A Man Called Sarge
Encyclopedia
A Man Called Sarge is a 1990
American parody film
, written and directed by Stuart Gillard
, starring Gary Kroeger
, Marc Singer
, Gretchen German
and introducing a young Natasha Lyonne
. Set during the World War II
North Africa
n Western Desert Campaign
, it follows a misadventurous squad of French Foreign Legion
deserters, led by their charismatic Sarge
, who set out across the Sahara
desert to strike a blow on the Nazi-occupied city of Tobruk
.
The humour is built on slapstick
and verbal pun
s, in the fashion of comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
, spoofing
a variety of classic war movies – notably Casablanca
– and the stereotype
s of the genre
. Sarge (Gary Kroeger), the anti-hero
protagonist, is a patriot with an over-the-top John Wayne
persona
. The antagonist
, General Von Kraut (Marc Singer), is a derogatory portrayal of a Nazi commander – extremely evil, perverted and a poor decision maker – emphasized by his name, as kraut
is often used as a pejorative
term for German soldiers. Furthermore, Sarge's group of misfit soldiers include a Native American
, a New York Jew, a hillbilly
and a French
officer
in the style of Maurice Chevalier
.
A memorable moment in the movie is when Miss Sadie (Gretchen German), a naïve mission
school teacher, sings a song called "Jesus was a Black Dude", with a full gospel
choir, to the Arab
children in her class.
The film was shot on location
in Israel
.
-born actor Gary Kroeger was mostly remembered for his work on the late-night comedy
and variety TV show
Saturday Night Live
, where he was a regular
from 1982 to 1985. Although Kroeger had starred in a few films prior to and after A Man Called Sarge, this is the only time he played the title role
in a feature film
. He had previously worked with director Stuart Gillard as the main character
in Disney
's 1987 television movie
The Return of the Shaggy Dog
.
Marc Singer was a well established TV actor when he enrolled as General Von Kraut, with a career spanning almost 20 years, including the lead role in the highly successful series V. As a feature actor, he was best known for the 1982 film The Beastmaster
, which grew a cult film
status. A Man Called Sarge marks a return to the big screen and the start of a prolific film career during the 1990s. This was the Canadian-American
actor's second collaboration with producer Gene Corman, the first being If You Could See What I Hear
, released in 1982. They worked together again on Watchers II
, released in the summer of 1990.
Canadian actress Gretchen German had an active television career since the mid-'80s when she was cast
for the role of Sarge's love interest, Miss Sadie, marking her debut in feature film.
American
actress Natasha Lyonne, who was living in Israel at the time, achieved her first credited
feature film role as a young Arab girl who gets punched in the face by General Von Kraut, while trying to defend Miss Sadie, her teacher. She is credited as Natasha Leon. She continued her acting career in the USA and is mainly recognized for her supporting role
in the American Pie film series.
Documentary film director, Bob Dylan
historian and musician Joel Gilbert
was a young assistant accountant
during production and also took the opportunity to play a small part in the movie.
, from a 1988 script by director Stuart Gillard
. Serving as executive producers were Yoram Globus
and Christopher Pearce, heads of Cannon Pictures at the time. This film is part of the early 1990s attempt by Globus, an Israeli veteran producer, to save and rebuild Cannon under new administration, after the departure of his cousin and longtime business partner Menahem Golan
and the financial distress
in the late 1980s. Eventually, The Cannon Group filed bankruptcy a few years later.
Gene Corman had previously produced Tobruk, a 1967 war action film, set during the failed British attempt
to capture Tobruk, in September 1942.
Although the city of Tobruk
is located in Libya
, filming was done in Israel
. One of the final scenes, the showdown between Sarge and Von Kraut, was shot in the Khan al-Umdan
caravanserai
, in the historical centre of Acre
.
on February 2, 1990, earning $92,706 at the domestic box office
. It was released on VHS
later the same year and re-released in 2001, as an Amazon.com
exclusive. The film received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA
, ab 16 from FSK
and 15 from the BBFC
.
On some promotional material, the taglines used were:
Like many other low budget films, A Man Called Sarge has a complex history of copyright
ownership and distribution
rights. Cannon Releasing, part of The Cannon Group, handled the theatrical distribution rights. Worldwide video distribution was in charge of Cannon Video, in association with several partners, including MGM/UA Home Video and Warner Home Video
.
Currently, the film's rights are owned by MGM
, after the acquisition of The Cannon Group catalogue, almost in its entirety, following bankruptcy in 1993.
Although British
actor Andy Greenhalgh, who played the role of Major Browning, estimates this to be "a long-forgotten American feature film", it occasionally airs on TV channels around the world, mainly through MGM's This TV
and its affiliates.
Nevertheless, , no digital edition
has yet been set for release, pushing Greenhalgh's estimation closer to reality.
