Inchon (film): Difference between revisions

| name = Inchon

| released = {{Film date|1981|05|04|[[Washington, D.C.]]|1982|09|17|NorthUnited AmericaStates}}

| runtime = 140 minutes <small>(Premiere cut)</small><ref name="canby" /><br>105 minutes <small>(Theatrical)</small>

| country = {{hlistubl|South Korea|United States}}

| language = {{hlistubl|English|Korean}}

'''''Inchon''''' (also stylized as '''''Inchon!''''') is a 1981 [[Epic film|epic]] [[war film]] about the [[Battle of Inchon]], considered to be the turning point of the [[Korean War]]. Directed by [[Terence Young (director)|Terence Young]] and financed by [[Unification movement]] founder [[Sun Myung Moon]], the film stars [[Laurence Olivier]] as General [[Douglas MacArthur]], who led the [[United States]]' surprise [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious landing]] at [[Incheon]], [[South Korea]] in 1950, alongsidewith [[Jacqueline Bisset]], [[Ben Gazzara]], [[Toshirō Mifune|Toshiro Mifune]] and [[Richard Roundtree]].

''Inchon''{{'}}s plot includes both military action and human drama. Characters face danger and are involved in various personal and dramatic situations. The film concludes with the American victory over [[North Korea]]nKorean forces in the Battle of Inchon, which is considered to have saved South Korea. Produced on $46 million with filming taking place in [[South Korea]], [[California]], [[Italy]], [[Ireland (country)|Ireland]] and [[Japan]], it encountered many problems during production, including a typhoon and the death of a cast member. Both the Unification movement and the United States military provided personnel as [[Extra (actor)|extras]] during the filming.

After premiering in May 1981, the film was released theatrically in the United States and Canada in September 1982, before being quickly withdrawn due to critical and financial failure. Never receiving a home video release, it has occasionally been broadcast on television. It was the largest financial loss in film of 1982, earning less than $2 million against its lofty budget and resulting in losses of around $41 million. Reviewers at the time gave it consistently negative reviews and later commentators including ''[[Newsweek]]'', ''[[TV Guide]]'' and [[The Canadian Press|Canadian Press]] have classed ''Inchon'' among the [[List of films considered the worst#Inchon (1981)|worst films of all time]].

The film depicts the [[Battle of Inchon]] during the [[Korean War]], which took place September 15–19, 1950, and is considered the turning point of the war. The protagonist of the film is General [[Douglas MacArthur]], who led the [[United States]] surprise [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious landing]] at [[Incheon]] in 1950. A subplot in the film involves an American couple who encounter difficulties in their relationship because of the ongoing war.

''Inchon'' begins with [[North Korea]]nKorean soldiers moving past the [[38th parallel north]] into [[South Korea]] in June 1950. People flee to the country's capital, [[Seoul]]. One of the displaced people is Barbara Hallsworth, a U.S. Army [[major]]'s wife who lives in a village on the 38th parallel. She is chauffeured to Seoul in a limousine, picking up five South Korean children along the way. After her chauffeur is killed, she drives them to a safe location called the Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Along the way, she shoots a North Korean soldier.

Journalists David Feld, Park, and Longfellow are attending a [[press conference]] held by MacArthur in [[Tokyo]]. MacArthur, however, does not show. He agrees with his wife Jean, that he is the only person who can rescue South Korea from the invasion by the North Koreans.

Hallsworth and his former lover succeed in turning on a [[lighthouse]] to signal 261 U.S. ships, and the South Korean woman's father activates mines in the channel. She dies during the ensuing battle. The U.S. troops drive out the North Korean forces and the cheering people wave South Korean and American flags. The film proper ends with MacArthur reciting the [[Lord's Prayer]]; after this scene, a [[newsreel]] of MacArthur is shown.

