The Green Berets (1968)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Directors:

Ray Kellogg
John Wayne
(more)

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Robin Moore (novel)

Release Date:

27 July 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

They had to be the toughest fighting force on earth - and the men who led them had to be just a little bit tougher!

Plot:

Col. Mike Kirby picks two teams of crack Green Berets for a mission in South Vietnam. First off is to...

Plot Keywords:

Green Beret | Vietnam | Beret | Vietnam War | Color In Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Wayne	...	Colonel Mike Kirby
David Janssen	...	George Beckworth
Jim Hutton	...	Sergeant Petersen
Aldo Ray	...	Master Sergeant Muldoon
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Sergeant Doc McGee
Bruce Cabot	...	Colonel Morgan
Jack Soo	...	Colonel Cai
George Takei	...	Captain Nim
Patrick Wayne	...	Lieutenant Jamison
Luke Askew	...	Sergeant Provo
Irene Tsu	...	Lin
Edward Faulkner	...	Captain MacDaniel
Jason Evers	...	Captain Coleman
Mike Henry	...	Sergeant Kowalski
Craig Jue	...	Hamchunk
Chuck Roberson	...	Sergeant Griffin
Eddy Donno	...	Sergeant Watson
Rudy Robbins	...	Sergeant Parks
Richard 'Cactus' Pryor	...	Collier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vera Miles	...	Mrs. Kirby (scenes deleted)
Yodying Apibal	...	South Vietnamese soldier (uncredited)
Charles Bail	...	Sergeant Lark (uncredited)
Jess Barker	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Vincente Cadiente	...	Viet Cong soldier (uncredited)
Walker Edmiston	...	(uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	...	(uncredited)
Frank Koomen	...	Lt. Sachs (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
William Olds	...	General Phan Son Ti (uncredited)
James Seay	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bill Shannon	...	Sgt. White (uncredited)
Hayward Soo Hoo	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Laird Stuart	...	Lt. Olsen (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Dick Warlock	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bach Yen	...	Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Ray Kellogg
John Wayne
Mervyn LeRoy		(uncredited)

Writing credits
James Lee Barrett		(screenplay)
Robin Moore		(novel "The Green Berets")

Produced by
Michael Wayne	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch

Film Editing by
Otho Lovering

Production Design by
Walter M. Simonds

Set Decoration by
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Jerry Alpert

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lee Lukather	....	unit production manager (as Lee W. Lukather)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe L. Cramer	....	assistant director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director

Art Department
Red Turner	....	property (as 'Red' Turner)
Hendrik Wynands	....	construction coordinator (as 'Hank' Wynands)

Sound Department
Stanley Jones	....	sound

Special Effects by
Sass Bedig	....	special effects

Stunts
Phil Adams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Bail	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bobby Bass	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vincente Cadiente	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hank Calia	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Finnegan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Yoneo Iguchi	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Lewis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roy K. Ogata	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ed Parker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronald C. Ross	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Shannon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hayward Soo Hoo	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Warlock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Warner	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Saizis	....	director of photography: battle sequences (uncredited)
Vincent Saizis	....	director of photography: battle sequences (uncredited)

Music Department
Allan Roberts	....	lyrics

Transportation Department
George Coleman	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
William C. Burns	....	project officer: Dept. of Defense (as Lt. Col. William C. Byrns U.S.A.)
Jerold R. Dodds	....	advisor: special forces (as Major Jerold R. Dodds U.S.A.)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
August Schomburg Jr.	....	project officer: Fort Benning (as Captain August Schomburg Jr. U.S.A.)
Crayton Smith	....	script supervisor
Mervyn LeRoy	....	studio advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Batjac Productions

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• WarnerBrothers / Seven Arts (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (1998) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (1992) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1984) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1968) | West Germany:16 (f) | New Zealand:PG | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Fort Benning, Georgia, USA

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

Some of the "Vietnamese village" sets were so realistic they were left intact, and were later used by the Army for training troops destined for Vietnam.

Goofs:

Continuity: At (01:31) A small group of soldiers is gathered with Colonel Kirby (John Wayne) as the "Mike force" is landing in helicopters. Sgt. Provo (Luke Askew) loses his boonie hat as the second chopper in the stick touches down. The cover is seen to fly straight up and is presumably pushed a distance away from the rotor wash. Provo remains without a hat until a closeup scene a few seconds later when he is miraculously wearing it again though he hasn't left the group.

Quotes:

Capt. Nim: My home is in Hanoi. You see, first I kill all stinking Cong, then go home.
Colonel Mike Kirby: [Later] Sounds like he means it.
Capt. MacDaniel: He keeps score on the wall.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Movie Orgy (1968)

Soundtrack:

The River Seine

" A refreshing Change!"

When I first saw the Green Berets back in the late 1970's early 80's it was widely criticized by contemporary film buffs as being jingoistic and 'gun ho'. Obviously, with John Wayne being the leading role, it only served to reinforce this view. Sure it is patriotic but no more than many of the WWII and Korean War films that were made in the 1950's and 1960's. So when recently I had a chance to see the movie, (the first time in over 15 years) what I noticed was that it was actually a refreshing change to the, anti- American, soul searching, self-loathing anti Vietnam war movies made from the late 1970's onwards.

If the Green Berets was guilty of overdoing the nobility, and righteousness of the Vietnam War, the later movies only served to give comfort to the anti-war, self-indulgent Vietnam movement years later. Apocalypse now, the Deer hunter, Platoon, etc., (you know the ones) are just a few of the movies that ignored the barbarism of both the Viet Cong and Khamer rouge in indo-china, conveniently overlook the global political realities of the time as well as unfairly mock the military.

Years later, the Green Berets actually offer a different viewpoint. If one is to keep it into perspective it comes across quite well as it highlights how the US was welcomed in many parts of Vietnam and how indifferent the North Vietnamese were to their own people. The millions of people murdered in the communist controlled parts of Indo-china during and after the American withdrawal are well documented. Check the movie out