"The real glory of war," Samuel Fuller said, "is surviving." A decorated combatant with the famed U.S. First Infantry in WWII, Fuller survived. His 1980 film version of his war experiences did not until now. Working with 70,000 feet of vault materials and Fuller's shooting script, critic/filmmaker Richard Schickel heads a reconstruction that adds over 40 minutes and transforms a truncated but admired war film into an epic masterwork. Lee Marvin, in a richly layered performance now revealed as one of his finest, stars as the sergeant of peach-fuzzed riflemen fighting from North Africa to Normandy and across Europe. The film is the squad's combat diary, war as it's fought and sweated and bled, and, maybe, survived.

MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Issued by: Laser Blazer DVD and Laserdisc, April 26, 2005
CAST AND CREW OF ‘BIG RED ONE’ REUNITE FOR LASER BLAZER EVENT
On Thursday, May 5th, Laser Blazer, West Los Angeles’ premiere location for new and used DVD’s, will proudly host an autograph signing with the cast and crew of Samuel Fuller’s 1980 masterpiece “The Big Red One” in commemoration of the first DVD release of this extended, restored masterpiece.
This unique event reunites stars Mark Hamill (“Star Wars ”), Robert Carradine (“The Long Riders”), Kelly Ward (“Grease”), Ken Campbell (“A Fish Called Wanda”), Joseph Clark (“Luther the Geek”) and Perry Lang (“Sunshine State”) along with Time film reviewer Richard Schickel, who assisted in the film’s restoration, Brian Jamieson and Brian Hamblin, who produced the reconstruction, composer Dana Kaproff (“The Golden Seal”) and members of Fuller and Lee Marvin’s families.
“Big Red One” relates the harrowing story of one Sergeant (Marvin) and four soldiers (Carradine, Hamill, Ward and Bobby DiCicco) fighting in the Army’s First Infantry during WWII. Their combat journey from Vichy French Africa to Italy to the beaches of Normandy, and eventually into the heart of Nazi Germany, mirrors Fuller’s own experiences as a decorated combatant in the US Army’s First Infantry.
The DVD release marks the first time Fuller’s film can be viewed as it was meant to be seen, not in the truncated and heavily edited version presently available. Working with 70,000 feet of vault film stock and Fuller’s own shooting script, Schickel and team reconstructed “The Big Red One” from scratch, leaving the editing room with a cut featuring 40 minutes of previously unseen footage.
Laser Blazer is pleased to present this latest event in our ongoing autograph series. Previous guests have included director Guillermo del Toro, musician Ray Manzarek, actor Stewart Granger and special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. The store boasts thousands of out-of-print, catalog and used films on DVD, as well as over 16,000 titles available for rent.
The event will run from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, May 5th. Laser Blazer is located at 10587 W. Pico Blvd., in Rancho Park, a few blocks east of the Westside Pavillion. The phone number is (310) 475-4788.