Commando (1962 film)

Marcia o Crepa (March or Die), known as The Legion's Last Patrol in the UK and Commando in the US, is a 1962 European (Italian, German, Spanish) co-production war film about the Algerian War of Independence.

It was released in 1964 in the US by American International Pictures on a double feature with Torpedo Bay/Beta Som.

In the UK this film was shown at Odeon cinemas as part of a double feature with The Day of the Triffids.

Plot
French Foreign Legion Captain Le Blanc (Stewart Granger) leads a section of his Legion parachutists to capture an FLN guerrilla leader. Along the way they are joined by a prostitute (Dorian Gray) and an Arab child. Their mission is a success but when their escape helicopter is shot down they have to fight their way back to the French lines.

Cast

 * Stewart Granger : capitaine Leblanc
 * Dorian Gray : Nora
 * Fausto Tozzi : Brascia
 * Riccardo Garrone : Paolo
 * Carlos Casaravilla : Ben Bled
 * Ivo Garrani : Colonel Dionne
 * Alfredo Mayo : 	Mayor
 * Pablito Alonso : 	Arab Kid
 * Hans von Borsody : Fritz
 * Maurizio Arena : 	Dolce Vita
 * Dietmar Schönherr : 	Petit Prince
 * Peter Carsten : 	Barbarossa
 * Leo Anchóriz : 	Garcia

Production
The theme music Concerto Disperato by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino became a top selling instrumental in Italy performed by Nini Rosso and in the UK with a cover version by Ken Thorne reaching No. 4.

Reception
The Los Angeles Times called it "mediocre, its timely subject matter reduced to the level of a formula Western."

The Monthly Film Bulletin said "despite up-to-date dressing this is basically a schoolboy adventure story, though somewhat grimly executed... the narrative owes more to war movies than P.C. Wren, being a variation on the old idea of the gradual decimation of a patrol. Still, the film is an example of action all the way, apart from the gratuitously ironic ending which, though tart, comes as a decided anti-climax."