[[Sun Myung Moon]] formed One Way Productions in 1974, with Japanese newspaper publisher Mitsuharu Ishii as its head.{{sfn|Medved|Medved|1984|p=188}} Before deciding on making a war film, Moon and Ishii considered making [[biopic]]sbiopics of [[Jesus]] or [[Elvis Presley]].<ref name="niemi" /><ref name="TV Guide" /> In 1978, [[psychic]] [[JeanneJeane Dixon]] was consulted to communicate with the spirit of General MacArthur, and Dixon said that MacArthur's spirit endorsed the production of the film.<ref name="suid" /><ref name="niemi" /><ref name="TV Guide" /> Dixon also helped choose [[Terence Young (director)|Terence Young]], known for the [[James Bond]] films ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'', ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'', and ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]'', to direct the film.<ref name="niemi" /><ref name="TV Guide" />

''Inchon'' was financed by Moon and Ishii.<ref name="vermilye" /><ref name="niemi">{{cite book | last =Niemi | first =Robert | title =History in the Media: Film and Television | url =https://archive.org/details/historymediafilm00niem | url-access =limited | publisher =[[ABC-CLIO]] | year =2006 | page =[https://archive.org/details/historymediafilm00niem/page/n174 151] | isbn = 978-1-57607-952-2}}</ref><ref name="TV Guide">{{cite news|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/inchon/review/102041/|title=Inchon - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings|last=TV Guide staff|work=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> Moon was involved with the film's production from the very beginning.<ref name="suid" /> Ishii, a member of the [[Unification movement]] in Japan and a friend of Moon, served as the film's producer; and Moon, although credited as "Special Advisor on Korean Matters", contributed $30 million to One Way Productions.<ref name="suid" /><ref name="kelleher">{{cite news | last =Kelleher | first =Terry | title ='Inchon reflects only the cult of bad moviemaking | work =[[The Miami Herald]] | page =5C | date =September 20, 1982 }}</ref><ref name="allen" /> Moon initially did not want the public to know that he was behind the financing of the film and its production;<ref name="niemi" /> however, upon the film's U.S. release, Moon was identified in newspaper ads as the film's "special advisor".<ref>{{cite news |title=Advertisement for ''Inchon'' |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 17, 1982 |page=C7}}</ref> Ishii said he was instructed by God to make the film.<ref name="kelleher" /> Additional funding was provided by Robert Standard, the associate producer and a member of the [[Unification Church of the United States]].<ref name="suid" /><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/ten-billionaires-stung-hollywood/|title=Ten Billionaires Who Were Stung by Hollywood|date=March 10, 2020}}</ref>

Ishii said he was a member of the Unification movement "just like a Catholic is a member of the Catholic Church and I believe Rev. Moon is very sincere about doing the Lord's work". Ishii was president of the ''World Daily News'', which is published by Moon's media conglomerate [[News World Communications]] which also published other newspapers, including ''[[The Washington Times]]'' in the United States.

''Inchon'' was initially budgeted at $18 million,{{sfn|Medved|Medved|1984|p=190}} but cost $46 million to produce.<ref name="boxofficemojo" /><ref name="inchontops" /><ref name="rickey">{{cite news | last =Rickey | first =Carrie (Knight-Ridder Tribune News Service) | title =$44.1 million loss earns 'Inchon' dubious honor | work =[[Austin American-Statesman]] | page =G3 | date =December 28, 1989 }}</ref> Attempts to solicit funding from Japanese banks fell through, and so the entire project was funded by Moon and the Unification Church.<ref name="coleman" />

In his book ''Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America'', author and scholar of religion [[J. Gordon Melton]] noted that "Moon has attempted to project his ideas into all areas of American society" and cited ''Inchon'' as an example.<ref>{{cite book | last =Melton | first = J. Gordon | author-link = J. Gordon Melton | title =Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America | publisher =Routledge | year =1992 | page =298 | isbn = 0-8153-1140-0}}</ref> Moon later said in a talk to movement members: "Why did we put so much effort into the movie ''Inchon''? No matter what the result the motivation was for people to understand about MacArthur. I wanted to show how MacArthur loved God and loved people. MacArthur came to Japan after World War II and put the nation back together. He really respected and loved the people. He also loved God very much and fought with great strength against tyranny and communism. That is what I want the people to understand."<ref>[http://www.unification.net/gwo/820828.html Ocean Church and America] Sun Myung Moon, 1982</ref>

