The Long and the Short and the Tall
Seen it?1961 | 110 min | War, Comedy, Drama
Weeknight Watchearly ratingWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With soft box office and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Right up the alley of people who'll be humming afterwards and history and war-film fans. The music is woven into the story, not just laid on top. A good follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front or The Guns of Navarone. It puts you in the middle of the fighting, and doesn't let you forget the cost.
- The mood
- Funny with heart, intense.
- The pace
- Character-first and patient, at 1 hr 50 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1961: an older pace and style.
- Skip it if you're after something serious tonight.
Based on a play by Willis Hall. A troop of British soldiers are out in the jungle to record jungle noises and troop noises in the jungle so that the recordings can be played back by other troops to divert the enemy to their whereabouts. As they progress to what they think is closer to the base camp they find themselves farther and farther from radio range until the only channel they can get clearly is that of a Japanese broadcast. They now realize they are probably only 10 to 15 miles from a Japanese camp! The tension is added to by rowdy and openly admitted "non-hero" Private Bamforth who has nothing good to say about anyone and especially Corporal Johnstone (who holds an equal dislike for Bamforth). When a Japanese soldier is taken as their prisoner, the true colours of each man comes to the surface
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 12K people sought it out in the past year
More like this
All Quiet on the Western Front
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Gettysburg
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Paths of Glory Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed military war drama.
Shoulder Arms Weeknight WatchAnother war comedy, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Leslie Norman
- Laurence HarveyPvt. 'Bammo' Bamforth
- Richard ToddSgt. 'Mitch' Mitchem
- Richard HarrisCpl. Johnstone
- David McCallumPvt. Sammy Whitaker
- Ronald FraserL / Cpl. Macleish
- John MeillonPte. Smith
- John ReesPte. Evans
- Kenji TakakiTojo