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Aldo Ray, Cliff Robertson, Raymond Massey, Barbara Nichols, William Campbell ... see more see more... , Richard Jaeckel , James Best , Joey Bishop , Jerry Paris , Robert Gist , L.Q. Jones , Casey Adams , Ed McNally , Greg Roman , Henry Amargo , John Beradino , Lili St. Cyr

Despite an ad campaign wherein RKO Radio congratulated itself for its "guts", this long-delayed film version of Norman Mailer's bestselling WW2 novel The Naked and the Dead still had to pull most of i... read more read more...ts punches (especially when it came to four-letter words). Aldo Ray heads the cast as sadistic sergeant Croft, who'd as soon kill one of his own men as he would the Japanese. Sensitive, moralistic Lieutenant Hearn (Cliff Robertson) tries to put a leash on Croft, but he's ordered to keep out of the situation by psychotic General Cummings (Raymond Massey), who is convinced that soldiers will fight harder the more they hate their superiors. The film wavers uncomfortably between excessive violence and excessive moralizing, with time out for a few ill-conceived slapstick setpieces (including an outsized barroom brawl) and romantic interludes with such zaftig beauties as stripteaser Lili (Lili St. Cyr) and good-time girl Mildred (Barbara Nichols). In one of his first film appearances, comedian Joey Bishop plays Pvt. Roth, whose reaction to Sgt. Croft's relentless anti-semitism culminates in a spectacular death scene. Distribution of The Naked and the Dead was taken over from the failing RKO Radio operation by Warner Bros., who also changed the name of the film's widescreen process from SuperScope to WarnerScope. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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63% liked it

119 ratings

Unrated, 2 hr. 11 min.

Directed by: Raoul Walsh

Release Date: October 28, 1958

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Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
January 11, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Waters down Norman Mailer's 721 page salty 1948 bestseller novel based on his own experiences during WW II in the South Pacific. Full Review

Michael E. Grost
May 28, 2005
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Powerful anti war drama, with great landscape photography Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

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A.H. Weiler
March 25, 2006
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

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Emanuel Levy
July 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Walter Chaw
July 25, 2003
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

No review available.

January 26, 2006
Time Out

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May 24, 2003
Film4

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The Naked and the Dead Trivia

  • In Drop Dead Fred, what was picked off a man's outfit that made his clothes fall to the floor, leaving him there naked and holding onto two trays of food.  Answer »
  • In Return of the living dead Trash got hot and naked and turned into...well... a hot naked punk rocker zombie! what film a year earlier did Linnea Quigley play in that made alot of parents and crittics more mad then she did in in return?  Answer »
  • Name at least 4 movies starring Leslie Nielsen that were released after 2000.  Answer »
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