317th Platoon, The (DVD)

Newly Restored and Remastered! 1954. The dying days of the French war in Indochina. As the battle of Diên Biên Phu rages, the 317th platoon of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps is ordered to destroy their base and evacuate. The French and Laotian soldiers must brave the Cambodian jungle on foot to reach the safety of French-held Tao Tsai, hoping to get there before the town falls. The men are optimistic as they set out. But what should be a 48 -hour trek goes wrong almost from the start. After running into a Viet Minh supply base, the 317th platoon takes casualties. Their rookie leader, the idealistic sub-lieutenant Torrens (Jacques Perrin), has spent 18 days in Indochina and insists on carrying the wounded. He clashes with his adjutant, Willsdorf (Βruno Cremer), a jaded Wehrmacht veteran of the Russian campaign. A harrowing week-long journey follows, through the mountains and across rivers, as the men vainly hope to be saved by air support. Directed by Oscar®-winner Pierre Schoendoerffer, and based on his novel of the same name, THE 317th PLATOON captures the terror and chaos of the last days of the French war in Indochina. This is a classic war film that influenced later American cinema in Vietnam.