Macaroni Combat
by Cinemageddon | created - 13 Jul 2014 | updated - 01 Jan 2018 | PublicA subgenre which was brought to attention by a larger audience by Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds''.
It's a lesser known history of the Italian B-movies.
These types of B-war films have never enjoyed enormous popularity in Italy because they were made mostly just to make money, especially with foreign distribution in poor countries and little conviction on the part of the producers.
Macaroni Combat were Italian war films inspired by Hollywood films of the 60s/70s produced to try to make money. They often used titles and plots from the various blockbusters made in the US. All had seasoned actors aka "Italian yankees" and often they were older stars whose popularity had faded in their own countries.
As with the spaghetti westerns or the polizio genres, it rode the wave of success the original genre films started in Hollywood. Instead of The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of Navarone or Battle of the Bulge, these were films made in De Paolis (Rome) or the Egyptian desert with titles such as: And The Guns Still Thunder, The Battle of El Alamein, Commandos and Eagles Over London.
The typical team was made up of an Italian director, Italo-Spanish technical staff, and a cast of Italian and Spanish actors and sometimes German and French, sometimes a fading Hollywood star.
The films were primarily shot in Europe and later, the Philippines.
Info taken from Wikipedia.com and Grindhousedatabase.com
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1. The Inglorious Bastards (1978)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, War
In 1944 France, a group of escaped American military prisoners en route to Switzerland volunteers to steal a German V2 rocket warhead for the Allies.
Director: Enzo G. Castellari | Stars: Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Michael Pergolani
Votes: 10,400
2. Dirty Heroes (1967)
G | 105 min | Drama, War
Holland. Spring 1945. Two armies face each other in the final confrontation of World War II. On the one hand are the powerful forces of the Allies, on the other, all that remains of the Third Reich. -Leigh Thomas
Director: Alberto De Martino | Stars: Frederick Stafford, Daniela Bianchi, Curd Jürgens, John Ireland
Votes: 264
3. The Battle of El Alamein (1969)
PG | 96 min | Action, Drama, History
World war two drama about the 1942 North Africa battle at El Alamein between the Allies and the Axis forces.
Director: Giorgio Ferroni | Stars: Frederick Stafford, George Hilton, Michael Rennie, Marco Guglielmi
Votes: 698
4. The Biggest Battle (1978)
PG | 90 min | War, Drama
How World War II affected the lives of a German family and an American family, both of whom had sons and fathers fighting in the war.
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: Helmut Berger, Samantha Eggar, Giuliano Gemma, John Huston
Votes: 590
5. Kill Rommel! (1969)
99 min | War
During WWII, US Lieutenant Morris and British captain Hull are assigned in a mission to kill Rommel.
Director: Alfonso Brescia | Stars: Anton Diffring, Carl Parker, Ugo Adinolfi, Renato Romano
Votes: 152
6. Commandos (1968)
PG | 98 min | Action, Drama, War
During World War II, an Italian-American commando outfit disguised as an Italian Army unit is parachuted behind Axis lines in North Africa.
Director: Armando Crispino | Stars: Lee Van Cleef, Jack Kelly, Giampiero Albertini, Marino Masé
Votes: 1,062
7. Five Days in Sinai (1968)
97 min | Action, Drama, War
Eight Israeli soldiers are sent on a mission to take control of an enemy missile base, but face a deadly counterattack.
Director: Maurizio Lucidi | Stars: Franco Giornelli, Assi Dayan, Luigi Casellato, Carlo De Mejo
Votes: 81
8. The Seven Red Berets (1969)
90 min | Action, Drama
Seven mercenaries on a mission into Simba controlled Congo territory requisite with typical sterotypes.
Director: Mario Siciliano | Stars: Ivan Rassimov, Sieghardt Rupp, Kirk Morris, Pamela Tudor
Votes: 97
9. Eagles Over London (1969)
PG | 100 min | Action, Drama, War
In World War II, a German undercover unit infiltrates British lines during the evacuation of Dunkirk, 1940. The film revolves around their successes and failures in disrupting Royal Air Force operations during the Battle of Britain.
Director: Enzo G. Castellari | Stars: Frederick Stafford, Van Johnson, Francisco Rabal, Ida Galli
Votes: 792
10. From Hell to Victory (1979)
PG | 100 min | Drama, War
In 1939, at a Paris café, six friends of various nationalities vow to meet again at the same spot after the end of WW2.
