My father fought in the desert against the Italians whom he considered to be ..."not very warlike - fortunately".Not very motivated,not particularly interested in killing and even less interested in dying for a few hundred square miles of sand,he passionately shared their philosophy of non - confrontation.Only when the respective High Commands demanded a "push forward" did the two opposing armies fire a few desultory shells in vaguely the right direction.This kind of situation cannot be allowed to exist in war and overnight,quite out of the blue,the Italians folded up their tents and disappeared to be replaced by the far less sanguine Germans,including,my father believed,a Punishment Battalion who,driven forward by threats of execution,flooded into the British Lines two nights later and were wiped out.Taking this to indicate that the Germans meant business,all thoughts of peaceful co - existence were swept from his mind,but he retained a rueful affection for the reluctant Italian soldiery,sure that the concept of a Punishment Battalion would be alien to their very nature. Watching "The Best of Enemies" merely serves to vindicate his belief. Civilised Italian Officer (Mr A.Sordi) goes mano a mano with civilised British Officer (Mr D.Niven)in a theatre of war neither of them feel particularly committed to.Not eager to inflict further casualties on each other's men they seek for a satisfactory "laissez - faire" solution rather than wipe each other out. As might be expected from intelligent,well-educated, sophisticated European men,they find a mutual rapprochement,even a mutual affection that traverses nationalistic concerns. Mr Niven fits into his role like a man slipping on a beautifully-made riding boot,displaying the ruling-class's noblesse oblige.Here is a man who wouldn't dream of being rude or arrogant towards his men,but woe betide any officer who screws up. Signor Sordi,with the confidence of a thousand years of civilisation behind him,heir to the proud Roman tradition,but pragmatic enough to realise the "bigger picture" Released with very little razzamatazz in 1962,"The Best of Enemies" is a gentle,amusing look at a situation that is neither gentle nor amusing in itself.Pleasingly old-fashioned in its submission that honour and chivalry can still prevail and make even the most trying conditions ju st a little more tolerable,it gives Mr Niven one of his best later roles one,I suspect,he would prefer to be remembered for rather than the anodyne "Pink Panther".
21 Reviews
Mr Niven and Signor Sordi are "Reluctant Heroes"...........
ianlouisiana5 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Don't they realise there's a war on?
brogmiller13 February 2020
It is nigh on impossible not to like this film. It is not a 'classic' comedy by any means but cannot fail to raise a smile or two.
It is all down to the casting of course. David Niven is pitch-perfect as a none-too-competent Major and the always excellent Alberto Sordi is an obvious choice following his role in Risi's tragi-comedy 'Everybody go Home'.
There is marvellous support from Harry Andrews, David Opatoshu and Michael Wilding. We also have Michael Trubshawe who was known as Niven's 'mascot' and indeed gave his name to the pilot officer played by Robert Coote in Niven's best film 'A Matter of Life and Death'.
Director Guy Hamilton also has the aid of an infectious score by Nino Rota and cinematography by one of the best in the business, Giuseppe Rotunno. Quite a few had a hand in the script not least the prolific duo of Age-Scarpelli.
Peter Ustinov once observed that 'the army is the final repository of the fool'.
The characters in this film certainly do nothing to contradict that view!
The highlight is a touching scene between Niven and Sordi in which they show each other photographs of their loved ones. Rather than depicting the cruelty of war, this film simply depicts its absurdity.
A backwater of World War II
bkoganbing27 October 2015
As far as I know The Best Of Enemies is the only film ever done about a forgotten part of World War II, the campaign in Ethiopia. The first nation to fall to Fascist aggression is ironically the first liberated by it. When Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa was captured by the British there was great rejoicing in the United Kingdom which at that point didn't have a lot to rejoice about. That incident is most important in the climax of the film.
David Niven and Albert Sordi play beautifully off against each other as they take turns being each other's prisoners. Neither is a professional soldier and that's important as discipline from both armies kind of breaks down as the two try to get back to the war from the back outposts of the Ethiopian desert that both small companies are stuck in.
I will say The Best Of Enemies does give credence that the Italians were not best of soldiers during World War II.
Best scene in the film is when the native Ethiopians surround both and want the weapons they have and prove to be better strategists than either commander. The native chief gives out with a timely warning about taking your white man's war back to your own countries.
The Best Of Enemies is a fine comedy with perfectly matched leads and even has some serious messages we should listen to.
David Niven and Albert Sordi play beautifully off against each other as they take turns being each other's prisoners. Neither is a professional soldier and that's important as discipline from both armies kind of breaks down as the two try to get back to the war from the back outposts of the Ethiopian desert that both small companies are stuck in.
I will say The Best Of Enemies does give credence that the Italians were not best of soldiers during World War II.
