Hell in Normandy (1968)

Plot:

American parachute commandos are sent to destroy a German flame thrower installation on Omaha Beach. Murphy is skeptical of his mission’s practicality, but Strobel is fanatically dedicated to destroying the base, and the two butt heads several times before the film’s bullet-ridden climax.

Hell in Normandy (1968) Review:

This was an Italian-French co-production, and was quite possibly shot in France – this is noticeable in the first few shots. For once, an Italian war films opens with the landscape actually looking like the country it represents. I can’t count the times I’ve seen semi-arid climates and rock quarries passed off for “southern France”, so Brescia’s choice of shooting locations earns him major points in my book. This ’60’s era Italian cinema factory “Spaghetti War Movie” has a preposterous plot full of historical inaccuracies, poorly chosen locations, cheap special effects, ham acting, corny badly dubbed dialogue, a sexy Italian actress and features Hollywood B movies star Guy Madiso. The movie looks just as real throughout – uniforms, weapons, vehicles and sets all look very authentic. Many Italian directors, such as Leon Klimovsky and Umberto Lenzi, disregarded accuracy in favor of action, and that damaged their credibility. Here, one can respect the time and money Brescia puts into making his film look credible.