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

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

directed and produced by Mark Robson and starring

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

, Alain Delon,

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 ...

Michèle Morgan Michèle Morgan (; née 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 to have been one of the g ...

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 Rob ...

and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

. It is based on the best-selling 1960 novel '' The Centurions'' by

Jean Lartéguy Jean Lartéguy (5 September 1920 in Maisons-Alfort – 23 February 2011) was the pen name of Jean Pierre Lucien Osty, a French writer, journalist, and former soldier. Larteguy is credited with first envisioning the "ticking time bomb" scenar ...

. The film focuses on the story of French

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Wor ...

s battling in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

and

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

Plot

In the final moments of the 1954

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch 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 ...

, a weakened French battalion awaits a last assault by communist

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fr ...

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 c ...

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 is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

. Raspéguy is enraged that General Melies ( Jean Servais) 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 ( Alain Delon), 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 Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the '' Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army M ...

) 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 actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

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,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. 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 to encourage speed and initiative. Cuartel del Conde-Duque (Madrid) 02

Soon after beginning

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) 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 activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

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 Raspéguy * Alain Delon as Captain Phillipe Esclavier *

as Captain Julien Boisfeuras *

as Lt. 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 Krikor Kaloust Aslanian ( hy, Գրիգոր Գալուստի Ասլանյան) was born in Switzerland or in Co ...

as Doctor Ali Ben Saad (as Gregorie Asian) * Jean Servais as General Melies * Maurice Sarfati as Merle * Jean-Claude Bercq as Orsini * Syl Lamont (voice:

Robert Rietti Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Rietti; 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015), was an actor, and Oscar-nominated director of Anglo-Italian descent. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in the American, British and Ita ...

) 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 ('' C ...

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 as Administration Officer *

as Viet Officer *

Al Mulock Alfred Mulock Rogers (June 30, 1926 – May 1968), better known as Al Mulock or Al Mulloch, was a Canadian character actor. Early life Alfred Mulock Rogers was born on June 30, 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the only child of Adèle ...

as Mugnier * Marie Burke as Madame Raspeguy *

Aldo Sambrell Alfredo Sánchez Brell (23 February 1931 – 10 July 2010), known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish actor, director, and producer who appeared in over 150 films between 1961 and 1996. Biography Sambrell was born in Vallecas, Madrid, on 23 Feb ...

as Ibrahim (as Aldo Sanbrell) *

George Rigaud Pedro Jorge Rigato Delissetche,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 footballer, fencer and film actor.Nine Hours to Rama ''Nine Hours to Rama'' is 1963 British-American neo noir crime film directed by Mark Robson, that follows a fictionalised Nathuram Godse in the hours before he assassinated the Indian independence leader, Gandhi, and police attempts to preven ...

'' 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 Ba ...

, 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 (abbreviated as tech support) is a call centre type customer service provided by companies to advise and assist registered users with issues concerning their technical products. Traditionally done on the phone, technical support ...

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

6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 6e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 6e RPIMa ) is an airborne infantry unit of the French Army. Creation and different nominations since 1951 * May 16, 1948: creation a ...

of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

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. However, it was the fifth most popular movie at the French box office in 1966, after '' La Grande Vadrouille'', '' Dr Zhivago'', '' Is Paris Burning?'' and ''

A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, ...

''.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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 also bought the rights to Larteguy's ''The Praetorians'', a follow up to ''The Centurions''; however, 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 Cold War films First Indochina War films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films based on French novels Films set in the French colonial empire Columbia Pictures films Films shot in Almería 1960s English-language films 1960s American films