Database
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
American parody film
Parody film
A parody film is a comedy that satirizes other film genres or films. Although the genre is often overlooked, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office...
, written and directed by Stuart Gillard
Stuart Gillard
Stuart Gillard is a Canadian film and television director. He is most notably known for directing RocketMan in 1997.He also wrote and directed the romance film Paradise in 1982....
, starring Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger is an American actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985.Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kroeger attended Northern University High School and graduated from Northwestern University in 1981. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during Lorne Michaels' hiatus...
, Marc Singer
Marc Singer
Marc Singer is a Canadian-born American actor best known for his roles in the Beastmaster film series and as Mike Donovan in the original 1980s TV series V.-Personal life:...
, Gretchen German
Gretchen German
Gretchen German is a Canadian-born American actress who has appeared in both film and television. She is best known for her guest roles in an episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and as Joe Hackett's girlfriend, Gail, during the third season of Wings...
and introducing a young Natasha Lyonne
Natasha Lyonne
-Early life:Lyonne was born Natasha Braunstein in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Yvette Lyonne, a product licensing consultant, and Aaron Braunstein, a native of Brooklyn who worked as a boxing promoter. Lyonne grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household...
. Set during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
, it follows a misadventurous squad of French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
deserters, led by their charismatic Sarge
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, who set out across the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert to strike a blow on the Nazi-occupied city of Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
.
The humour is built on slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
and verbal pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, in the fashion of comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker are an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specializes in slapstick comedy films during the 1980s and the early 1990s...
, spoofing
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
a variety of classic war movies – notably Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
– and the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s of the genre
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
. Sarge (Gary Kroeger), the anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
protagonist, is a patriot with an over-the-top John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
. The antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, General Von Kraut (Marc Singer), is a derogatory portrayal of a Nazi commander – extremely evil, perverted and a poor decision maker – emphasized by his name, as kraut
Kraut
Kraut is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as a derogatory term for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional German and central European food.- Etymological...
is often used as a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term for German soldiers. Furthermore, Sarge's group of misfit soldiers include a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, a New York Jew, a hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
and a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in the style of Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
.
A memorable moment in the movie is when Miss Sadie (Gretchen German), a naïve mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
school teacher, sings a song called "Jesus was a Black Dude", with a full gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
choir, to the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
children in her class.
The film was shot on location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Cast
At the time of production, IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
-born actor Gary Kroeger was mostly remembered for his work on the late-night comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
and variety TV show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, where he was a regular
Saturday Night Live cast
The following is a list of Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present. The cast members of Saturday Night Live are often referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players".-List of cast members:...
from 1982 to 1985. Although Kroeger had starred in a few films prior to and after A Man Called Sarge, this is the only time he played the title role
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
in a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
. He had previously worked with director Stuart Gillard as the main character
Leading actor
A leading actor, leading actress, star, or simply lead, plays the role of the protagonist in a film or play. The word lead may also refer to the largest role in the piece and leading actor may refer to a person who typically plays such parts or an actor with a respected body of work...
in Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's 1987 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The Return of the Shaggy Dog
The Return of the Shaggy Dog
Return of the Shaggy Dog is a 1987 two-part television movie midquel to the 1959 feature film The Shaggy Dog, but the character timelines are before that of the 1976 film The Shaggy D.A., all produced by The Walt Disney Company....
.
Marc Singer was a well established TV actor when he enrolled as General Von Kraut, with a career spanning almost 20 years, including the lead role in the highly successful series V. As a feature actor, he was best known for the 1982 film The Beastmaster
The Beastmaster (film)
The Beastmaster is 1982 fantasy film directed by Don Coscarelli that starred Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. The film was marketed with the tagline "Born with the courage of an eagle, the strength of a black tiger, and the power of a god."-Summary:The Beastmaster tells the story...
, which grew a cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
status. A Man Called Sarge marks a return to the big screen and the start of a prolific film career during the 1990s. This was the Canadian-American
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
actor's second collaboration with producer Gene Corman, the first being If You Could See What I Hear
If You Could See What I Hear
If You Could See What I Hear is a 1982 biography/drama movie about blind musician Tom Sullivan, starring Marc Singer and Shari Belafonte, directed by Eric Till.Tagline: The true story of a born winner!-Plot summary:...
, released in 1982. They worked together again on Watchers II
Watchers II
Watchers II is the 1990 sequel to the Canadian horror film Watchers. Starring Marc Singer and Tracy Scoggins, the film is loosely based on the novel Watchers by Dean Koontz.-Plot:...
, released in the summer of 1990.
Canadian actress Gretchen German had an active television career since the mid-'80s when she was cast
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
for the role of Sarge's love interest, Miss Sadie, marking her debut in feature film.
