The Red Beret
Directed by	Terence Young
Produced by	Irving Allen Albert R. Broccoli
Written by	Richard Maibaum Sy Bartlett Frank Nugent based on the book by Hillary St George Sanders
Starring	Alan Ladd Leo Genn
Music by	John Addison
Cinematography	John Wilcox
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	1953
Running time	88 min
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Red Beret is a 1953 British made war film concerning the Parachute Regiment. It is notable as the first film made by Warwick Films with many of the crew working on various Warwick Films and Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions. Terence Young in the 1960s Stewart Terence Herbert Young (June 20, 1915 – September 7, 1994) was a British film director, born in Shanghai, China, was public-school educated, and read Oriental History at St Catharines College in the University of Cambridge (like the fictional character James Bond - see below). ... Irving Allen (November 24, 1905 - December 17, 1987) was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 - January 4, 1991) was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his adaptations of Ian Flemings James Bond novels. ... Sy Bartlett was a U.S. author and screenwriter/producer of Hollywood films. ... Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American film actor. ... Leo John Genn (August 9, 1905 – January 26, 1978) was an English actor on stage and in films. ... John Addison (1920-1998) was a British composer. ... John Allen Wilcox (April 18, 1819 – February 7, 1864) was a politician from Texas who served in the United States House of Representatives in the early 1850s and then in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The war film is a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. ... The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... EON Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. ...

Plot summary

Alan Ladd is the focus of this story based on the wartime raid Operation Biting on the German radar station at Bruneval. The raid was a combined services operation with the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Brigade led by Major John Frost (Major Snow). An RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant C.W.H. Cox (Sergeant Box) accompanied the raiders to tell them what to take back to England. RAF photo-reconnaissance picture of the Bruneval Wuerzburg (the dish-shaped object in the left-foreground) The Bruneval Wuerzburg from another angle, showing the equipment in profile During World War II, Operation Biting was a Combined Operations raid to capture components of a German Wuerzburg radar set at Bruneval, France... John Frost is the name of several prominent men: John Frost (1784-1877), a British Chartist John Frost (1890-1937), an American artist John Frost (1912-1993), an officer with the British Army, made famous by his service during Operation Market Garden, where he served as a Lieutenant Colonel in...

Steve MacKendrick, now known as Canada, shows up in 1940 as a volunteer for paratroop school. He obviously has a good deal more background and leadership skills than he lets on. With Major Snow wounded, MacKendrick must assume command if his troop is to survive.

Cast

 Alan Ladd ... Canada Leo Genn ... Major Snow Susan Stephen ... Penny Gardner Harry Andrews ... R.S.M. Donald Houston ... Taffy Anthony Bushell ... General Whiting Patric Doonan ... Flash Stanley Baker ... Breton Lana Morris ... Pinky Tim Turner ... Rupert Michael Kelly ... Dawes Anton Diffring ... The Pole Thomas Heathcote ... Alf Carl Duering ... Rossi John Boxer ... Flight Sgt. Box 

Aspects of production

• Known as Paratrooper in the United States. It was Shown on the Military Channels Combat Classics.^[1]
• The Parachute Regiment provided extras, facilities, and locations at the RAF Abingdon Parachute School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire^[2] and at Trawsfynydd, North Wales.^[3]
• Terence Young's original choice for the lead, former World War II Para Richard Todd turned the role down as being too "far fetched". ^[4]
• Former agent Albert R. Broccoli knew that Ladd was unhappy with Paramount due to a new contract at much less money. Broccoli met Ladd and his wife and agent Sue Carol who agreed to a three picture contract with Warwick provided Ladd's scriptwriter Richard Maibaum was allowed to rewrite the screenplay for Ladd.^[5]
• Ladd was paid US$200,000, first class travel and accommodation for himself, his wife, their four children and their nurse, and 10 per cent of the gross receipts over US$2,000,000 for his eleven weeks work filming The Red Beret.^[6]
• Ladd's most popular and critically acclaimed film Shane though filmed earlier was also released in 1953 making him a prime box office attraction.
• Though there was some public criticism of an American playing the lead in a British War film, British cinema owners responded that Hollywood stars filled their cinema seats unlike most local actors. Ladd himself explained that his character had enlisted in the Parachute Regiment to learn from them.
• In addition to director Young and screenwriter Maibaum, camera operator Ted Moore and stuntman Bob Simmons who worked on the film worked extensively on future Warwick and Eon Productions films.
• The film cost US$700,000 to make and grossed US$8 million worldwide.^[7]

The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... , Abingdon (traditionally known as Abingdon-on-Thames) is a market town in Oxfordshire in Southern England. ... Trawsfynydd is a village in North Wales adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau. ... For Richard Todd the football player, see Richard Todd (football player) Richard Todd (born June 11, 1919) is a British actor. ... For the Yiddish girls name Shayna, sometimes spelt Shane, see Shayna Shane comes from the Northern Irish pronunciation of the early Anglicized form of the name Seán, which has a derivation similar to the English name John. ... Ted Moore (August 7, 1914 - 1987) was a cinematographer and camera operator for a number of Hollywood films, most famous for his work on a number of movies in the James Bond series. ... Robert Wilson Simmons (March 29, 1919 __ September 26, 1954), better known as Bob Simmons, was an early surfing pioneer, and considered to be the father of the modern surfboard. ...

References

External links

• The Red Beret at the Internet Movie Database