Moore commented on the writing process: "The theme I had to deal with in ''Inchon'' was too big for a movie that was less than two hours. When Toho was originally involved, they wanted a love story between an American boy and a Korean girl. My technique is to research and then fictionalize, a technique I used successfully in ''[[The French Connection (book)|French Connection]]''. But I had to fictionalize the real landing at Inchon, making it seem that a lighthouse was a pivotal factor when in fact it wasn't. I couldn't do that, which is why other writers were brought in."<ref name="mccabe">{{cite news | last =McCabe | first =Bruce | title =Movies Bruce McCabe - Moon and Inchon | work =[[Boston Globe]] | publisher =Globe Newspaper Company | date =September 17, 1982 }}</ref>

Ishii instructed Moore to include an emphasis on General MacArthur's spiritualism and faith in divine guidance. He told Moore to include three separate love stories in the film, "one between two Americans, one between two Koreans, and one between an American and a Korean". Moore explained that "the love stories were supposed to tell the story of the tragedy of Korea, the tragedy of the Korean War". Ishii stated to Moore that he did not wish for the movie to turn into an "anti-Communist tract". Prior toBefore the completion of the film's [[screenplay]], the film's producers encountered difficulties obtaining an affiliation with a movie studio. Ishii said that [[North Korea]] placed pressure on [[Toho Studios]] through [[labor union]]s in [[Japan]], requesting that the studio pulled out of its affiliation with ''Inchon''. The labor unions criticized the film's production, saying that it was influenced by Moon and his Unification movement, in addition to the [[Korean CIA]] and was part of an effort to support the president of [[South Korea]]. Because of this criticism, Toho Studios canceled its participation in the ''Inchon'' project.<ref name="suid" />

[[Laurence Olivier]] was paid $1 million to play General [[Douglas MacArthur]] in the film.<ref name="niemi" /> He was contracted for six weeks of filming, and received a payment of $250,000 upon signing the contract and the remainder was given in four subsequent installments.<ref name="coleman" /> His salary came out to $50,000 per day.<ref name="mccabe" /> In addition to this fee, Olivier also received $2,500 per week for his expenses.<ref name="coleman" /> Olivier was interviewed during the film's production and explained why he agreed to be part of its cast: "People ask me why I'm playing in this picture. The answer is simple. Money, dear boy. I'm like a vintage wine. You have to drink me quickly before I turn sour. I'm almost used up now and I can feel the end coming. That's why I'm taking money now. I've got nothing to leave my family but the money I can make from films. Nothing is beneath me if it pays well. I've earned the right to damn well grab whatever I can in the time I've got left."<ref name="vermilye">{{cite book | last =Vermilye | first =Jerry | title =The Complete Films Of Laurence Olivier | publisher =Citadel Press | year =1992 | pages =214–216 | isbn = 0-8065-1302-0}}</ref>

Olivier researched the role by traveling to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] to visit the MacArthur Museum, and speaking with [[Alexander Haig]], who had served as ''[[aide-de-camp]]'' to MacArthur.<ref name="coleman" /> Haig told Olivier that MacArthur's voice sounded like [[W. C. Fields]], and Olivier tried to imitate this.<ref name="TV Guide" /> He enjoyed working with accents and obtained recordings of MacArthur's voice. He was interested in various inconsistencies in these recordings, and especially in the difference in vowel sounds made by MacArthur.<ref name="vermilye" /> During filming, the makeup process for Olivier took two and a half hours, but after it was complete, he thought he neither looked like himself nor like General MacArthur.<ref name="coleman" />

The 72-year-old Olivier, who had been in poor health for years, suffered during filming in [[Seoul]] because of the summer heat. Director Terence Young recalled that between takes Olivier lay on a cot, virtually immobile with pain and exhaustion, but that when needed "he dropped fifty years and stepped forward without complaint".<ref>''Laurence Olivier: A Biography'', Donald Spoto, Cooper Square Press, 2001, p.393.</ref>

