A Hill in Korea is a
1956The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* August 4 - The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.* November 15 - Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens....
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
war filmWar films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
. The original name was
Hell in Korea, but was changed for distribution reasons. It was directed by Julian Amyes and the producer was Anthony Squire. Incidental music was written by
Malcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Benjamin Britten and William Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
. In the U.S. the film was titled
Hell in Korea.
It was the first major feature film to portray British troops in action during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
and introduces
Michael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English film actor. Caine has appeared in more than 100 films, and is one of only two actors to have been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960s Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.; 14 March 1933) is an...
in his first credited film role.
- George Baker
- Personal life :His father was an Irish diplomat and he attended Lancing College, Sussex; he then appeared as an actor in repertory theatre and at the Old Vic.George Baker also famously dated Brigitte Bardot....
as Lieutenant Butler
- Harry Andrews
Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
as Sergeant Payne
- Stanley Baker
Sir Stanley Baker was a Welsh actor and film producer.-Early career:He was born William Stanley Baker in Ferndale, Rhondda Valley, Wales...
as Corporal Ryker
- Robert Shaw
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting, From Russia with Love, A Man for All Seasons, the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , and in particular, Jaws, where he played the working-class fisherman Quint.-Early...
as Lance Corporal Hodge
- Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd , born William Millar, was an Irish-born actor from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in the 1959 film Ben-Hur.-Biography:...
as Private Sims
- Michael Medwin
Michael Hugh Medwin OBE is an English actor and film producer.Born in London, he was educated at Canford School, Dorset and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland...
as Private Docker
- Ronald Lewis
Ronald Lewis , was a Welsh actor, best known for his appearances in British films of the 1950s and 1960s....
as Private Wyatt
- Victor Maddern
Victor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Maddern, born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as Private Lindop
- Percy Herbert
Percy Herbert was a British character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
as Private Moon
- Robert Brown
Robert James Brown was an English actor known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond movies, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981....
as Private O'Brien
- Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English film actor. Caine has appeared in more than 100 films, and is one of only two actors to have been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960s Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.; 14 March 1933) is an...
as Private Lockyear
- Harry Landis
Harry Landis is a British actor. He has had a long career in British television and film and is known for playing cockney-Jewish roles....
as Private Rabin
The film is set during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
.
A Hill in Korea is a
1956The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* August 4 - The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.* November 15 - Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens....
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
war filmWar films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
. The original name was
Hell in Korea, but was changed for distribution reasons. It was directed by Julian Amyes and the producer was Anthony Squire. Incidental music was written by
Malcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Benjamin Britten and William Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
. In the U.S. the film was titled
Hell in Korea.
It was the first major feature film to portray British troops in action during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
and introduces
Michael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English film actor. Caine has appeared in more than 100 films, and is one of only two actors to have been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960s Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.; 14 March 1933) is an...
in his first credited film role.
Cast
- George Baker
- Personal life :His father was an Irish diplomat and he attended Lancing College, Sussex; he then appeared as an actor in repertory theatre and at the Old Vic.George Baker also famously dated Brigitte Bardot....
as Lieutenant Butler
- Harry Andrews
Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
as Sergeant Payne
- Stanley Baker
Sir Stanley Baker was a Welsh actor and film producer.-Early career:He was born William Stanley Baker in Ferndale, Rhondda Valley, Wales...
as Corporal Ryker
- Robert Shaw
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting, From Russia with Love, A Man for All Seasons, the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , and in particular, Jaws, where he played the working-class fisherman Quint.-Early...
as Lance Corporal Hodge
- Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd , born William Millar, was an Irish-born actor from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in the 1959 film Ben-Hur.-Biography:...
as Private Sims
- Michael Medwin
Michael Hugh Medwin OBE is an English actor and film producer.Born in London, he was educated at Canford School, Dorset and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland...
as Private Docker
- Ronald Lewis
Ronald Lewis , was a Welsh actor, best known for his appearances in British films of the 1950s and 1960s....
as Private Wyatt
- Victor Maddern
Victor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Maddern, born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as Private Lindop
- Percy Herbert
Percy Herbert was a British character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
as Private Moon
- Robert Brown
Robert James Brown was an English actor known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond movies, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981....
as Private O'Brien
- Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English film actor. Caine has appeared in more than 100 films, and is one of only two actors to have been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960s Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.; 14 March 1933) is an...
as Private Lockyear
- Harry Landis
Harry Landis is a British actor. He has had a long career in British television and film and is known for playing cockney-Jewish roles....
as Private Rabin
Plot
The film is set during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
. During the retreat of 1951, a small force of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
soldiers is in danger of being cut-off by the advancing
ChineseThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
army. The plot emphasizes the plight of the
National ServiceNational service is a common name for mandatory or voluntary government service programs . National service was common in the 20th century, and many young people spent one or more years in such programs...
men who, as they say, were "old enough to fight, but too young to vote"
The film also depicts a 'friendly-fire' incident in which the British are bombed by the
AmericansThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The film opens with a
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
patrol led by Lt. Butler in Korea, in the patrol is tough veteran Sergeant Payne, a slightly psychotic Corporal Ryker and the cowardly signaller Wyatt. As they approach and search a small village one of the party is victim to bomb planted in a small shack, with the death of one of his men Butler moves the patrol out of the village. Out in the open plain, Butler and Payne discover a large force of Chinese soldiers heading directly for them. Sending Payne and the patrol back towards their own lines, Butler and three of his patrol stay behind and cover the withdrawal. After fending off two attacks Butler discovers Lance Corporal Hodge is dead, down to three they bury Hodge as Payne returns with the patrol informing Butler that they were cut off by other enemy forces.
The Patrol turn and head through the village, and up a winding path towards an isolated temple located on a hill with only a steep cliff to its rear. On their journey Wyatt throws away the only radio because he couldn't be bothered to carry it up the hill, then they run into an enemy patrol on the path. They ambush the Chinese and continue up to the temple. With the Chinese knowing now exactly where they are, Butler must keep his troops together and fend off the masses of enemy waves attacking the temple.