Picture above: The Hill (1965) – Harry Andrews (as Sergeant Major Wilson) + Ian Hendry (as Staff Sgt. Williams) + Sean Connery (as Joe Roberts)

This still from the film gives a fine example of how the cinematography of Oswald Morris and the direction of Sidney Lumet combined brilliantly to capture the intensity of the characters and their interactions, as well as reflecting the stark nature of the setting.

See also:

The Hill (1965) – 50th Anniversary Tribute
What Woody Allen Thinks of The Hill (1965)

Video above: The Hill (1965) – Original Trailer

Given the strength of the cast and their performances, it is perhaps more than a little surprising that when the awards season came around, that the film didn’t fair better. In Gabriel Hershman’s biography on Ian Hendry, Michael Jayston commented that:

“Ian should have received an Oscar nomination. God only knows what the competition was that year or what people were thinking of. It was a terrible oversight that he wasn’t.”

These are the nominations that the film received – and the winners.

BAFTA Awards

Winner Best British Cinematography (Oswald Morris)
Nominee Best Film (Kenneth Hyman)
Nominee Best British Film (Kenneth Hyman)
Nominee Best British Actor (Harry Andrews)
Nominee Best British Screenplay (Ray Rigby)
Nominee Best British Art Direction (Herbert Smith)

Cannes Film Festival
Winner Best Screenplay at the 1965 Festival (Ray Rigby)

National Board of Review
Winner Best Supporting Actor (Harry Andrews)
Writers’ Guild of Great Britain[edit]
Winner Best British Dramatic Screenplay Award (Ray Rigby)

Until next time,

Neil Hendry
Editor, Official Website of Ian Hendry

Further Reading

A detailed account of the life and work of Ian Hendry in the new biography:

Read:  ‘Send in the Clowns – The Yo Yo Life Of Ian Hendry’ by Gabriel Hershman