A coluna da morte

It is said that the Korean War is the "Forgotten War." Most movies about it were made in the decade or so after the war, with the notable exception of M*A*S*H. Spielberg, Hanks, and Stone seem to be in no hurry to commemorate this conflict like the endless modern World War II and Vietnam movies. And if America's role in the war is mostly forgotten, almost no one remembers the UN allies, including Great Britain.

"A Hill in Korea," or "Hell in Korea," was made in 1956, about 5 years after the end of active combat. It portrays the travails of a patrol of mostly national servicemen (draftees) led by an inexperienced lieutenant and a pair of career NCOs. Naturally, they end up confronting an overwhelming Chinese force and are eventually besieged in a Buddhist monastery on a steep hill. A desperate battle ensues, reminding one much of the stand in "Sahara" or the very similar "The Steel Helmet," which was filmed 5 years earlier.

The film is mostly cliché, similar to a lot of US Korean War films. Only about three characters have any development about their home lives and dreams, usually just before they exit the scene for good. There is a very minor sub-plot with the radio operator who is ostracized after throwing away the unit radio. And there is a lot of good action. Unfortunately, this is one of those almost forgotten films that appears to have been poorly preserved and the version I saw was really low quality.

Other than action, what makes this film stand-out is the cast. You see stalwarts like Harry Andrews and Stanley Baker, rising stars like George Baker and Stephen Boyd, and the future 'M,' Robert Brown. It also featured some very young future superstars named Michael Caine and Robert Shaw. Altogether it features two future knighthoods and no less than 4 MBE/OBE/CBE holders. The cast alone makes this film worth a look.

As a side note, the film makes some points about the plight of the National Service men who were drafted to a war virtually unknown in the UK. Four years later the UK ended National Service for good and returned to a professional army. It is not overdone, but the film clearly was intended to raise questions about the post-WWII continuation of conscription.

Stalwart little "Sunday Afternoon" war film with all the right ingredients - excellent cast of British character actors with requisite mix of seasoned pro's (Andrews, Landis, Maddern) and young up & comers (Boyd, Shaw, Caine), simple but gripping plot with salty "it's-a-dog's-life-in-the-army-but-orders-is-orders" dialogue, well staged action scenes, "friendly" US planes bombing British troops etc etc. Well worth an hour or so of your time.

If nothing else this is a good little 50's British actioner. There's actually a couple of hills defended in the film. A smaller one in the first half by 4 of the soldiers and then a larger one in the second half, which is also the site of a Buddhist temple.

This is actually the first British war film I can remember seeing set in the Korean War. As others have mentioned, for a very much "B" feature, it has an A cast list, with the added bonus of seeing Robert Shaw and Michael Caine in a couple of their earliest roles. Keep your eyes peeled for Shaw, as his character doesn't last too long into the film.

It's a relatively brief film and the narrative doesn't delve much into the status of the platoon serving under the UN Flag, nor exploring to a great extent the fact that some of the soldiers were regular army and some were apparently national conscripts. The story really could have been fleshed out more. It's pretty lean and sparse, with very little backgrounding. But punters are unlikely to get bored watching it.

It's a small film but great in its making. The overwhelming credit of it is its absolutely perfect almost naturalistic realism, filmed in Korea and taking part of all the hardships of the soldiers at very close quarters. You get to know each of the soldiers individually, and MANY of them make unforgettable impressions. More of a curiosity is the presence of a very young Michael Caine among them as the youngest and the only blond one. He isn't noticed much and isn't seen much, but he is actually in it; while also Robert Shaw makes a very early and very palpable presence. The main characters though are Harry Andrews as stalwart and dominating in his imposing stature as ever, and Stanley Baker as the toughest and hardest of them. You don't like him, but in the end you must wonder if he wasn't right after all, while of course there is also the martyr, all lost and making his situation constantly more awkward in succeeding in doing everything wrong.

The settings are also quite impressing with the Buddhist monastery as a refuge, like a Korean Alamo for a last stand, but here there are actually some survivors; while the greatest quality of the film is the indivdual close-up attention given to everyone of these forgotten heros.

A Hill in Korea is a typical British war film, shot in crisp black and white and with Portugal doing a rather good job of standing in for the Korean countryside. The plot sees a British platoon cut off by Chinese forces and forced to take refuge on a hill which they must defend to the last man in the face of overwhelming attacks.

You know these sorts of films by now: half of the conflict comes from the besieging enemy, the other half from divisions within the group, as various characters crack or show their true heroic nature. And the low budget seems to work hand in hand with the plot of these films, helping to make them feel tense and claustrophobic. A Hill in Korea has a lot of casual racism in it, which was a bit of a surprise, but the all-star cast makes it worthwhile.

George Baker (TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER) is a dependable presence as the lieutenant leading the platoon, and Harry Andrews is once again the gruff sergeant - a role he seemed destined to play throughout his career. Ronald Lewis makes an impact as the guy going out of his mind, and others like Percy Herbert, Michael Medwin, and Stephen Boyd flesh out the rank and file troops. Best of all is the chance to see Robert Shaw and Michael Caine, both uncredited early on in their careers.