The Sergeant (1968 film)

The Sergeant
The Sergeant
Directed by	John Flynn
Screenplay by	Dennis Murphy
Based on	The Sergeant; (1958 novel); by Dennis Murphy
Produced by	Robert Wise; Richard Goldstone
Starring	Rod Steiger; John Phillip Law; Ludmila Mikaël
Cinematography	Henri Persin
Edited by	Françoise Diot
Music by	Michel Magne
Distributed by	Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Release date	December 25, 1968;
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.2 million (US/ Canada rentals)

The Sergeant is a 1968 American drama film directed by John Flynn and starring Rod Steiger and John Phillip Law. It was released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.^[2]

Plot[]

A dedicated, decorated war veteran, Master Sergeant Callan, is posted in France at a fuel supply depot in 1952. Finding a lack of discipline under the frequently drunk Capt. Loring, he takes charge in a tough, no-nonsense manner.

But distracting the sergeant is a physical attraction to one of his men, Private First Class Thomas Swanson, that seems at odds with everything in Callan's personality. He makes Swanson his orderly and befriends him socially, but behind his back scares off Solange, the private's girlfriend.

Callan's confusion and depression grows and he begins to drink. Unable to resist the urge, the sergeant attempts to kiss Swanson and is violently warded off. He turns up for morning formation hungover and Loring relieves him of duty. Callan goes off to a nearby woods alone, rifle in hand, and commits suicide.

Cast[]

Rod Steiger as MSgt. Albert Callan
John Phillip Law as Pfc. Tom Swanson
Ludmila Mikaël as Solange
Frank Latimore as Capt. Loring
Elliott Sullivan as Pop Henneken

Production[]

In 1966, Robert Wise set up a company to produce low-budget films that others would direct. He optioned Dennis Murphy's novel The Sergeant and hired his former assistant, John Flynn, to direct. Flynn says Simon Oakland badly wanted to play the lead, but so did Rod Steiger, who was in much demand at the time, and Steiger played it for less than his usual fee.^[3]

Reception[]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 20% approval rank based on 5 reviews.^[4]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called The Sergeant a "worth seeing [film]", adding to it that "even when you're running ahead of it, anticipating its crises and climaxes as if they were stops on the BMT".^[2]

Legacy[]

The film was excerpted in the documentary film The Celluloid Closet (1996).

References[]

^ "Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, January 7, 1970 p. 15.
^ ^a ^b Canby, Vincent (December 26, 1968). "Screen: Confused Self-Discovery in 'The Sergeant'". The New York Times.
^ Harvey F. Chartrand (2005). "Interview with John Flynn". Shock Cinema. pp. 26–29+46.
^ "The Sergeant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

External links[]

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[1] "Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, January 7, 1970 p. 15.

[NYT-2] Canby, Vincent (December 26, 1968). "Screen: Confused Self-Discovery in 'The Sergeant'". The New York Times.

[3] Harvey F. Chartrand (2005). "Interview with John Flynn". Shock Cinema. pp. 26–29+46.

[4] "The Sergeant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

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