Best scene in the film is when the native Ethiopians surround both and want the weapons they have and prove to be better strategists than either commander. The native chief gives out with a timely warning about taking your white man's war back to your own countries.
The Best Of Enemies is a fine comedy with perfectly matched leads and even has some serious messages we should listen to.
Role of the Ethiopian Bandit Chief
RabbiAntoine5 January 2008
The 'capture' sequence of the English patrol and the Italian patrol was filmed in Israel, a little way into the Negev Desert from the seaside town of Eilath.
I was an American student attending Tel Aviv University, on school break at the time, when the director of production hired me to play the role of the Ethiopian Bandit Chief who conducts the capture. However, one problem presented itself, though I was an 'African' American, I was not dark complected enough to play an Ethiopian!
The solution proposed was for me to 'live-on-the-beach' for a week until my skin was dark enough. This was the first and only time in my life that I was "paid to be Black!" Friends and family still chuckle about this singular 'experience' even today.
I was an American student attending Tel Aviv University, on school break at the time, when the director of production hired me to play the role of the Ethiopian Bandit Chief who conducts the capture. However, one problem presented itself, though I was an 'African' American, I was not dark complected enough to play an Ethiopian!
The solution proposed was for me to 'live-on-the-beach' for a week until my skin was dark enough. This was the first and only time in my life that I was "paid to be Black!" Friends and family still chuckle about this singular 'experience' even today.
A gentle comedy, anti-war film and buddy movie, all in one.
pjddm28 March 2020
Alberto Sordi is brilliant and David Niven his subtle and reserved foil in this unusual film. It is an ultimately uplifting tale of warriors doing their duty despite wanting to avoid battle. It is the story of their comic interactions, told in a way that highlights how war, as experienced on the ground, can sometimes be absurd and confusing. And it is ultimately a deeply humane, quixotic, gentle and understated film.
Not that exciting but still entertaining
HotToastyRag14 February 2018
"I never could understand why anyone would want to be a soldier," David Niven's character muses in The Best of Enemies. It's a very ironic line for him to say, since he acted in over twenty wartime movies, and he fought in WW2 himself! Sufficed to say, unless you absolutely love war movies-or David Niven in uniform, as I do-you're not going to want to watch this one. It's not exciting enough to make a convert out of you.
The entire movie, David Niven and his Italian counterpart, Alberto Sordi, exchange verbal blows in the middle of the Abyssinian desert during 1941. Do they hate each other as much as they pretend to in front of their troops, or do they rely on each other during times of trouble? Are they friends or enemies? Hence the title. Both Niven and Sordi give very good performances, and some moments are quite touching, but Jack Pulman's and Age-Scapelli's script is a little slow. It was trying to be amusing and full of satire, but it's really only because of the acting that I was able to get through it at all.
For me, the best part of the film was David Niven's sparkling blue eyes and smile embedded in his handsome tan in Technicolor. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't so distracted by his mad good looks that I couldn't appreciate the subtleties in his expressions-he really is a marvelous actor-but since I've seen so many other more riveting war movies, I'll probably stick to The Guns of Navarone the next time I crave a Niv fix.
The entire movie, David Niven and his Italian counterpart, Alberto Sordi, exchange verbal blows in the middle of the Abyssinian desert during 1941. Do they hate each other as much as they pretend to in front of their troops, or do they rely on each other during times of trouble? Are they friends or enemies? Hence the title. Both Niven and Sordi give very good performances, and some moments are quite touching, but Jack Pulman's and Age-Scapelli's script is a little slow. It was trying to be amusing and full of satire, but it's really only because of the acting that I was able to get through it at all.
For me, the best part of the film was David Niven's sparkling blue eyes and smile embedded in his handsome tan in Technicolor. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't so distracted by his mad good looks that I couldn't appreciate the subtleties in his expressions-he really is a marvelous actor-but since I've seen so many other more riveting war movies, I'll probably stick to The Guns of Navarone the next time I crave a Niv fix.
Niven's heroes.
mark.waltz5 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Five years before American Colonel Hogan found himself in an incompetently run prison camp, British major David Niven and pilot Michael Wilding were captured by the Italians in Ethiopia and went through similar incompetence in a prison camp run by Alberto Sordi. The desperate Sordi is aggravated by Niven and allows him and his men to escape, simply to be rid of them, but when Niven comes back to take over the camp with his men and the innefecective Harry Andrews, it becomes a contest of who's dumb and who's dumber.
It's not that the men of either side are truly stupid. It's obvious that they just don't represent the fiercest of the forces, and are basically just going through the motions of doing their duty since the war is going on. Of course it's not all fun and games, and when a battle does break out, causing a fire, all is serious for a while. But this is a very amusing film, with Niven and Sordi playing off of each other beautifully, just as Niven had with Cantiflas in "Around the World in 80 Days". Here, you get the feeling that Niven and Sordi will meet up after the war, get sauced and laugh over the whole ordeal. Colorful and lighthearted, a surprise obscure delight.
