Bitter Victory

An Allied special unit is entrusted with the mission of securing secret German army documents on the African battlefield. At the centre of the operation are two soldiers who embody opposing principles. Curd Jürgens plays the battle-inexperienced, career-minded strategist Major David Brand, while Richard Burton takes on the role of Captain Jim Leith, whose effectiveness in battle is only exceeded by his lack of care for his own life. The two men’s mutual contempt is only amplified by how they compete for the same woman, who is married to Brand, but still linked to Leith following an earlier affair.
With the support of the British Army, the CinemaScope panoramas were largely shot at original locations in the Libyan desert. Yet instead of large-scale battles, the camerawork BITTER VICTORY is more concerned with how the dead and injured are treated following the titular bitter victory.