March or Die (1977)

Director:

Dick Richards

Writers:

David Zelag Goodman (story) and
Dick Richards (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 September 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

The Foreign Legion - they were the greatest fighting force of all time and they obeyed but one command - [March Or Die]

Plot:

Foreign Legion Major Foster (Hackman), an American haunted by his memories of the recently-ended Great War...

Plot Keywords:

Arab | Foreign Legion | Violence | 1910s | Bodyguard

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Maj. William Sherman Foster
Terence Hill	...	Marco Segrain
Catherine Deneuve	...	Simone Picard
Max von Sydow	...	François Marneau
Ian Holm	...	El Krim
Jack O'Halloran	...	Ivan
Rufus	...	Sgt. Triand
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Lt. Fontaine
André Penvern	...	Top Hat
Paul Sherman	...	Fred Hastings
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Mean corporal
Marne Maitland	...	Leon
Luigi Bonos	...	Andre
Wolf Kahler	...	German #1
Matthias Hell	...	German #2
Jean Champion	...	Minister
Walter Gotell	...	Col. Lamont
Paul Antrim	...	Mollard
Catherine Willmer	...	Petite lady
Arnold Diamond	...	Husband
Maurice Arden	...	Pierre Lahoud
Albert Woods	...	Henru Delacorte
Liliane Rovère	...	Lola
Elisabeth Mortensen	...	French street girl
Leila Shenna	...	Arab street girl
François Valorbe	...	Detective
Villena	...	Gendarme
Ernest Misko	...	Aide in Minister's office
Guy Deghy	...	Ship's captain
Jean Rougerie	...	Legionnaire #1 (at station)
Guy Mairesse	...	Legionnaire #2 (at station)
Eve Brenner	...	Singing girl
Guy Marly	...	Singing Legionnaire
Margaret Modlin	...	Lady in black
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luis Barboo	...	(uncredited)
Clément Harari	...	Bernard (uncredited)

Directed by
Dick Richards

Writing credits
David Zelag Goodman		(story) and
Dick Richards		(story)
David Zelag Goodman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer	....	producer
Lew Grade	....	presents (as Sir Lew Grade)
Patrick Guide	....	associate producer: Morocco
Dick Richards	....	producer
Georges-Patrick Salvy-Guide	....	associate producer: Morocco

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
John Alcott

Film Editing by
Stanford C. Allen
O. Nicholas Brown
John C. Howard

Casting by
Guidarino Guidi		(casting: Rome)
Maude Spector		(casting: London)
Catherine Vernoux		(casting: Paris)
Larbi Yacoubi		(casting: Morocco)

Production Design by
Gil Parrondo

Art Direction by
José María Tapiador

Set Decoration by
Julián Mateos
Dennis J. Parrish

Costume Design by
Gitt Magrini		(costume designer: for Catherine Deneuve)

Makeup Department
Blanca Sánchez	....	hair stylist
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Diego Gómez Sempere	....	production manager (as Diego Sempere)
Ted Lloyd	....	production supervisor
Mike Moder	....	production supervisor
Miguel Ángel Recuero	....	production manager
Luis Roberts	....	production supervisor
Mohamed Tazi	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
André Delacroix	....	assistant director
Larry J. Franco	....	assistant director (as Larry Franco)
Steve Lanning	....	second assistant director
Mustapha Laqhaz	....	assistant director
José López Rodero	....	assistant director
Peter Waller	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Dennis J. Parrish	....	property master (as Dennis Parrish)
Thomas Wright	....	production illustrator (as Thomas J. Wright)

Sound Department
Jim Bullock	....	sound editor
Bill Phillips	....	sound editor
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ivan Sharrock	....	production sound mixer
William L. Stevenson	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Robert MacDonald	....	special effects

Stunts
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts
Juan Maján	....	stunts
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Bogue	....	chief electrician
James Devis	....	camera operator
Federico G. Grau	....	still photographer (as Federico Grau)
Ron Green	....	best boy
Chris Schwiebert	....	camera operator
Micky Wilson	....	best boy

Costume and Wardrobe Department
G. Tony Scarano	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
David Blangsted	....	assistant editor
Joel Cox	....	assistant editor
Dick Darling	....	assistant editor (as Richard Darling Jr.)

Music Department
George Brand	....	music editor
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor

Other crew
Christina Anderson	....	production assistant
B.J. Bjorkman	....	continuity (as B.J. Bachman)
Mike Dempsey	....	production assistant (as Michael Dempsey)
Ann Edwards	....	continuity
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Denise O'Dell	....	production secretary
Georges-Patrick Salvy-Guide	....	production associate: Morocco
John Wall	....	production accountant
Rusty Warren	....	location accountant
Rusty Warren	....	location auditor

Production Companies

• Sir Lew Grade (present)
• Associated General Films (for)

Distributors

• Incorporated Television Company (ITC) (1977) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Tuschinski Film Distribution (1977) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1981) (USA) (TV)
• Atlantic Film (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Carlton Visual Entertainment (2000) (UK) (VHS)
• Elephant Films (2006) (France) (all media)
• Film Office (1997) (France) (VHS)
• ITV DVD (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Jef Films International (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Jef Films International (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Morningstar Entertainment (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• Prism Leisure Corporation (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Seven7 (2006) (France) (DVD)
• VCL Video (2003) (Germany) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment (uncredited)
• National Philharmonic Orchestra  music performers
• Orchestre Symphonique de la Garde Républicaine  music performers (as Military Band of Garde Républicaine)
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes made by: Miss Deneuve's (as Tirelli of Rome)

Also Known As:

Marchar o morir (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Epithesi i thanatos (Greece) [el]
Hornanmarssi (Finland) [fi]
Il était une fois la légion (France) [fr]
La bandera: marcia o muori (Italy) [it]
Marche o muera (Argentina) [es]
Marschera eller dö (Sweden) [sv]
Marschier oder stirb (West Germany) [de]
Menni vagy meghalni (Hungary) [hu]
Oi tyhodioktes tis erimou (Greece) (reissue title) [el]

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:16 (1978) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Germany:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

Sir Lew Grade

Trivia:

Selected by Quentin Tarantino for the First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest in Austin, Texas, 1996.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Legion uses French military equipment and customs. Yet in one scene, when the new recruits are awakened one morning, an American bugle call (reveille) is used.

Quotes:

El Krim: [showing Foster and his patrol the dead body of a legionnair] One of my men got nervous.
Maj. William Sherman Foster: [an Arab walks over to the body and spits in his face. Suddenly Segrain shoots the Arab at point blank range. Everyone is pointing weapons at everyone] One of my men got mervous.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever Part 4 (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

i liked it much!

This is a very unusual film in some ways, and very interesting. Gene Hackman is good, and Terence Hill is excellent in a different part for him. Hill almost seems to be acting as Steve Mcqueen. Whatever his technique, its effective. There is one thing that sets this film apart from every other movie out there, it has one of the all time great battles. Yes, it has to be one of the best ever filmed, a thing of true beauty. Violent, gritty, and very realistic. You can feel the desperation as the legionaires frantically play out their own version of Custer's Last Stand. Truthfully, the big climatic battle scene could stand alone as a good film. If you like Hackman or Hill/Mcqueen don't miss this one. Papillion joins the Foreign Legion...very cool!!!!! Loved it