It's not that the men of either side are truly stupid. It's obvious that they just don't represent the fiercest of the forces, and are basically just going through the motions of doing their duty since the war is going on. Of course it's not all fun and games, and when a battle does break out, causing a fire, all is serious for a while. But this is a very amusing film, with Niven and Sordi playing off of each other beautifully, just as Niven had with Cantiflas in "Around the World in 80 Days". Here, you get the feeling that Niven and Sordi will meet up after the war, get sauced and laugh over the whole ordeal. Colorful and lighthearted, a surprise obscure delight.
Should be on DVD
steve49er24 February 2006
Saw this film while stationed at a remote site in the military. As I remember, it was one of the few movies, at the time, that really made me laugh. It so resembled the nuttiness of everyday military life. It displays attitudes of peoples from different cultures required to depend upon each other for survival. It shows that war, itself, is a national problem while the average soldier is really not so different from his enemy. If this were on DVD, I would purchase it, in a heartbeat. The truths brought forward in this story are as meaningful today as when I saw it in 1962. Best yet, every member of the military audience viewing it, laughed until they rolled. It didn't matter what their political orientation, the humor was there for all to see. If a fan of "King of Hearts", I recommend it.
A voice of dissent....
planktonrules16 November 2015
"The Best of Enemies" is a comical farce set during WWII and concerns fighting between the Italians and Brits in North Africa. Instead of being a film about large armed forces, it's about a bunch of misfits on all sides and primarily is about two annoyingly stubborn officers.
The reviews for "The Best of Enemies" are so good that I decided to force myself to see the entire film and I resisted the impulse to turn it off and cut my losses. After all, a lot of people really liked it and I wanted to see why. And, for the life of me, I still have no idea why the other reviews are so positive. While this isn't a terrible film, it just never felt very satisfying and I kept hoping it would get better. Overall, I didn't find it very funny nor did I particularly enjoy it--and I think the kooky musical score only made this worse.
The reviews for "The Best of Enemies" are so good that I decided to force myself to see the entire film and I resisted the impulse to turn it off and cut my losses. After all, a lot of people really liked it and I wanted to see why. And, for the life of me, I still have no idea why the other reviews are so positive. While this isn't a terrible film, it just never felt very satisfying and I kept hoping it would get better. Overall, I didn't find it very funny nor did I particularly enjoy it--and I think the kooky musical score only made this worse.
Great drama and a funny movie.
Pichicho29 October 2006
This is a great movie. Last time I saw it was in the late 60s of the last century in local LA TV station and the first time was at a film festival in Peru in the early 60s as I was still living there. I still remember the acting from Sordi contrasted with that of Niven. The former bombastic and mercurial and the latter always calm and cool. The setting in the North African? wilderness-desert during WW II shows these enemies irritating each other with military moves until they are drawn together when they realize they might fall victim to the natives. I have been looking for this movie in VHS earlier and now on DVD. Has it been lost?
Another good war movie
Andybern27 October 2005
Another good war movie. Who says war movies need to have blood and violence? This was a battle of wits between the Italian commander and the British commander.
This movie has all the elements that precipitate war. Two armies that do not speak the same language with claims to past glory. And in the end they find themselves as men with a common goal - to survive in the desert.
The football scene was interesting in that, peeled down to basics, the men found a common passion. Could it be saying that conflict can be settled in a sportsmanlike manner? The funniest dialogue I found was when the British commander ordered the Italians to dig a latrine in the middle of the desert because it was the civilised thing to do. The Italian commander retorted, "My people were building sewers while your people were painting themselves blue."
This movie has all the elements that precipitate war. Two armies that do not speak the same language with claims to past glory. And in the end they find themselves as men with a common goal - to survive in the desert.
The football scene was interesting in that, peeled down to basics, the men found a common passion. Could it be saying that conflict can be settled in a sportsmanlike manner? The funniest dialogue I found was when the British commander ordered the Italians to dig a latrine in the middle of the desert because it was the civilised thing to do. The Italian commander retorted, "My people were building sewers while your people were painting themselves blue."
One of the 50 best films
kgbruno22 February 2004
This movie is an little known gem. The movie not only sparkles with Sordi's more slapstick humor and Niven's classic underplaying, it also masterfully captures the madness, humor and struggle of those engaged in combat. Niven and Sordi struggle to stay connected to their humanity in North African desert during a war where first one has the advantage and then the other does. If this were on DVD/VHS I would buy a copy.