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: George Peppard, George Hamilton, Horst Buchholz, Anny Duperey
Votes: 488
11. La battaglia del deserto (1969)
87 min | Action, Drama, War
A small group of British and German soldiers is trapped in the desert and has to try to work together in order to survive back to their own lines.
Director: Mino Loy | Stars: Robert Hossein, George Hilton, Frank Wolff, Rik Battaglia
Votes: 103
12. Probabilità zero (1969)
PG | 95 min | Action, Drama, War
Set in Norway and has a crack team of Allies sent to blow up an underground Nazi factory where the Germans have taken a crashed Spitfire that contains a new radar system that the krauts want to copy.
Director: Maurizio Lucidi | Stars: Henry Silva, Luigi Casellato, Riccardo Salvino, Ezio Sancrotti
Votes: 184
13. Churchill's Leopards (1970)
84 min | Action, Thriller, War
The mission: The British have to carry out a plan hatched by Churchill himself to blow up a French dam, by bringing in commandos led by the twin brother of the German commander.
Director: Maurizio Pradeaux | Stars: Richard Harrison, Pilar Velázquez, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Frank Braña
Votes: 296
14. Five for Hell (1969)
95 min | Action, Adventure, War
Five oddball American commandos infiltrate a well-guarded villa to steal the documents for "Plan K", which the Nazis intend to use to drive the Allies out of Italy.
Director: Gianfranco Parolini | Stars: Gianni Garko, Margaret Lee, Klaus Kinski, Aldo Canti
Votes: 674
15. And the Bombs Keep Falling (1974)
95 min | Drama, War
France, 1944. Five US soldiers seek refuge in a cavern to avoid a bombardment, but the bombs make the cave entrance collapsing. The trapped men must dig a way out to save their lives.
Director: Sergio Colasanti | Stars: Robert Woods, Giuseppe Michele Luca, Marc Fiorini, Luigi Ida
Votes: 10
16. 36 ore all'inferno (1969)
93 min | Action, War
A rag tag bunch of US marines are sent in to the Pacific Island of Rabaul to clear any remaining Japanese forces after heavy bombing. They meet fierce resistance.
Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero | Stars: Richard Harrison, Pamela Tudor, Alain Gerard, Carlo Gaddi
Votes: 127
17. Desert Commandos (1967)
PG | 96 min | Drama, War
German commandos are dropped behind enemy lines in the Sahara Desert and tasked with getting to Casablanca to assassinate Allied leaders.
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: Ken Clark, Horst Frank, Jeanne Valérie, Carlo Hintermann
Votes: 417
18. Heroes in Hell (1974)
83 min | Drama, War
In World War II, guerrillas kidnap a German general.
Director: Joe D'Amato | Stars: Lars Bloch, George Manes, Rosemarie Lindt, Luciano Rossi
Votes: 180
19. La battaglia dell'ultimo panzer (1969)
91 min | Drama, War
A group of German Tank Crew fight to survive in france while a french woman falls in love with the German lieutenant
Director: José Luis Merino | Stars: Stelvio Rosi, Erna Schurer, Guy Madison, Rubén Rojo
Votes: 305
20. I 7 di Marsa Matruh (1970)
100 min | Action, Drama, War
When the German Afrika Korps smashes through the Allied lines in North Africa in 1942 during World War Two; a group of British soldiers are determined to get back to their own lines. ... See full summary »
Director: Mario Siciliano | Stars: Ivan Rassimov, Monica Strebel, Kirk Morris, Marcella Michelangeli
Votes: 170
21. Salt in the Wound (1969)
PG | 98 min | War, Drama
An inexperienced American lieutenant and two American prisoners are the only force standing between advancing German troops and an Italian town that was "freed" by the trio.
Director: Tonino Ricci | Stars: Klaus Kinski, George Hilton, Rai Sanders, Betsy Bell
Votes: 280
22. Suicide Commandos (1968)
98 min | War
World War 2 - a British commando squad is tasked with attacking the "secret" German airfield from which German fighters have been attacking bombers which are trying to stop German tanks from reinforcing the D Day defences.
Director: Camillo Bazzoni | Stars: Aldo Ray, Tano Cimarosa, Ugo Fangareggi, Luis Dávila
Votes: 177
23. Battle of the Commandos (1969)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, War
Irish Colonel Charlie McPhearson has just had his platoon of 28 slaughtered by German troops. Angered at his superiors for this suicide mission, he takes convicts on his next one, along ... See full summary »
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: Jack Palance, Thomas Hunter, Robert Hundar, Wolfgang Preiss
Votes: 297
24. Anzio (1968)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, History, War
Anzio: one of WWII's bloodiest battles as the Allies smash through the German lines which have enclosed the Anzio beachhead--four months and 30,000 casualties before the Allies finally march to Rome.
