The Hill

"They went up like men! They came down like animals!"

1965 2h 3m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 266

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

North Africa, World War II. British soldiers on the brink of collapse push beyond endurance to struggle up a brutal incline. It's not a military objective. It's The Hill, a manmade instrument of torture, a tower of sand seared by a white-hot sun. And the troops' tormentors are not the enemy, but their own comrades-at-arms.

“They went up like men! They came down like animals!”

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Cast

Sean Connery
Joe Roberts
Harry Andrews
R.S.M. Wilson
Ian Bannen
Harris
Alfred Lynch
George Stevens
Ossie Davis
Jacko King
Roy Kinnear
Monty Bartlett
Jack Watson
Jock McGrath
Ian Hendry
Staff Sergeant Williams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Ray Rigby
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

61 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by Oswald Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thelma Connell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sean Connery and Harry Andrews and Ian Bannen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They went up like men! They came down like animals!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0059274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney Lumet directs. Oswald Morris behind the camera. Thelma Connell cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

161 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by Oswald Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Thelma Connell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sean Connery and Harry Andrews and Ian Bannen carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They went up like men! They came down like animals!".
7IMDB entry: tt0059274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 23 themes, including "prison", "libya", "sadism", "africa".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Editing: Thelma Connell
Makeup / hair: George Partleton
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Hill (1965)

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Sidney Lumet

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-11-15
★ 9/10
You're a clever bag of tricks, you are, Roberts. Hot and sweaty, bold and brutal, Sidney Lumet's The Hill is a tour de force of incarceration based cinema. Story has five new inmates sent to a North African based British Army Prison, the centre piece of which is a manufactured hill that is used as a punishment tool. The new recruits, headed by Joe Roberts (Sean Connery), quickly fall foul of the superiors, especially the venomous Staff Sergeant Williams (Ian Hendry), but these boys wont take it lying down... With no music and Oswald Morris' monochrome photography ensuring atmosphere is perpetually claustrophobic, the harsh edges of the story strike hard. Be it overt bullying by those in charge - pushing men evidently too far - or racism, Lumet melds everything together superbly for harsh viewing experience, tightening the screws every quarter of film. Come the shattering conclusion it's a merciful release for the viewers, a chance to start breathing properly again, even if your mind is ablaze with a number of thoughts. This is very much an actors picture, which seems a given since it's adapted by Ray Rigby from his own play, but a mightily strong cast do sterling work with the tinderbox screenplay. Ossie Davis, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Roy Kinnear, Alfred Lynch and Michael Redgrave fill out the other key roles, each giving their characters vivid depth without resorting to histrionics and scenery chewing. Which of course is a testament to Lumet's skills as a director of actors. Slow burning intensity bristles with the corrosive nature of machismo fuelled authority, an unforgettable film and highly recommended to those who have not sampled it yet. 9/10

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