WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

ianlouisiana 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".

kgbruno 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.

gstevens-2 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.

rreinhold 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.