Bitter Victory

Released Jan 17, 1958

1h 42m

War

List

74%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

British Capt. Leith (Richard Burton) knows the Libyan Desert like the back of his hand, but Maj. Brand (Curt Jurgens), who's unfamiliar with the terrain, is chosen to lead a campaign through the area because of his prestigious military credentials. During the mission, tensions build between Leith and Brand, and the latter reveals himself to be a poor fit for the dangerous operation. The power struggle between the officers is only intensified when Brand learns that his wife once loved Leith.

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Audience Member

Not much of a WW2 movie, this is more about the escape after the event across a desert and the rivalry of two men who love the same woman. Some pretty poor acting at times, its just about watchable but nothing special.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

ashley h

Bitter Victory is a decent film. It is about a commander who receives a citation for an attack on General Erwin Rommel's headquarters. Richard Burton and Ruth Roman give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow. Nicholas Ray did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

s r

Started slow, but got much better and morally twisted as things went on.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Burton was never better. A largely peaceful war movie. In this age of drone warfare, Leith'd disdain for Brand's fear of close combat is especially relevant. (But Leith in shooting the German prisoner broke the rules, he admits.) Jurgens as ever gives a wonderful performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

good WWII drama post WWII

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

walter m

In "Bitter Victory," General Paterson(Anthony Bushell) is in a bit of a pickle with a sudden dangerous mission to steal documents behind enemy lines in Benghazi requiring recruits. Major Brand(Curt Jurgens) is an obvious choice, especially considering his experience. Even though Captain Leith(Richard Burton) is very familiar with Libya, Paterson has doubts about him, especially about his being an intellectual...and Welsh. But that doesn't mean Brand and Leith have nothing in common, like say Brand's wife Jane(Ruth Roman). "Bitter Victory" is an offbeat war movie with some interesting casting(Jurgens playing a hero on dry land while Richard Burton is not yet Richard Burton) and very good use of location photography being the main points of interest. While Brand and Leith are outsiders(yes, I know Brand is a white South African but that's a conversation for another time), the movie attempts a psychological portrait of war. The fact that it takes the most cliched approach possible(of all the suicide missions in this war, you had to choose this one...) including a shaky resolution is a huge shame and lost opportunity.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Nicholas Ray

Director

Richard Burton

Capt. Leith

Curd Jürgens

Maj. David Brand

Ruth Roman

Jane Brand

Raymond Pellegrin

Mekrane

Anthony Bushell

Gen. R.S. Patterson

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Nicholas Ray's direction of black-and-white CinemaScope, that freak child of the 50s, is consistently brilliant in this raw, confused masterpiece.

Oct 23, 2007

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Contemplating the dangerous games men play with macho self-images, this survives as one of Ray's greatest works.

Oct 23, 2007

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Fine thesping by Richard Burton leads a series of top performances by other members of large cast.

Oct 23, 2007

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Ray's French co-production betrays a certain sloppiness, pretty much start to finish. “Bitter Victory” predates the golden age of “military advisors,” and bears little resemblence to the better combat films of the era.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 14, 2023

Full Review

André Bazin

L'Obs (France)

With all its faults, this disappointing film is still a beautiful piece of work, if only on account of its subject or thesis, and also because its director could not be anyone other than himself.

Dec 8, 2021

Full Review

Jean-Luc Godard

Cahiers du Cinéma

Bitter Victory is not a reflection of life, it is life itself turned into film, seen from behind the mirror where the cinema intercepts it... It is not cinema, it is more than cinema.

Feb 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

British Capt. Leith (Richard Burton) knows the Libyan Desert like the back of his hand, but Maj. Brand (Curt Jurgens), who's unfamiliar with the terrain, is chosen to lead a campaign through the area because of his prestigious military credentials. During the mission, tensions build between Leith and Brand, and the latter reveals himself to be a poor fit for the dangerous operation. The power struggle between the officers is only intensified when Brand learns that his wife once loved Leith.

Director: Nicholas Ray
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 1958, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 42m

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