| The Dirty Dozen | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Frank McCarthy | |
| Directed by | Robert Aldrich |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | The Dirty Dozen 1965 novel by E. M. Nathanson |
| Produced by | Kenneth Hyman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
| Edited by | Michael Luciano |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
Production company | Kenneth Hyman Production |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 150 minutes |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom |
| Languages |
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| Budget | $5.4 million[1] |
| Box office | $45.3 million[2] |
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin, with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker and Robert Webber. Set in 1944 during World War II, the film follows the titular penal military unit of twelve convicts as they are trained as commandos by the Allies for a suicide mission ahead of the Normandy landings.
The Dirty Dozen was filmed in England at MGM-British Studios and released by MGM. The screenplay is based on the 1965 bestseller of the same name by E. M. Nathanson, which itself was inspired by a real-life WWII unit of behind-the-lines demolition specialists from the 101st Airborne Division named the "Filthy Thirteen". Another possible inspiration was the public offer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt by 44 prisoners serving life sentences at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary to serve in the Pacific War on suicide missions against the Japanese.[3]
The film was a box office success and won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968. In 2001, the American Film Institute placed it at number 65 on their 100 Years... 100 Thrills list. The film spawned a few television film sequels in the 1980s: The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission in 1985, The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission in 1987, and The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission in 1988. A remake was announced in 2019 by Warner Bros.
- ^ Silver, Alain; Ursini, James (1995). Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?. Hal Leonard. p. 269. ISBN 978-0879101855. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "The Dirty Dozen, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "44 Life-Termers Ask to Fight Japs as Suicide Squad" (PDF). PM, May 3, 1942