During the Korean War retreat in 1951, a small British recon group is surrounded by Chinese troops and holds out in a lonely temple atop a hill.During the Korean War retreat in 1951, a small British recon group is surrounded by Chinese troops and holds out in a lonely temple atop a hill.During the Korean War retreat in 1951, a small British recon group is surrounded by Chinese troops and holds out in a lonely temple atop a hill.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original name was "Hell in Korea", but was changed to "A Hill in Korea" for distribution reasons, except in the U.S.
- GoofsThe troop enter a (mostly deserted) Korean village, finding a couple of innocent peasants. One soldier breaks the door of a shack, which the 'peasants' had booby trapped. The entry of the soldier and subsequent explosion are a jump cut, with the edit visible between the two shots, as the light and shadows had moved between filming each shot.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Many Faces of...: Michael Caine (2011)
Featured review
The Bren and the Bulldog.
A Hill in Korea (AKA: Hell in Korea) is directed by Julian Amyes and adapted to screenplay by Anthony Squire, Ronald Spencer and Ian Dalrymple from the Max Catto novel. It stars George Baker, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Michael Medwin, Ronald Lewis, Stephen Boyd and Victor Maddern. Music is by Malcolm Arnold and cinematography by Freddie Francis.
Out of British Lion Films, film is based on real events. Story follows a small group of British soldiers serving in the Korean War, who while out on routine patrol find themselves boxed in on all sides by the Chinese army. Against the odds the men, from different walks of life, must stand together to stand any chance of survival.
A Hill in Korea is more concerned with the conflict amongst the group of soldiers than it is with the enemy. 16 men, 10 of which are National Service conscripts, laugh, bicker, get scared and stand tall in readiness for what fate has in store for them. The upper crust and the working class thrust together makes for potent character dynamics, and of course it's a time when heroes and villains are born. This is a place where men apologise for getting injured, where they are told to fire their weapon instead of making love to it! And a place from which we know some will not return...
One of the very first films to deal with British troops in Korea (if not the first?), it inevitably has a familiarity about it if you be someone who often indulges in the War genre. However, the traditional flavours make this very appetising and the screenplay isn't shy of intelligence. Be it "friendly fire" or monologues about the futility of it all, film doesn't cop out. It's also very funny, with some absolute zingers delivered with caustic obviousness. Then there's the roster of great British actors that fill out the cast, with even the likes of Michael Caine (a real life servant in Korea) and Robert Shaw in secondary support slots. While Amyes keeps his camera up close for impact and Francis tones down the lighting to keep things sombre.
Well worth seeking out by fans of Brit war movies. 7/10
Out of British Lion Films, film is based on real events. Story follows a small group of British soldiers serving in the Korean War, who while out on routine patrol find themselves boxed in on all sides by the Chinese army. Against the odds the men, from different walks of life, must stand together to stand any chance of survival.
A Hill in Korea is more concerned with the conflict amongst the group of soldiers than it is with the enemy. 16 men, 10 of which are National Service conscripts, laugh, bicker, get scared and stand tall in readiness for what fate has in store for them. The upper crust and the working class thrust together makes for potent character dynamics, and of course it's a time when heroes and villains are born. This is a place where men apologise for getting injured, where they are told to fire their weapon instead of making love to it! And a place from which we know some will not return...
One of the very first films to deal with British troops in Korea (if not the first?), it inevitably has a familiarity about it if you be someone who often indulges in the War genre. However, the traditional flavours make this very appetising and the screenplay isn't shy of intelligence. Be it "friendly fire" or monologues about the futility of it all, film doesn't cop out. It's also very funny, with some absolute zingers delivered with caustic obviousness. Then there's the roster of great British actors that fill out the cast, with even the likes of Michael Caine (a real life servant in Korea) and Robert Shaw in secondary support slots. While Amyes keeps his camera up close for impact and Francis tones down the lighting to keep things sombre.
Well worth seeking out by fans of Brit war movies. 7/10
helpful•114
- hitchcockthelegend
- Sep 29, 2013
- How long is Hell in Korea?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- An vorderster Front
- Filming locations
- Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(studio: made at Shepperton Studios. England.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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