Directors: Edward Dmytryk, Duilio Coletti | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, Robert Ryan, Earl Holliman
Votes: 3,783
25. Testa di sbarco per otto implacabili (1968)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, War
The movie is set during World War II in the days just prior to the D-Day invasion. A special parachute unit is sent to destroy a German flame thrower installation on Omaha Beach.
Director: Alfonso Brescia | Stars: Guy Madison, Peter Lee Lawrence, Erika Blanc, Philippe Hersent
Votes: 332
26. The War Devils (1969)
PG | 99 min | War, Drama
A German Captain and American Captain help each other survive the North African desert during WWII. They meet again a year later during combat operations in France.
Director: Bitto Albertini | Stars: Guy Madison, Venantino Venantini, Anthony Steel, Pascale Petit
Votes: 194
27. Hell's Heroes (1987)
92 min | War
Disgruntled Sgt. Darkin has to protect a senator who's visiting a Vietnam village. Senator gets assassinated by the Vietcong, and Darkin gets arrested for AWOL. When the Vietcong attacks the base, he and others escape. Now what?
Director: Stelvio Massi | Stars: Miles O'Keeffe, Fred Williamson, Scott Green, Gabriele Gori
Votes: 135
28. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
R | 153 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent
Votes: 1,585,442 | Gross: $120.54M
29. The Battle of the Damned (1969)
79 min | War
After landing in North Africa in World War II, a group of soldiers led by Capt. Bruce Clay is assigned to attack an enemy position in order to destroy a large oil storage cellar in the desert.
Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero | Stars: Dale Cummings, Maurice Poli, Herb Andress, Lex Monson
Votes: 128
30. Code Name: Wild Geese (1984)
R | 101 min | Action
Commander Robin Wesley, leader of a group of mercenaries, go to the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia to overthrow the dictator, who is a major manufacturer and dealer of the world's opium.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Klaus Kinski
Votes: 1,107
31. Kommando Leopard (1985)
TV-PG | 103 min | Action
A cruel dictator rules a Latin American state. Corruption, brutality and exploitation are present every day. A few people begin to organise resistance. Under the leader "El Leopardo" a ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Klaus Kinski, Cristina Donadio, Manfred Lehmann
Votes: 567
32. The Commander (1988)
105 min | Action, War
A Major leads a group of mercenaries whose mission is to protect a disc full of secrets, located in South Asia.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Manfred Lehmann
Votes: 454
33. Giugno '44 - Sbarcheremo in Normandia (1968)
96 min | Drama, War
The mission: search out and destroy a radio station in Normandy before the D-Day invasion. The volunteer commandos, misfits from the American Army, do not care how it's done and will run over anyone who gets in their way.
Director: León Klimovsky | Stars: Michael Rennie, Bob Sullivan, Guido Lollobrigida, Aldo Sambrell
Votes: 79
34. La porta del cannone (1969)
92 min | Drama, War
World War II: The Italian secret agent Riccardo Cloro is sent undercover as a Swiss businessman to Graz by train, in which he gets to know Rada, a Czech Jew. He is then informed about his ... See full summary »
Director: Leopoldo Savona | Stars: Gianni Garko, Irina Demick, Gianna Serra, Marijan Lovric
Votes: 49
35. A Place in Hell (1969)
107 min | War
After the U.S. defeat in the Philippines, Madison leads a rag-tag group of U.S. soldiers against the Japanese occupiers. In this WW II drama, the Japanese set an island trap for the American troops.
Director: Giuseppe Vari | Stars: Guy Madison, Maurice Poli, Hélène Chanel, Sandro Pizzochero
Votes: 125
36. Hell Commandos (1969)
88 min | Action, Drama, War
An American major trains a group of elite soldiers for a dangerous covert mission behind enemy lines during WW2.
Director: José Luis Merino | Stars: Guy Madison, Raffaella Carrà, Stelvio Rosi, Manuel Zarzo
Votes: 115
37. No importa morir (1969)
94 min | Drama, War
Six U.S. soldiers are sent to destroy a bridge that spans the Elbe, which will somehow prevent the Soviets from occupying Germany in this fictional vehicle.
