The Young Lions

"Irwin Shaw's monumental best-seller"

1958 2h 47m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 151

WarDramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The lives of three young men, a German and two Americans, during WWII.

“Irwin Shaw's monumental best-seller”

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Cast

Marlon Brando
Lt. Christian Diestl
Montgomery Clift
Noah Ackerman
Dean Martin
Michael Whiteacre
Hope Lange
Hope Plowman
Barbara Rush
Margaret Freemantle
May Britt
Gretchen Hardenberg
Maximilian Schell
Capt. Hardenberg
Dora Doll
Simone

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Writers: Edward Anhalt
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: 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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edward Dmytryk, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edward Dmytryk directs. Joseph MacDonald behind the camera. Hugo Friedhofer scores. Dorothy Spencer cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
368 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
5Directed by Edward Dmytryk, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Irwin Shaw's monumental best-seller".
10IMDB entry: tt0052415 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald
Original score: Hugo Friedhofer
Editing: Dorothy Spencer
Costume design: Adele Balkan
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 167 min · 2h 47m
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Young Lions (1958)

Also by

Edward Dmytryk

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-01-24
★ 8/10
Outstanding WW2 DRAMA (with Some Action) "The Young Lions" is a black & white 1958 WW2 drama featuring Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift. The film attempts to show the German, American and French sides of the war. Brando stars as a young German officer who becomes increasingly disillusioned with Hitler's regime and the world war he started. Meanwhile Martin plays a worldly Broadway musician who struggles with cowardice whereas Montgomery Clift's character is a poor, naive Jewish American who falls in love with with a winsome lass (Hope Lange) and fights the anti-semitic guys in his platoon. Marlon's performance illustrates why he's considered the greatest actor in cinema; he's just captivating. Most reviewers note that Brando's German storyline is more interesting than the two American story lines, which is true, but repeat viewings grant the viewer more appreciation for the latter. There are three stunning women featured in the picture: Barbara Rush, May Britt and Liliane Montevecchi. Rush is Martin's marriage-minded gal, who flirts with Brando early on; Britt plays the luscious sexpot wife of Brando's captain (Maximilian Schell); and Montevecchi performs as a French girl who initially insults Brando's character (because he's a German invader). It should be pointed out that "The Young Lions" is not a war action film, but rather a powerful war DRAMA. Yes, there's quite a bit of action (France, Northern Africa, etc.), but the emphasis is on the characters and their stories. The climax involves a horrified and utterly disillusioned Brando, leaving a strong impact. FINAL WORD: If you're looking for a mindless action flick this is not the one to see. This perhaps explains some of the less-than-stellar reviews. Yet, make no mistake, "The Young Lions" is without a doubt a WAR film. It's also a masterpiece of cinematic art, not to mention one of Brando's most mesmerizing performances. The film runs 2 hours, 47 minutes. GRADE A-

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