[[Richard Roundtree]], known for the title role in the film ''[[Shaft (1971 film)|Shaft]]'', portrayed the character of Staff Sgt. Henderson in the film.<ref name="allen" /> Janssen, known for his role in television series ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', accepted a part as a journalist to work with Laurence Olivier.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.davidjanssen.net/chron17.htm | title = The David Jansen Archives | access-date = 2010-03-16}}</ref> Actress Karen Kahn portrayed the young Korean lover of Major Frank Hallsworth in the film. In a subsequent interview with ''[[The Press Democrat]]'', Kahn said of the film: "It was supposed to be this ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''. And it was the worst movie. It's in some of those worst-films-of-all-time books. After that movie I quit. I just couldn't take L.A. I was really thin-skinned. So I just got out."<ref name="garcia">{{cite news | last =Garcia | first = Chris | title =Windsor mom gets break in 'Village' | work =[[The Press Democrat]] | page =Q5 | date =October 30, 1994 }}</ref>

[[Jerry Goldsmith]] wrote the score for the film.<ref name="ryanonmovies">{{cite news | last =Ryan | first =Desmond | title =On movies - For the moviemakers, it was a billion-dollar summer | work =[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | page =I03 | date =September 19, 1982}}</ref> The music was recorded at Rome's Forum Studio in July 1980 and was fraught with difficulties—the studio was not large enough for his orchestra, and room noise made by the players and their equipment affected the tracks.<ref>Joe Sikoryak, pgs. 3-4, liner notes, ''Inchon'' Intrada Special Collection No. 35.</ref>

| collapsed =

| headline = Disc 1: Original LP Presentation

| all_music =

| title1 = Main Title

| length1 = 2:22

| title2 = Resignation

| length2 = 2:10

| title3 title = The Bridge

| length3 length = 3:30

| title4 = The Church

| length4 = 3:57

| title5 = The Mines

| length5 = 4:19

| title6 = Task Force

| length6 = 3:06

| title7 = Medley

| length7 = 2:13

| title8 = Love Theme

| length8 = 3:00

| title9 = The Tanks

| length9 = 3:41

| title10 = Lim's Death

| title11 = The Trucks

| title12 = Inchon Theme

| collapsed =

| headline = Disc 2: Complete Score Restoration

| all_music =

| title1 = Prologue and Main Title

| length1 = 3:48

| title2 = The Bridge

| length2 = 3:30

| title3 = The 38th Parallel

| length3 = 1:17

| title4 = Medley

| length4 = 2:13

| title5 = Love Theme

| length5 = 3:00

| title6 = The Aftermath

| length6 = 0:53

| title7 = The Tanks

| length7 = 3:41

| title8 = A Change of Course

| length8 = 1:13

| title9 = The Church

| length9 = 2:24

| title10 = MacArthur's Arrival

| title11 = The Harbor

| title12 = The Trucks

| title13 = Corpses

| title14 = The Children

| title15 = The Apology

| title16 = The Lighthouse

| title17 = The Clock Watcher

| title18 = The Mines

| title19 = Resignation

| title20 = The Landing

| title21 = Lim's Death

| title22 = The Scroll

| title23 = Task Force

| title24 = Inchon Theme

The world premiere was held in [[Washington, D.C.]], on May 4, 1981, via special screening at the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]],<ref name="suid" /><ref name="allen">{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Henry|title=Pickets & Politics at the Second Battle of 'Inchon'|newspaper =[[The Washington Post]]| page=B1|date=May 5, 1981}}</ref> as a benefit for retired [[United States Navy]] personnel chaired by Senator [[Alfonse D'Amato]].<ref name="pond">{{cite news|last= Pond|first=Steve|title=Epic deals|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=E7|date=August 12, 1982}}</ref> This was the only time the film was screened in its full 140-minute version.<ref name="vermilye" /> Between 25 and 100 protesters came to demonstrate outside the Center.<ref name="allen" /><ref name="romano" /><ref name="criticscarry">{{cite news|last=Washington Star|author-link=Washington Star|title=Critics carry warning signs: It's Moon|work =[[Boston Globe]]| publisher=Globe Newspaper Company|date=May 5, 1981}}</ref>