Director: León Klimovsky | Stars: Tab Hunter, Howard Ross, Erika Wallner, Claudio Trionfi
Votes: 88
38. Hour X Suicide Patrol (1969)
85 min | War
When the Germans are allowed to recapture an island in the Mediterranean during WWII, a squad of US soldiers is left behind to destroy an important radio base. But this is just the start of... See full summary »
Director: Gaetano Quartararo | Stars: Pierre Richard, Massimo Righi, Umberto Raho, Katia Moguy
Votes: 37
39. A Bullet for Rommel (1969)
104 min | War, Drama
During World War II, a tough officer organizes a commando raid into Germany.
Director: León Klimovsky | Stars: Jack Palance, Andrea Bosic, Ivan Palance, Carlos Estrada
Votes: 110
40. The Last Day of the War (1970)
GP | 100 min | Drama, War
The war in Europe is ending, but American troops have to find a scientist on the run who is also sought by some surviving SS forces.
Director: Juan Antonio Bardem | Stars: George Maharis, Maria Perschy, James Philbrook, Gérard Herter
Votes: 64
41. Corbari (1970)
90 min | Action, War
The real story of the partisan Silvio Corbari. He starts his career killing publicly one of his friends that was a fascist. Than, he set up a band of partisans in north Italy, completely ... See full summary »
Director: Valentino Orsini | Stars: Giuliano Gemma, Tina Aumont, Antonio Piovanelli, Frank Wolff
Votes: 134
42. Hornets' Nest (1970)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama, War
In 1944, during a sabotage mission, the sole surviving U.S. paratrooper is saved by a group of Italian orphans who later aid him in blowing up a vital enemy dam.
Directors: Phil Karlson, Franco Cirino | Stars: Rock Hudson, Sylva Koscina, Sergio Fantoni, Giacomo Rossi Stuart
Votes: 1,121
43. When Heroes Die (1970)
90 min | Romance, War
The story of a group of American commandos assigned to kidnap General Rommel. But the soldiers are caught by the Germans who decide to use their plan against them. Replacing the American ... See full summary »
Director: José Luis Merino | Stars: Craig Hill, Manuel Zarzo, Annabella Incontrera, Carlos Quiney
Votes: 95
44. The Rangers (1970)
86 min | War
A special forces operative is smuggled into a German POW camp with orders to blow up a nearby villa being used by the Nazis to house a secret weapons program.
Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero | Stars: Dale Cummings, Carlo Hintermann, Franco Ressel, Ben Carra
Votes: 102
45. When the Bell Tolls (1970)
87 min | Drama, War
During the Second World War, a group of Greek partisans fight against Germans.Tego is one of them, unfortunately he encounters atrocities at the hands of the Nazis and loses his family,wonders the countryside then dies.
Director: Luigi Batzella | Stars: Brad Harris, Brigitte Skay, Gino Turini, Alfredo Rizzo
Votes: 40
46. Heroes Without Glory (1971)
92 min | Drama, War
A desert patrol is persuaded by 3 prisoners to follow them in their quest for the tomb of a Pharoah and its treasure.
Director: Alfredo Rizzo | Stars: Jeff Cameron, Isarco Ravaioli, Lemmy Carson, Rossella Como
Votes: 75
47. La lunga ombra del lupo (1971)
100 min | Drama, War
During the second World War an Italian lieutenant is forced by the Germans to hunt down and flush out the partisan known as Lupo, an old childhood friend, but he has no intention of betraying him.
Director: Gianni Manera | Stars: Gianni Manera, Aliza Adar, Ivano Davoli, Enrico Manera
Votes: 14
48. La colomba non deve volare (1970)
90 min | Action, War
An undercover Nazi in Libya aims to steal fuel and deliver it to a specific location in the desert where an Italian bomber would refuel on its way to Allied target.
Director: Sergio Garrone | Stars: Horst Buchholz, Sylva Koscina, William Berger, Riccardo Garrone
Votes: 72
49. A Sold Life (1976)
War
Director: Aldo Florio | Stars: Enrico Maria Salerno, Gerardo Amato, Rodolfo Bianchi, Germano Longo
Votes: 14
50. Under Ten Flags (1960)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama, War
German raider, using various disguises, forces British ship to surrender. Story told from German point of view.
Director: Duilio Coletti | Stars: Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Mylène Demongeot, John Ericson
Votes: 553
51. Warriors Five (1962)
Not Rated | 84 min | Drama, Romance, War
In German-occupied Italy during World War II, an American paratrooper on a mission to blow up a bridge enlists the help of five Italians just released from a military prison, and a sexy Italian girl who joined up with them along the road.
