The Way Ahead (The Immortal Battalion) (1944)
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66% of users liked it
(457 ratings)
The Immortal Battalion has a bit of a convoluted history. It started life as a training film, The New Lot, which ran 44 minutes. When Winston Churchill approached David Niven about creating a film that would do for the British Army what In Which We Serve had done for the Royal Navy, he contacted… More The Immortal Battalion has a bit of a convoluted history. It started life as a training film, The New Lot, which ran 44 minutes. When Winston Churchill approached David Niven about creating a film that would do for the British Army what In Which We Serve had done for the Royal Navy, he contacted Carol Reed and suggested expanding The New Lot. The result, written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, was the acclaimed The Way Ahead. For its U.S. release, Way Ahead was edited to a shorter length and retitled The Immortal Battalion. In either of its feature length forms, the film is concerned with the training of a bunch of raw recruits into a capable and efficient fighting regiment. Niven stars as Jim Perry, a lieutenant and former ordinary guy who finds that he must learn to take a tough line in order to make his wildly diverse crew come together and understand the importance both of the war and of their place in it. Although it takes time and constant effort on the part of Perry and his sergeant, the eight men eventually overcome their different backgrounds and feelings, and transform themselves into a unit which performs its tasks with admirable skill and dexterity, preparing them for their battle against the Desert Fox in Africa. Told in a semi-documentary style, Battalion also features the screen debut of Trevor Howard. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
- Directed By
- Carol Reed
- Written By
- Eric Ambler
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jun 3, 1945 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A rousing flag-waving war drama about the British Army, that was shot during the war and grew out of being a training film.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
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Cast
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David Nivenas Lieutenant Jim Perry -
Raymond Huntleyas Davenport -
William Hartnellas Sergeant Fletcher
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Stanley Hollowayas Brewer -
James Donaldas Lloyd -
Leo Gennas Company Commander
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