The gala was a benefit for retired Naval personalpersonnel sponsored by D'Amato, but he declined to attend when it was announced that Moon would be in attendance.{{sfn|Medved|Medved|1984|p=195-196}} Twelve [[United States Congress|Congressmen]]congressmen signed on as honorary members of the benefit committee. Although an additional forty-eight Members of Congress accepted tickets to the premiere, Lawrence H. Suid wrote in ''Guts & Glory'' that "...&nbsp;no more than fifteen or sixteen were willing to brave the pickets outside the Kennedy Center protesting the Unification Church and its involvement with the movie."<ref name="suid" />

On February 13, 1982, President [[Ronald Reagan]], himself a former film actor and president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]],<ref name="SAG">{{cite web|url= http://www.sag.org/history/presidents/reagan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228063556/http://www.sag.org/history/presidents/reagan.html|archive-date= 2007-12-28 |title=Screen Actors Guild Presidents: Ronald Reagan|publisher=Screen Actors Guild|access-date=November 10, 2008}}</ref> screened the film in the [[White House]].<ref name="gorenfeld" /> He noted in his [[The Reagan Diaries|diary]]: "Ran ''Inchon''—it is a brutal but gripping picture about the Korean War and for once we're the good guys and the Communists are the villains. The producer was Japanese or Korean which probably explains the preceding sentence".<ref>Reagan, Ronald, [[The Reagan Diaries]], 2009, [[HarperCollins]] {{ISBN|0-06-155833-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-06-155833-7}}</ref>

The Unification movement wanted to distribute on their own, but Young told them this would result in a "total disaster".<ref name="coleman" /> The Church did however front the full $11 million promotion budget.<ref name="ryanreview">{{cite news | last =Ryan | first =Desmond | title =Review - MacArthur as a soldier of Christ | work =[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | page =D01 | date =September 20, 1982 }}</ref> The press releases made many mystical claims, such as of a [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29]] bomber pilot seeing the face of Jesus Christ during the war, or of MacArthur's spirit causing his face to appear on a photograph of his office door.<ref name="suid" /> The press kit also claimed that MacArthur had endorsed the film from the spiritual world (MacArthur having died in 1964).<ref name="gorenfeld">{{cite book | last =Gorenfeld | first =John | title =Bad Moon Rising | publisher =PoliPointPress | year =2008 | page =[https://archive.org/details/badmoonrisinghow00gore/page/128 128] | isbn =978-0-9794822-3-6 | url =https://archive.org/details/badmoonrisinghow00gore/page/128 }}</ref>

''Inchon'' screened at the [[1982 Cannes Film Festival|35th Cannes Film Festival]] in May 1982 but failed to interest any buyers despite a $250,000 publicity campaign,<ref name="ryan" /><ref name="goldfarb" /><ref name="stiratcannes">{{cite news|last=United Press International|author-link=United Press International|title=Disputed Korean Film Creating Stir at Cannes|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 18, 1982|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/18/movies/disputed-korean-film-creating-stir-at-cannes.html|access-date= 2009-10-21}}</ref> which included hiring the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan to arrange a large party and give out promotional ''Inchon'' jackets.<ref name="goldfarb">{{cite news|last=Goldfarb|first=Michael|title=Notes From All Over|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=E3|date=May 23, 1982}}</ref>

The film, cut to 105 minutes, was released in the United States on September 17, 1982,<ref name="kelleher" /> andbut was swiftly pulled from theater exhibitionsmexhibitions due to poor commercial performance. It was never shown in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="king">{{cite news|last=King|first=Susan|title=Film flops: Even Hollywood greats trip up - Murphy's 'Nash' may earn him a spot in the hall of shame|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|page=06|date=August 20, 2002}}</ref><ref name="coleman" />

After its release, ''Inchon'' was never theatrically rereleased, and never issued on [[videocassette]] or [[DVD]].<ref name="canby" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Weinberg| first=Marc|title=Money for Nothing|magazine=[[Orange Coast Magazine]]|page=104|publisher=Emmis Communications |issn=0279-0483|date=May 1982}}</ref> However, it did air on U.S. cable television outlet [[YTA TV|Goodlife Television Network]], at the time owned by the Unification movement.<ref name="filmthreat" /> [[Bootleg recording|Bootleg]] copies circulated from individuals that had copied ''Inchon'' from these television broadcasts.<ref name="filmthreat" />

