The Hill [VHS] [1965]

The setting is a British Military prison out in the desert in North Africa, A typical army setting with white painted stones marking the parade square, the flagpoles flying the Union Jack and unit flags. The attention to military detail is absolutely correct (a failing in many modern day made war films)
Sean Connery portrays a Sergeant major (Warrant Officer) who had been court marshalled for disobeying orders during a conflict. He was the only returning survivor which has given him the reputation of being a coward (Is he or isn't he a coward?) now a trooper he is sent to this extremely hard prison. On arrival together with four other prisoners, just inside the camp gates Sean Conney is met by prison staff and the Regimental Sergeant Major and receives a tough welcome indeed.

The Hill is a pile of sand about forty or fifty feet high and is situated in the middle of the camp. With full webbing and wearing backpack prisoners run backwards & forwards over the hill as a punishment for stepping out of line. Of course the newcomers are introduced to the hill straight away.

The film is exciting, sad, funny, is full of revenge, hate, mutiny, and questionable murder, plus many other nail biting aspects. The acting is beyond reproach, and the whole thing in glorious Black and white. If you want to see a good film watch this one, I promise you a treat.

May I suggest a remake of this classic? Nope, Perhaps not, after all there's only one Sean Connery

Howard Donoghue (Berlin.)

Connery and others star as a group of new prisoners getting acclimatised to the way life runs in the prison. Some rebel, some go-along-to-get-along, some become introverted and depressed - the whole range of possibilities is explored. There are class issues and racial issues addressed as well.

The title 'The Hill' comes from the artificial sand mountain constructed in the middle of the camp that the prison warder non-commissioned officers drill the prisoners on, breaking them down physically, and supposedly mentally, in order to reconstruct them as properly disciplined soldiers. However, not everyone responds to this, and at a certain point in the film it becomes clear that one of the warders is in fact a quite sadistic guard.

The process goes on with drudging sameness until the disciplinary punishment goes too far, and a man dies from the treatment. The subsequent attempt at a cover-up provides much of the drama for the film (even though this consists of less than have the screen time of the film), and the ending is certainly poetic in its justice even if it isn't a happy ending by any means.

The film was done at the height of Sean Connery's popularity as the new James Bond character - he had done three Bond films in the previous three years, including the classic 'Goldfinger' just the year before; here he was a gritty, working-class career soldier without the polish (or the toupee) of the Bond character. Connery shows he is no lightweight actor here, nor does he use his star power to steal the show.

This film was also done in black-and-white, which shows the dusty, dry desert elements in greater relief than a full-colour or colourised version might.

I eagerly await the DVD.