, they are once again ordered back to the beach! It's all crazy, but realistic because things must have been very chaotic following this huge invasion. So what's next for the two Americans and their charges? Watch the film and find out for yourself...but the problem WON'T be solved easily or quickly.

"Up from the Beach" is different...and that's by far the best thing about the movie. After all, thousands of war films have been made but I cannot recall a single one like it! On the negative side, and there aren't too many negatives, the film makes the same mistake most 1960s war movies about WWII make...the women's hair styles are from the 60s. Also, many of the tanks are post-WWII vintage...though considering how few were left after the war, I can forgive this. I know these are tiny mistakes...but as an ex-history teacher I notice these details. Overall, well worth seeing and unique.