Directors: Leopoldo Savona, George Gonneau | Stars: Jack Palance, Giovanna Ralli, Serge Reggiani, Folco Lulli
Votes: 116
52. Torpedo Bay (1963)
99 min | War, Drama
An Italian submarine captain tries to navigate his sub through enemy waters whilst being stalked by a British commander (James Mason). The Italian sub manages to make it into the neutral port of Tangiers, followed by the British commander.
Directors: Charles Frend, Bruno Vailati | Stars: Lilli Palmer, James Mason, Gabriele Ferzetti, Alberto Lupo
Votes: 101
53. Commando (1962)
101 min | Action, War
A French Foreign Legion commander is told to assemble a unit and capture an Algerian rebel leader. He gathers in his old unit, most of whom are no longer in top form. One is having ... See full summary »
Director: Frank Wisbar | Stars: Stewart Granger, Dorian Gray, Leo Anchóriz, Rafael Luis Calvo
Votes: 95
54. The Shortest Day (1963)
95 min | Comedy, War
Two jerks are enlisted in the Italian army during W.W.1 and by pure luck manage to help win an important battle.
Director: Sergio Corbucci | Stars: Ciccio Ingrassia, Franco Franchi, Gino Cervi, Totò
Votes: 331
55. Two Colonels (1963)
90 min | Comedy
In WWII Greece, two enemy Colonels, one Italian and the other English, develop a grudging friendship which the war will test.
Director: Steno | Stars: Totò, Walter Pidgeon, Nino Taranto, Scilla Gabel
Votes: 663
56. War Italian Style (1965)
Approved | 84 min | Comedy
In May 1943, two American soldiers, Joe and Frank, of Italian descent are searching the North African desert for a German general called Von Kassler, when they are captured by Von Kassler ... See full summary »
Director: Luigi Scattini | Stars: Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, Buster Keaton, Fred Clark
Votes: 245
57. Italiani brava gente (1964)
137 min | Drama, History, War
Chronicle of the unheralded and unsuccessful invasion of the Soviet Union by the Italian army during World War II.
Director: Giuseppe De Santis | Stars: Arthur Kennedy, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Raffaele Pisu, Tatyana Samoylova
Votes: 409
58. Scorticateli vivi (1978)
95 min | Adventure
Colonel Franz Kübler leads a pack of mercenaries in an unnamed African nation.
Director: Mario Siciliano | Stars: Bryan Rostron, Mario Novelli, Giuseppe Castellano, Pier Luigi Giorgio
Votes: 86
59. The Last Hunter (1980)
95 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
During the Vietnam war, an American soldier gets trapped behind enemy lines. A squad of his buddies sets out to rescue him.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: David Warbeck, Tisa Farrow, Tony King, Bobby Rhodes
Votes: 1,041
60. The Last Blood (1983)
TV-14 | 90 min | Action, Drama, War
During the Vietnam war, an army sergeant rebels against his tyrant commanding officer, whilst they are cut off by the enemy in the jungle. Things get worse for all of them after that.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Giancarlo Prete, Antonio Marsina, Luciano Pigozzi, Paul Vance
Votes: 308
61. Casablanca Express (1989)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Thriller, War
In 1942, a commando is assigned to protect Winston Churchill when it is learned that the Nazis are plotting to kidnap him.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: Jason Connery, Francesco Quinn, Jinny Steffan, Manfred Lehmann
Votes: 619
62. Strike Commando (1987)
R | 104 min | Action, Adventure, War
In the Vietnam war, an American soldier survives a botched mission, with help from a group of locals who perceive him as a hero. He's sent back for a reconnaissance mission, only to find his helpers massacred by a brutal Russian soldier.
Director: Bruno Mattei | Stars: Reb Brown, Christopher Connelly, Louise Kamsteeg, Luciano Pigozzi
Votes: 1,145
63. Strike Commando 2 (1988)
95 min | Action, Adventure, War
An ex-army major is kidnapped by terrorists in the Philippines, demanding ten million dollars worth of diamonds. Michael, a Vietnam vet who served under him, goes on a solo mission determined to rescue him.
Directors: Bruno Mattei, Claudio Fragasso | Stars: Brent Huff, Mary Stavin, Richard Harris, Mel Davidson
Votes: 435
64. Delta Force Commando (1987)
R | 89 min | Action
Latin American revolutionaries invade a military base on Puerto Rico, and steal a nuclear bomb, killing a pregnant woman in the process. Captain Beck (Fred Williamson) is assigned to track ... See full summary »
Director: Pierluigi Ciriaci | Stars: Brett Baxter Clark, Fred Williamson, Mark Gregory, Bo Svenson
Votes: 405
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