Victory (1981)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Yabo Yablonsky (story) and
Djordje Milicevic (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 July 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sport | War

Tagline:

Their goal was freedom...

Plot:

As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Soccer | Soccer Football | Prisoner Of War | Goal Keeper

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Captain Robert Hatch
Michael Caine	...	Capt. John Colby - The Players: England
Pelé	...	Cpl. Luis Fernandez - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Trinidad
Bobby Moore	...	Terry Brady - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: England
Osvaldo Ardiles	...	Carlos Rey - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Argentina
Paul Van Himst	...	Michel Fileu - The Players: Belgium
Kazimierz Deyna	...	Paul Wolchek - The Players: Poland
Hallvar Thoresen	...	Gunnar Hilsson - The Players: Norway
Mike Summerbee	...	Sid Harmor - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: England
Co Prins	...	Pieter Van Beck - The Players: Holland
Russell Osman	...	Doug Clure - The Players
John Wark	...	Arthur Hayes - The Players: Scotland
Søren Lindsted	...	Erik Ball - Allied Soccer Player - The Players: Denmark
Kevin O'Callaghan	...	Tony Lewis - Allied Goalkeeper - The Players: Ireland
Max von Sydow	...	Major Karl Von Steiner - The Germans (as Max Von Sydow)
Gary Waldhorn	...	Mueller - Coach - The Germans
George Mikell	...	Kommandant - The Germans
Laurie Sivell	...	Schmidt - Goalie - The Germans
Arthur Brauss	...	Lutz - The Germans
Robin Turner	...	Player - The Germans
Michael Wolf	...	Lang - The Germans
Jürgen Andersen	...	Propaganda Civilian - The Germans
David Shawyer	...	Strauss - The Germans
Werner Roth	...	Baumann - Team Captain - The Germans
Amidou	...	André - The French
Benoît Ferreux	...	Jean Paul - The French
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Claude - The French
Jack Lenoir	...	Georges - The French
Zoltán Gera	...	Victor - The French (as Folton Gera)
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Rose - The English
Julian Curry	...	Sherlock - The English
Carole Laure	...	Renée - The French
Clive Merrison	...	The Forger - The English
Maurice Roëves	...	Pyrie - The English
Michael Cochrane	...	Farrell - The English
Jack Kendrick	...	Williams - The English
Daniel Massey	...	Colonel Waldron - The English
Anton Diffring	...	German - The Commentators
Gunter Wolbert	...	German - The Commentators
Eolo Capacci	...	Italian - The Commentators
Michel Dhrey	...	French - The Commentators
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Laszlo Klima	...	Fan in Front Row (uncredited)
Ákos Moskovits	...	Renée's Son (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits
Yabo Yablonsky		(story) and
Djordje Milicevic		(story) &
Jeff Maguire		(story)
Evan Jones		(screenplay) and
Yabo Yablonsky		(screenplay)

Produced by
Annie Fargue	....	associate producer
Freddie Fields	....	producer
Mario Kassar	....	executive producer
Gordon McLendon	....	executive producer
Andrew G. Vajna	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
Gerry Fisher

Film Editing by
Roberto Silvi

Production Design by
J. Dennis Washington

Set Decoration by
Sydney Ann Smith-Kee		(as Sydney Ann Kee)

Costume Design by
Tom Bronson

Makeup Department
Allan A. Apone	....	special makeup effects
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist
Michael Westmore	....	makeup artist (as Mike Westmore)

Production Management
Tom Shaw	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Elie Cohn	....	first assistant director
Timea Veress	....	first assistant director
Charles Winkler	....	second assistant director
Peter Knob	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Colin Charles	....	sound mixer
Giorgio De Vincenzo	....	sound editor
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer
Leslie Hodgson	....	supervising sound editor
Stephen Katz	....	sound consultant
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
Bonnie Koehler	....	sound editor
Don MacDougall	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anthony Palk	....	sound editor
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer
Gary Weir	....	boom operator
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Candy Flanagin	....	special effects
Péter Pásztorfi	....	special effects technician

Stunts
Menyhért René Balog-Dutombé	....	stunt double
Menyhért René Balog-Dutombé	....	stunts
Sándor Boros	....	stunts
Zoltán Gulyás Kiss	....	stunts
Gábor Piroch	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernard Ford	....	camera operator
Laurie Shane	....	gaffer
Eric Van Haren Noman	....	camera operator: second unit
Jimmy Waters	....	key grip
Kenneth J. Withers	....	camera operator: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Uta Freiwald	....	costume design assistant

Editorial Department
Cesare D'Amico	....	assistant editor
Barry Mark Gordon	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bodie Chandler	....	music supervisor
Peter T. Myers	....	orchestrator (as Peter Myers)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Other crew
Allegra Huston	....	production assistant
Tonda Marton	....	production assistant
Frank Pace	....	production consultant
Pelé	....	consultant: soccer
Les Shannon	....	football coordinator
Jean-Étienne Siry	....	poster designer (french version) (as Siry)

Thanks
Pen Densham	....	thanks
John Watson	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Lorimar Film Entertainment (presents) (as Lorimar)
• Victory Company

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• S.N. Prodis (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1982) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Europa Film (1981) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1983) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Makeup Effects Laboratories

Also Known As:

Escape to Victory (UK)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:L | West Germany:6 (f) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Lorimar Film Entertainment

Trivia:

The original draft of the script was a serious drama, based on the true story of a group of allied POWs challenged to a football match by the Germans. The deal was that if the Germans won the match, the POWs would be set free in Switzerland. However if the POWs won, they would be shot. The POWs decided to go for 'victory', won the match and were consequently executed.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The vast majority of the extras in the soccer stadium have hairstyles and wear clothes associated with the late 1970s and early 1980s (long hair, flares and wide-collared shirts etc.).

Quotes:

Hatch: This frigging game is ruining my life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comic Relief Does University Challenge (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Symphony 5, 4th movement

"Take me out from the ball game"

The script of this unusual war/escape movie was nothing special, and neither was the acting. Not surprising about the latter since half the performers weren't actually experienced actors. However I loved every minute of it, and thought it was great fun and terrific entertainment. Of course there are those who won't quite see it that way and will dismiss it out of hand. And they'd be perfectly sane to do so. Everything about "Victory" (aka "Escape to Victory" in the UK) says it's one to leave well alone.

Even if you disregard the lack of aesthetic qualities, and tut-tut over the reality of it all, it's worth watching if only to see again a few of the great past-masters of what the Brits like to call "the beautiful game" (i.e. soccer). And Sylvester Stallone as a goalkeeper is something to behold.

As far as escape stories go this is about as original as they get, but even here it's possible to see plundering from other story lines, i.e "The Great Escape", "The Password is Courage", "Albert RN", to name but three, and as at least one reviewer has pointed out, the music is extremely reminiscent of the first one.

One of my favourites snippets is that of the Nazi sports commentator, portrayed by Anton Diffring, that stalwart of war movies, broadcasting his gramophone record of enthusiastic crowd applause, when in "reality" the whole stadium was as quiet as the grave.

I think this is one of those rare occasions, if taken in the right vein, when a bad movie can be a crowd pleaser. Forget the war pundits, the realists and the purists. Just enjoy the movie for what it is. Tremendous fun!