The film's total North American gross was $1.9 million.<ref name="vermilye" /> It eventually took in $5.2 million at the box office.<ref name="boxofficemojo">{{cite web | access-date=2009-10-30|last =Box Office Mojo staff | title =Inchon (1982) | work =[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher =www.boxofficemojo.com | year title=2009 Inchon (1982)| url =https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=inchon.htm|work=Box Office Mojo| access-date year= 2009-10-30 }}</ref> ''Inchon'' lost over $44 million, and was the year's largest cinematic financial failure.<ref name="inchontops" /><ref>{{cite book | last =Hadleigh | first =Boze | title =The Lavender Screen | publisher =Citadel | year =2001 | page =195 | isbn =0-8065-2199-6 }}</ref> In 1989, a survey released by the entertainment research firm Baseline identified ''Inchon'' as "the biggest box-office fiasco of the 1980s".<ref name="inchontops">{{cite news | agency =[[Associated Press]] | title ='Inchon' Tops List of '80s Flops | work =[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | page =E1 | date =November 29, 1989 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Aucoin | first =Don | title =Really gross earnings | work =[[Boston Globe]] | page =12 | publisher =Globe Newspaper Company | date =November 19, 1989}}</ref>

''Inchon'' has been included on multiple lists of [[List of biggest box-office bombs|box -office bomb]]s.<ref name="guthmann" /><ref>{{cite news | last =Tugend | first =Tom | title =Biggest Bombs | work =[[The Jerusalem Post]] | page =06 | date =December 7, 1989 }}</ref> Michael Wilmington of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' placed ''Inchon'' as number six in a "list of Hollywood's 10 worst mega-flops".<ref name="wilmington" /> Wilmington noted that ''Inchon'' displaced the 1980 film ''[[Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'' as "the bomb of the decade".<ref name="wilmington">{{cite news | last =Wilmington | first =Michael | title =Films that went splat - From 'Intolerance' to 'Cutthroat Island.' 10 of Hollywood's messiest box-office disasters | work =[[Chicago Tribune]] | page =5 | date =April 14, 1996 }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' described ''Inchon'' as "one of the biggest commercial disasters in film history".<ref>{{cite news | last =The Washington Post staff | title =Terence Young dies - Directed Bond movies | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =B6 | date =September 9, 1994 }}</ref> In 1995, the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' reported that ''[[The Guinness Book of World Records]]'' called ''Inchon'' "the biggest money-loser in film history".<ref name="guthmann">{{cite news | last =Guthmann | first =Edward | title =Big-Bucks Bombs That Hit Hollywood | work =[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | page =27 | date =July 23, 1995|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/07/23/PK38286.DTL|access-date=2009-10-31 }}</ref> ''Inchon'' was one of the "10 costliest movies", adjusted for [[inflation]], at $173 million in 1997 dollars.<ref>{{cite news | last =Wilmington | first =Michael | title =The costliest | work =[[Chicago Tribune]] | page =1 | date =December 14, 1997 }}</ref> In a 2006 list of "The top 10 biggest box office failures", Kat Giantis of ''[[MSN|MSN Movies]]'' placed ''Inchon'' as tied with ''[[Battlefield Earth (film)|Battlefield Earth]]'' (a [[science fiction film]] based on [[Battlefield Earth (novel)|a novel]] by [[L. Ron Hubbard]], founder of [[Scientology]], the fact this film was based on a book written by the founder of the Scientology religion meant that it was heavily promoted by Scientologists) for number seven.<ref name="giantis">{{cite news | last =Giantis | first =Kat | title =Bombs Away! - The top 10 biggest box office failures | work =[[MSN|MSN Movies]] | publisher =movies.msn.com | year =2006 | url =http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=131054 | access-date =2009-10-31 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101203221523/http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=131054 | archive-date =December 3, 2010 | url-status =dead }}</ref>

