The Red Beret
The Red Beret is a 1953 Technicolor British war film directed by Terence Young and starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen.
The Red Beret is the fictional story about an American who enlists in the British Parachute Regiment in 1940, claiming to be a Canadian. It was the first film made by Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli's Warwick Films, with many of the crew later working on various films for Warwick Films and Broccoli's Eon Productions. It is partly based on the 1950 non-fiction book with the same title written by Hilary Saint George Saunders, about the Parachute Regiment and its second operation, Operation Biting, in February 1942.
Plot
Steve MacKendrick, nicknamed "Canada" because he claims he is from the country, volunteers in 1940 for the British military's parachute training facility. He has much more experience and leadership skills than he admits. Canada tries to become better acquainted with a pretty parachute rigger named Penny Gardner. She is initially put off by his attitude, but they eventually start dating. Both Penny and his new commander, Major Snow, see potential in him, despite his strong efforts to avoid assuming any responsibility. Canada turns down Snow's offer to send him to officer school.After completing parachute school, Canada's unit goes on a raid on the German radar station at Bruneval. An RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant Box, accompanies the raiders to retrieve a key component to take back to Britain. The mission is a success, but Corporal Dawes, one of the men in Canada's outfit, hurts both his legs in the drop.
Back in Britain, after visiting Dawes, Canada is recognised by an American airman. He tells Penny that he resigned his commission from the USAAF after ordering his best friend and co-pilot to parachute out of their bomber when an experimental rocket got stuck. His friend was killed when his parachute did not open properly. Canada blamed himself and refuses any responsibility that might endanger anyone's life. When Snow confronts Canada with what he has learned, Canada wrongly assumes that Penny told what she learned, and he breaks up with her. However just before to boards his plane on his next mission, they exchange a smile suggesting they have made up.
The unit's next operation involves attacking and destroying an airfield at Bône during the invasion of North Africa. With Lt Col Snow wounded and the men trapped in a minefield, Canada must risk others to extricate the unit. One of his friends, Poleski, who is Polish, finds a Bazooka, so he decides to use it to blow a path though the minefield. Canada, the Pole and Taffy Evans use it to extricate their unit, while Snow and the rest of the men cover them. Although Snow and most of the men get out, the regimental sergeant major dies from the wounds he received when he entered the minefield. Afterward, Canada promises to think about the commission Snow offered him.
Cast
- Alan Ladd as Steve "Canada" McKendrick
- Leo Genn as Lt Col John Snow
- Susan Stephen as Penny Gardner
- Harry Andrews as R.S.M. Cameron
- Donald Houston as Taffy Evans
- Anthony Bushell as Major General Whiting
- Patric Doonan as Flash Gordon
- Stanley Baker as Sergeant Breton
- Lana Morris as "Pinky"
- Tim Turner as Rupert
- Michael Kelly as Corporal Dawes
- Anton Diffring as the Pole
- Thomas Heathcote as Alf
- Carl Duering as Rossi Stubbins
- John Boxer as Flight Sergeant Box
- Harry Locke as Medical Orderly
- Michael Balfour as American Sergeant
- Guido Lorraine as German officer
- Walter Gotell as German sentry
Production
The Red Beret was originally intended to be a co-production with RKO Pictures, but they and Warwick were unable to come to terms, so Warwick made a deal with Columbia instead.
Terence Young's original choice for the lead, former Second World War Para Richard Todd turned the role down as being "too far fetched". Ray Milland was also originally announced as landing the leading role.
Former agent Albert R. Broccoli knew that Alan Ladd was unhappy with Paramount due to a new contract for much less money. Broccoli met Ladd and his wife and agent Sue Carol who agreed to a three-picture contract with Warwick provided Ladd's scriptwriter Richard Maibaum was allowed to rewrite the screenplay for Ladd.
Although Ladd's most popular and critically acclaimed film, Shane, was filmed earlier. it was also released in 1953, making him a prime box office attraction. Ladd was paid US$200,000, first class travel and accommodations for himself, his wife, their four children and their nurse, and 10 per cent of the gross receipts over US$2,000,000 for his 11 weeks work filming The Red Beret.
Ladd wanted work done on the script and recommended Richard Maibaum, with whom he had worked several times while at Paramount. Warwick hired him and this began a long professional relationship between Broccoli and Maibaum. In addition to director Young and screenwriter Maibaum, camera operator Ted Moore and stuntman Bob Simmons worked extensively on future Warwick and Eon Productions films, as did actor Walter Gotell, who appeared as a German sentry. Johanna Harwood who worked on the continuity co-wrote the screenplays for the first two Bond films.
Although there was some public criticism of an American playing the lead in a British war film, British cinema owners responded that Hollywood stars filled their cinema seats, unlike most local actors. Ladd himself explained that his character had enlisted in the Parachute Regiment to learn from them. The Parachute Regiment provided extras, facilities and locations at the RAF Abingdon Parachute School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire and at Trawsfynydd, North Wales. Studio work took place at Shepperton.
The female lead was originally meant to be played by Dianne Foster but she was unable to make it due to a scheduling conflict. She was replaced by Susan Stephen.
Actor Leo Glen served in the British Army in World War Two, reaching the rank of Lt. Colonel. Alan Ladd was initially attached to the American Air Force Film Unit but was discharged due to stomach disorders. Subsequently he was classified as A1 but thanks to pressure from film studios, his draft was postponed and finally in 1945 was removed from the draft along with all men over 30.