''Lost Command'' (aka ''Les Centurions'') is a 1966 American

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed and produced by Mark Robson and starring

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...

Michèle Morgan Michèle Morgan (; born Simone Renée Roussel; 29 February 1920 – 20 December 2016) was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered one of the greatest Fren ...

Maurice Ronet Maurice Ronet (; 13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer. Early life Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile ...

and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...

. It is based on the best-selling 1960 novel '' The Centurions'' by Jean Lartéguy. The film focuses on the story of French

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

s battling in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

and

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

Plot

In the final moments of the 1954

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the forces of the French Union and Viet Minh. The French began an operation to in ...

, a weakened French battalion awaits a last assault by communist

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...

troops. The battalion commander,

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

Lt. Col. Pierre-Noël Raspéguy (

), has called central headquarters for reinforcements. Headquarters sends only a single plane load of French paratroopers, under the command of Major de Clairefons. Despite Raspéguy's attempts to provide covering fire, the paratroopers are slaughtered as they land. Major de Clairefons is killed when his parachute drags him into a

minefield A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

. Raspéguy is enraged that General Melies (

Jean Servais Jean Servais (; 24 September 1910 – 17 February 1976) was a Belgian film and stage actor. He acted in many 20th century French cinema productions, from the 1930s through the early 1970s. He was married to actress Dominique Blanchar (1952 ...

) sent only one plane, and further believes that Melies intends to make him responsible for the entire debacle at Dien Bien Phu. The Việt Minh overrun the French, with the survivors captured and imprisoned. Among Raspéguy's friends are military historian Captain Phillipe Esclavier (

), Indochina-born Captain Boisfeures (

), surgeon Captain Dia ( Gordon Heath) and Lt. Ben Mahidi (

), an Algerian-born paratrooper who turns down a Việt Minh leader's ( Burt Kwouk) offer for preferential treatment because he is an Arab. Raspéguy's leadership keeps the men together in their captivity. When released after a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

between the Việt Minh and France, Raspéguy leads his men in demolishing a delousing station that they see as a humiliation. Upon his return home to Algeria, Ben Mahidi is disgusted at the treatment of his people, especially when his teenaged brother is machine gunned by the police for painting graffiti in support of independence from France. He deserts from the army to join the rebels of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), becoming a guerrilla leader. Upon his own return from Indochina, Lt. Col. Raspéguy starts a relationship with

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Nathalie de Clairefons (

), widow of the Major who died while trying to reinforce Raspéguy's battalion. The Countess' military contacts result in Raspéguy being given command of the new 10th Regiment of Parachutistes Coloniaux, serving under General Melies in the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

. The General briefs him that the command is his last chance in the military: if his Regiment fails, Raspéguy's career is finished. Raspéguy recruits his comrades-in-arms from Indochina and trains his battalion with harsh methods, such as using live ammunition on an

assault course An assault course (also called a confidence course or obstacle course) is a trail (or course) that combines running and exercising. It is often used in military training. The prime use is to evaluate progress and weaknesses of the individual or ...

to encourage speed and initiative. Soon after beginning

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

operations in both urban and rural environments, Esclavier falls in love with Mahidi's sister Aicha (

), who is loyal to the FLN and uses her friendship with Esclavier to smuggle explosive detonators. The previously naive Esclavier begins to have a new view of his nation's conduct as the FLN rebels and French paratroopers try to outdo each other in breaking the rules of war. Raspéguy eventually turns on his old comrades who have become too sympathetic to the FLN. Referred to as General, but still wearing Lt. Col. ranks, Raspéguy's last scene shows him receiving a medal while his Regiment is presented with a unit citation. Outside the compound where this is happening Esclavier, who has left the army in disgust, laughs when he sees a child painting a pro-independence slogan on the wall.

Cast

as Lieut. Col. Pierre-Noël Raspéguy *

as Captain Phillipe Esclavier *

as Captain Julien Boisfeuras *

as Lt. Ben Mahidi *

as Countess Natalie de Clairefons (as Michele Morgan) *

as Aicha Mahidi *

Grégoire Aslan Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian (); 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician. Early life He was born to an Armenian family in Switzerland or in Constantinople, according to different sources. He m ...

as Doctor Ali Ben Saad (as Gregorie Asian) *

as General Melies * Maurice Sarfati as Merle * Jean-Claude Bercq as Orsini * Syl Lamont (voice:

Robert Rietti Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Herbert Rietti; sometimes Rietty, 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015) was an English actor, translator, playwright, and Dubbing, dubbing director. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in t ...