The Best of Friends.
f-charles6819 May 2009
It is so many years since i have seen this film because ??? you tell me why this film is not on DVD other than the younger generation would not want to see it, both main actors were splendid no matter if they were not "great actors" who are the great actors anyway it is mostly a matter of personal enjoyment anyway.of course i would buy it if it were on DVD,i am 60 years old it may be a "generation thing" and i can understand the need to make a profit to reproduce the film on DVD but why is it so difficult to show the film on TV.The mix of Italian and British humour is quite rare on film and as this movie works so well this is yet another reason for a showing on TV.I can get this film on VHS from Amazon for over £30 plus i no longer have a video recorder -but im thinking about it because i would so love to see this film again.
Where are they hiding?
gstevens-23 June 2002
I saw this movie on TV years ago. Sadly I haven't seen it for at least five years, not even on cable. The story deals with the interplay between Italian and British units, mostly focusing on the commanding officers on each side. Sordi and Niven couldn't have been better in their roles. Against the backdrop of the African WW2 campaign the two sides seem to be more of a nuisance to each other than effective participants in the war, but towards the end of the movie we are given a reminder of the tendency to become egotistic as being a major world power involved in a campaign which totally ignores the native population in the country being fought over.This is a very appropriate touch to the movie. The two sides(Brits & Italians) were not the only game in town. I would love to see this movie out on video or DVD and would purchase it immediately.
Excellent film
tonyomega-112 November 2003
This is one of my favorite movies. I've only seen it twice because it has been unavailable on tape, cd or dvd. I'm hoping that it is released for the public soon. I've been trying to get a copy for years.
It pokes a little fun at the ineptitudes of the combatants, but it also shows that they were at war. It has an ending that enjoy very much.
For those who haven't seen this movie, try it if you can get a copy, you'll get an hour and a half of excellent entertainment.
It pokes a little fun at the ineptitudes of the combatants, but it also shows that they were at war. It has an ending that enjoy very much.
For those who haven't seen this movie, try it if you can get a copy, you'll get an hour and a half of excellent entertainment.
An under rated movie
rreinhold9 September 2000
I saw this movie in Killeen, Texas just after I returned from Kagnew Station, an Army Base in, then, Ethiopia. I had visited Italian and English War Cemetaries in Asmara. The main battle took place near Keren.
The movie takes place some distance south of either city after the fall of Asmara. The scenery was accurate and must have been filmed in the proper area.
The interplay between the British and the Italians was quite accurate and enjoyable. An example of the situation presented was cited in Under the Red Sea Sun where the author found the Italian officers still carrying their sidearms in Asmara.
One of the most ironic scenes in the movie takes place when the mountain tops surrounding the group is dotted with 'shifta.' The 'shifta' were trained by the English to help overthrow the Italian rule, but became independent entrepreneurs, a la Jesse James, after the fall of Asmara.
The movie takes place some distance south of either city after the fall of Asmara. The scenery was accurate and must have been filmed in the proper area.
The interplay between the British and the Italians was quite accurate and enjoyable. An example of the situation presented was cited in Under the Red Sea Sun where the author found the Italian officers still carrying their sidearms in Asmara.
One of the most ironic scenes in the movie takes place when the mountain tops surrounding the group is dotted with 'shifta.' The 'shifta' were trained by the English to help overthrow the Italian rule, but became independent entrepreneurs, a la Jesse James, after the fall of Asmara.
Niven's Best
yostwl14 May 1999
Heart-warming, funny, totally enjoyable. One of the best movie going experiences I have ever had. Niven never gave a better performance. I saw the movie once and have never seen it come on TV or found a video tape. I would buy it if I could find it.
A great italian film with a great italian actor
Queenfan13 June 1999
This movie is really great, it's not full of special effects or things like those, but it is made very well. Then, there's a great actor like Alberto Sordi, but the others actors are very good too: I think they have been very good to perform two kind of people: the italians and the english. It's very nice and sometimes comic, I think everyone should see it!
A Definite Favorite
artzau26 November 2000
This movie is one of my favorites. Niven is hilarious as is Sordi. They play off each other beautifully and the script is a laugher from beginning to end. Sordi's wide-eyed expressions and expressive Italian style complimented Niven's traditional Brit, "Jolly ho, Old Pip!" making a wonderful film. The soccer game between the Italians and Brits using a round Ethiopian basket is a classic scene. I love this film, have seen it at least a dozen times and will see it again every chance I get. Hey, join in and see it too. You will not be disappointed.
A real sleeper
Charles-3324 November 1998
A war movie about the comedy of errors that occurs when blundering Italian and British combat units try to outwit each other in North Africa during WW II. Made with wit and humanity, it's a shame this fine picture never seemed to find the audience it deserved.
Good comedy with Sordi
pnapo27 December 2003
During this african war of 1941, Alberto Sordi (italian captain) fights against David Niven (British major). This comedy is for fraternity and against stupid wars like many... The script is good. Sordi is excelent as usual but his opponent Niven is a sub-category actor. With a better british actor, I'll give 9. My vote: 8
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