La 317ème section

After the Dîen Bîen Phû's defeat in may 1954, which marked the end of French sovereignty in Indochina, a small group of French soldiers in an isolated stronghold try to avoid capture by crossing the enemy's lines to join their main forces. In this journey few will survive.

Former war correspondent during this conflict, Schoendoerffer filmed this movie in a so realistic way that it seems to be a document shot during the battle. But unlike many war movies, this one is not only based on the visual and sound effects. Its interest lies in the portray of the two main characters.

Torrens, the young, unexperienced and idealisic lieutenant (played by Jacques Perrin) who has volunteered to serve a lost cause and die for it. He has the intelligence of letting Willsdorf lead the troops, seems lost at first in the middle of this human wreckage but shows courage and strength when needed.

Willsdorf, the experienced "adjudant" (sargeant), a veteran worshipped by his men. Since WWII when he was enlisted in the German army ( he comes from Alsace, a german speaking part of France claimed by Germany), he has experienced many battlefields. He loves Viet Nam, her people and her culture but knows that everything is lost and that he'll have to abandon it soon. But in spite of that he has a mission to fullfill, save as many of his men (mostly vietnamese partisans) as possible and he intends to achieve it.

In just 90 minutes we learn everything about them, their weaknesses, ideals and hidden secrets which make them simples human beings trying to survive in the middle of a mad world.

Of course some will say that this movie promotes war, violence and the romantic heroes made for it (Willsdorf)while his only aim was to testify about a forgotten war and all of those who fought in it, whatever their flag.

Definitely the best movie about the Indochina war.

I saw this movie some 35 years ago on TV and its memory has been with me ever since. My father and I happened upon it late one night and were stricken by its integrity, clarity of message, and visual beauty (note: B/W).

The melancholy of men in a desperate cause has haunted me ever since. The unwinnable pursuit paints a picture of doom that my generation would forever associate with Vietnam and later with other military endeavours; the name of Dien Bien Phu would be associated with this party that dwindles as it traverses the jungle. No other film on the Vietnam war has reached the same effect for me; not "Platoon", none of these. Bear in mind that this comment comes from outside the US.

Memorable phrase, for some maybe not so relevant reason, the men at the hand-cranked dynamo radio (a huge affair) calling their no more responding party, "Alo, Alo, Lima Bravo." Would be glad to know of reliable source for a VHS or DVD copy.

French Indochina, May 1954. While the Battle of Dien Bien Phu rages, a nearby French platoon is ordered to abandon its isolated base and march to a more secure location. The journey is fraught with danger: they are surrounded on all sides by forces several times larger than them. Commanding the platoon is a young, inexperienced Lieutenant. His senior NCO is very experienced, a veteran of WW2, but the two don't always see eye to eye.

Watched this because famed military historian Antony Beevor regards this as the greatest war movie ever made. Turns out, it's not, but it is very good.

Written and directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer and based on his novel, The 317th Platoon is the first "Vietnam War" movie in a sense. It might not be the Americans fighting the Viet Cong or NVA but the French Indochina War was the precursor to the Vietnam War. Replace Americans with French in a Vietnam War drama and you have this movie: the setting, tactics and feel to the movie are very similar.

Quite realistic in its portrayal of war: the danger, the randomness, the impact of seemingly minor decisions, the wastefulness and futility of it all. Other than the latter aspect, not hugely profound: is more about the plot journey than the destination. In addition, does drift in spells and the ending is too abrupt, hence the less-than-perfect score.

America made many movies about the Viet Nam war, good ones and bad ones. On the contrary, France didn't make films about the Indochina and Algeria wars. But "la 317e" is not only rare because of this, but also because it shows war as it was really fought, not by Rambo-like superheroes, but by simple men, some courageous, some not... Besides, Shloendorffer is a great film maker, and you can feel during the film that hes was really there, that he shared tragic hours with these men.

This movie is so close to the reality that, in the French Army, it is still used for the instruction of the young infantry platoon commanders. Notably the management of the NCOs, usually older and more experienced than the Lieutenant fresh from the Academy, is an interesting issue. And nearly all the basics of the infantryman on the battlefield are there. Keep in mind that Schoendorffer was a war correspondent within the French Army in Indochina at that time. The DVD version of the movie is now available (at least in France). Charlie Bravo (1980) is another French movie that depicts a similar story, but with less talent and less realistically.