American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
actress Natasha Lyonne, who was living in Israel at the time, achieved her first credited
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
feature film role as a young Arab girl who gets punched in the face by General Von Kraut, while trying to defend Miss Sadie, her teacher. She is credited as Natasha Leon. She continued her acting career in the USA and is mainly recognized for her supporting role
Supporting actor
A supporting actor is an actor who performs roles in a play or film other than that of the leads.These roles range from bit parts to secondary leads. They are sometimes but not necessarily character roles. A supporting actor must also use restraint not to upstage the main actor/actress in the...
in the American Pie film series.
Documentary film director, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
historian and musician Joel Gilbert
Joel Gilbert
Joel Gilbert is an American film director, writer, and musician. Through his production company, Highway 61 Entertainment, Gilbert directed and produced four documentary feature films on Bob Dylan’s music and career, including Bob Dylan World Tour 1966, The Home Movies, and Bob Dylan 1975-1981:...
was a young assistant accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
during production and also took the opportunity to play a small part in the movie.
Production notes
A Man Called Sarge was produced by Gene Corman, brother and production partner of Roger CormanRoger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, from a 1988 script by director Stuart Gillard
Stuart Gillard
Stuart Gillard is a Canadian film and television director. He is most notably known for directing RocketMan in 1997.He also wrote and directed the romance film Paradise in 1982....
. Serving as executive producers were Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus Yoram Globus Yoram Globus (born 21 October 1941 in Tiberias, Israel, is an Israeli director and producer who is most famous for his association with Cannon Films Inc., a company he ran with his cousin Menahem Golan....
and Christopher Pearce, heads of Cannon Pictures at the time. This film is part of the early 1990s attempt by Globus, an Israeli veteran producer, to save and rebuild Cannon under new administration, after the departure of his cousin and longtime business partner Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
and the financial distress
Financial distress
Financial distress is a term in Corporate Finance used to indicate a condition when promises to creditors of a company are broken or honored with difficulty. Sometimes financial distress can lead to bankruptcy...
in the late 1980s. Eventually, The Cannon Group filed bankruptcy a few years later.
Gene Corman had previously produced Tobruk, a 1967 war action film, set during the failed British attempt
Operation Agreement
Operation Agreement consisted of a series of ground and amphibious operations carried out by British, Rhodesian and New Zealand forces on German and Italian-held Tobruk on 13 September 1942, during the Second World War. A Special Interrogation Group, fluent in German, also took part in missions...
to capture Tobruk, in September 1942.
Although the city of Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
is located in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, filming was done in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. One of the final scenes, the showdown between Sarge and Von Kraut, was shot in the Khan al-Umdan
Khan al-Umdan
Khan al-Umdan is the largest and best preserved khan in Israel. Located in the Old City of Acre, it is one of the prominent projects constructed during the rule of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha in Ottoman era Palestine.-Ottoman period:...
caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
, in the historical centre of Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
.
Release
A Man Called Sarge had a short-running theatrical releaseFilm release
A film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film...
on February 2, 1990, earning $92,706 at the domestic box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. It was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
later the same year and re-released in 2001, as an Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
exclusive. The film received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
, ab 16 from FSK
Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft
The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft is a German motion picture rating system organisation run by the Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft based in Wiesbaden.- Assignment :The main tasks of the FSK are approving and rating movies and trailers, videos and DVDs, and...
and 15 from the BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
.
On some promotional material, the taglines used were:
- They have no fear. No shame. No chance. All would be lost except for... A Man Called Sarge
- First there was AirplaneAirplane!Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
. Then there was Police Academy. Now it's time for... A Man Called Sarge - Wo wir sind, ist die front! — GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for Where we are, is the front!
Like many other low budget films, A Man Called Sarge has a complex history of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ownership and distribution
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
rights. Cannon Releasing, part of The Cannon Group, handled the theatrical distribution rights. Worldwide video distribution was in charge of Cannon Video, in association with several partners, including MGM/UA Home Video and Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
.
Currently, the film's rights are owned by MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, after the acquisition of The Cannon Group catalogue, almost in its entirety, following bankruptcy in 1993.
Although British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actor Andy Greenhalgh, who played the role of Major Browning, estimates this to be "a long-forgotten American feature film", it occasionally airs on TV channels around the world, mainly through MGM's This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
and its affiliates.
Nevertheless, , no digital edition
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
has yet been set for release, pushing Greenhalgh's estimation closer to reality.
See also
- Second Battle of El AlameinSecond Battle of El AlameinThe Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
- List of comedy films of the 1990s
External links
- A Man Called Sarge at MGM Studios, current owner of the film's rights
- Trailer from VHS Cassette at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Review on Issue 15 of Cashiers du CinemartCashiers du CinemartCashiers du Cinemart is a magazine and a webzine about independent film, published and edited by Mike_White_.The print version began in 1994 as a zine and evolved over the late 1990s into a more typical magazine format. The title is a parody of the French film magazine, Cahiers du cinéma. It ceased...
, by Mike Sullivan - Christian Movie Review at Movieguide
Database