Taglines: Love, Destiny, Heroes. War Changes Everything.
Inchon depicts the Battle of Inchon during the Korean War, which took place September 15–19, 1950 and is considered the turning point of the war. The protagonist of the film is General Douglas MacArthur (Laurence Olivier), who led the United States surprise amphibious landing at Incheon in 1950. A subplot in the film involves an American couple who encounter difficulties in their relationship because of the ongoing war.
Inchon begins with North Korean soldiers moving past the 38th parallel north into South Korea in June 1950. People flee into the country’s capital, Seoul. One of the displaced people is Barbara Hallsworth (Jacqueline Bisset), a U.S. Army major’s wife who lives in a village on the 38th Parallel. She is chauffered to Seoul in a limousine, picking up five South Korean children along the way. After her chauffeur is killed, she drives them to a safe location called the Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Along the way, she shoots a North Korean soldier.
Meanwhile, her husband, Frank Hallsworth (Ben Gazzara), is attempting to break off an affair with a young South Korean woman (Karen Kahn). Her father (Toshiro Mifune) is aware of his daughter’s affair with Hallsworth and does not disapprove. Hallsworth receives word of the invasion by the North Koreans, and he travels north in an attempt to locate his wife with the assistance of army sergeant August Henderson (Richard Roundtree). Henderson encounters Hallsworth’s wife and fixes her vehicle’s battery, and then reunites her with her husband.
Journalists David Feld Park (David Janssen) and Longfellow (Rex Reed) are attending a press conference held by MacArthur in Tokyo. MacArthur, however, does not show. He agrees with his wife (Dorothy James) that he is the only person who can rescue South Korea from the invasion by the North Koreans.
Inchon (also called Inchon!) is a 1981 South Korean–American epic war film about the Battle of Inchon, considered to be the turning point of the Korean War. The film was directed by Terence Young and financed by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon. It stars Laurence Olivier as General Douglas MacArthur, who led the United States surprise amphibious landing at Incheon, South Korea in 1950. Also featured are Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara, Toshiro Mifune, and Richard Roundtree. It was filmed in California, Italy, Ireland, Japan and South Korea.
Inchon’s plot includes both military action and human drama. Characters face danger and are involved in various personal and dramatic situations. The film concludes with the American victory over North Korean forces in the Battle of Inchon, which is considered to have saved South Korea. The film cost $46 million to produce and encountered many problems during production, including a typhoon and the death of a cast member. Both the Unification Church and the United States military provided personnel as extras during the filming.
Inchon (1982)
Directed by: Terence Young
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara, Toshirô Mifune, Richard Roundtree, David Janssen, Karen Kahn
Screenplay by: Robin Moore, Laird Koenig
Production Design by: Pier Luigi Basile
Cinematography by: Bruce Surtees
Film Editing by: John W. Holmes, Dallas Puett, Michael J. Sheridan, Peter Taylor
Set Decoration by: Francesco Chianese, Roberto Granieri, Ho-kil Kim, Kyoji Sasaki
Art Direction by: Shigekazu Ikuno
Music by: Jerry Goldsmith
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: September 17, 1982
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