From Hell To Victory (1979)

As the ominous clouds of war hover over 1939 Paris, a group of friends enjoying each other's company at a cafe promise to meet at the same cafe after the war is over. They include two Americans (George Peppard, Sam Wanamaker), a Frenchman (George Hamilton), a German (Horst Buchholz), an Englishman (Jean Pierre Cassel) and a French girl (Anny Duperey). But the devastation and horror of WWII ensures that not all of them will survive it. Directed by Umberto Lenzi, this Italian/French co-production is hampered by cramming in all of WWII into a two hour time period. What we get seems like sketches rather than a fully detailed narrative and it all seems so rushed. With one exception, the performances are decent. The exception is George Hamilton whose French accent is poor and he's not convincing as a rough and tough solider. My viewing was compromised. The movie was shot in a wide screen 2.35 scope format but the print I saw was cropped to 1.85 thus giving a cramped look to the visuals. In spite of that, I quite enjoyed it. The score is by Riz Ortolani. With Capucine (very good as the widow of a Jew which the Nazis use against her), Raymond Lovelock, Andre Lawrence and May Heatherly.