) as Verte *

Jacques Marin Jacques Marin (9 September 1919 – 10 January 2001) was a French actor on film and television. Marin's fluency in English and his instantly recognisable features made him a familiar face in some major American and British productions ('' Ch ...

as Mayor * Jean-Paul Moulinot as DeGuyot (as Jean Paul Moulinot) * Andrés Monreal as Ahmed (as Andres Monreal) * Gordon Heath as Dia * Albert Simono as Sapinsky (as Simono) * René Havard as Fernand (as Rene Havard) *

Armand Mestral Armand Mestral (born ''Armand Serge Zelikson''; 25 November 1917 - 17 September 2000) was a French actor and singer. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1945 to 1992. Filmography References External links * 1917 births 2000 d ...

as Administration Officer * Burt Kwouk as Viet Officer * Al Mulock as Mugnier * Marie Burke as Madame Raspeguy * Aldo Sambrell as Ibrahim (as Aldo Sanbrell) * George Rigaud as Priest (as Jorge Rigaud) * Roberto Robles as Manuel * Emilio Carrer as Father Mahidi * Carmen Tarrazo as Mother Mahidi * Howard Hagan as Pilot * Mario De Barros as Geoffrin * Walter Kelley as Major M.P. (as Walter Kelly) * Robert Sutton as Yusseff * Simon Benzakein as Arab Customer * Héctor Quiroga as Bakhti (as Hector Quiroga) *

Félix de Pomés Félix de Pomés (5 February 1892 – 17 July 1969) was a Spanish Association football, footballer, Fencing (sport), fencer and film actor. In football, he represented Catalonia national football team, Catalonia Nine Hours to Rama ''Nine Hours to Rama'' is a1963 British-American neo noir crime film directed by Mark Robson (film director), Mark Robson that follows a fictionalised Nathuram Godse in the hours before he Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated the India ...

'' for Robson.

Casting

Robson reportedly held off making the film for a year so he could get Anthony Quinn for the lead. Quinn's character is loosely based on

Marcel Bigeard Marcel Bigeard (; February 14, 1916 – June 18, 2010), personal radio call-sign "Bruno", was a French military officer and politician who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War. He was one of the commanders in the ...

, the actual commander in French Indochina, who led the unit that was the predecessor to the 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion). Bigeard later commanded the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment in French Algeria.

Filming

The film was shot on location in Spain.

Technical support Technical support, commonly shortened as tech support, is a customer service provided to customers to resolve issues, commonly with consumer electronics. This is commonly provided via call centers, online chat and email. Many companies provid ...

was provided by Commandant René Lepage, who had served in the

6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment () is an airborne infantry unit of the French Army. Outline history since 1951 * May 16, 1948: creation at Quimper of the 6th Colonial Parachute Commando Battalion (6e BCCP). * October 1, 1950: becam ...

of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

Release

Despite the novel's success, the release of another film called ''The Centurians'' led to the film's title being changed. At one stage it was going to be ''From Indo-China to the Gates of Algiers'' then ''Not For Honor and Glory'' before it was decided to use ''Lost Command''. It premièred in the United States in May 1966. It was released in France a few months later.

Box Office

The film was not particularly popular in the US, earning rentals of $1,150,000. It was the fifth most popular movie at the French box office in 1966, after ''

La Grande Vadrouille ''La Grande Vadrouille'' (; ), originally released in the United Kingdom as ''Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!'', is a 1966 French-British comedy film directed by Gérard Oury about French civilians who, in 1942, help the crew of a Royal Ai ...

'', '' Dr Zhivago'', '' Is Paris Burning?'' and ''

A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (, (''For a Fistful of Dollars'')) is a 1964 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Si ...

''.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described it as mundane concluding it "is all too reminiscent, except for the labels of name, time and place of the many standard war films that have preceded ''Lost Command''."

Sequel

In 1963 Robson bought the rights to Larteguy's ''The Praetorians'', a follow-up to ''The Centurions''. The film was never made.

Notes

;Citations

External links

* * * * original film trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFoyHHpw_c {{Mark Robson 1966 films Films directed by Mark Robson American war drama films 1966 drama films 1966 war films American political drama films Algerian War films First Indochina War films Cold War films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films based on French novels Films set in the French colonial empire Films set in French Indochina Films set in Algeria Films set in 1954 Columbia Pictures films Films shot in Almería 1960s English-language films 1960s American films Battle of Algiers (1956–1957) English-language war drama films 1960s war drama films