Most newspaper reviewers gave negative reviews, among them were ''[[The Boston Globe]]'',<ref name="mccabereview">{{cite news | last =McCabe | first =Bruce | title =Korean War as pop cartoon | work =[[The Boston Globe]] | date =September 18, 1982 198 }}</ref> ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'',<ref name="ryanreview"/> ''[[The Miami Herald]]''<ref name="kelleher" /> and ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref name="arnold">{{cite news | last =Arnold | first =Gary | title ='Inchon': An Epic Bungle | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =D1 | date =September 17, 1982 }}</ref> In ''[[The New York Times]]'', critic [[Vincent Canby]] commented,wrote "''Inchon'' is a hysterical historical epic, somewhat less offensive than ''[[The Green Berets (film)|The Green Berets]]'' and far funnier...''Inchon'' looks like the most expensive B-movie ever made."<ref name="canby" /> A review in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' commented,wrote "Olivier is convincing in his role throughout most of the saga, the only member of the cast to achieve that status. The screenplay generally treats all others as one-dimensional buffoons, giving them lines that are unintentionally laughable. One reason is that all plot digressions are simply window dressing to the film's focus on the brutally invading North Koreans and the big-scale counterattack by the good guys. No speaking roles are given to the Communists, for example."<ref>{{cite news | last =Variety staff | title =Inchon Review | work =[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | publisher =www.variety.com | url =https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117791922.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=inchon | access-date = 2009-10-31 | date=January 1, 1981}}</ref>

Moon founded ''[[The Washington Times]]'' in Washington, D.C., as a part of his international media conglomerate [[News World Communications]] in the same year ''Inchon'' was released.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E5DA1238F93BA25756C0A964948260 AROUND THE NATION; Sun Myung Moon Paper Appears in Washington] from ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> According to ''The Times''' rival ''[[The Washington Post]]'', a full-length two and a half page version of a film review of ''Inchon'' written by critic Scott Sublett that was originally planned for the September 16, 1982 issue of ''The Times'' was killed by the newspaper's publisher and editor [[James R. Whelan]].<ref name="romano">{{cite news | last =Romano | first =Lois | title =Review is Killed | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =C1 | date =September 18, 1982 }}</ref> Whelan told Sublett that ''The Times'' had a [[conflict of interest]] with regard toin reviewing ''Inchon'', and would not print his review.<ref name="romano" /> Instead, ''The Times'' printed a one-paragraph critical synopsis of the film, also written by Sublett, which said in full: "Puerile dialogue, perfunctory acting and haphazard construction doom from the start this visually impressive would-be epic about love and dead Reds in wartime Korea. Olivier (in a performance that is the nadir of his career) joshes, minces and rolls his eyes absurdly as Doug MacArthur. The script, by Robin Moore, is pure twaddle &ndash; a cross between ''South Pacific'' and ''The Green Berets''."<ref name="romano" /><ref name="diddctimes">{{cite news | agency =[[Associated Press]] | title =Did D.C. Times kill critical review of movie? | work =[[The Miami Herald]] | page =19A | date =September 19, 1982 }}</ref> Moore is the author of the novel ''[[The Green Berets (book)|The Green Berets]]'', upon which the [[The Green Berets (film)|1968 film]] was based.{{sfn|Medved|Medved|1984|p=189}} On September 21, ''The Washington Times'' printed ''The New York Times''′ review of the film.<ref name="miljournal">{{cite news | title =D.C. Times fires back | work =[[Milwaukee Journal]] | date =September 21, 1982 }}</ref> Reviewers [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] selected the film as one of the worst of the year in a 1982 episode of their program ''[[Sneak Previews]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=4255 |title=''Sneak Previews'': Worst of 1982 |access-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224050612/http://siskelandebert.org/video/N44N7DM9RKON/At-the-Movies-Stinkers-of-1982 |archive-date=February 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Multiple commentators have described ''Inchon'' as the worst film ever made, including ''The Washington Post'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Mayo |first=Mike |title=Hollywood's untaped resources - worthwhile movies don't always make it to video |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 13, 1997 |page=G7}}</ref> ''[[Newsweek]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Boedeker |first=Hal |title=The Magic of Olivier his film legacy sets standard for all actors |work=[[The Miami Herald]] |page=36G |date=July 21, 1989 |quote=The worst of his choices was probably taking on the role of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1982's Inchon. ''Newsweek'' called Inchon 'the worst movie ever made, a turkey the size of Godzilla.'}}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]''<ref name="TV Guide" /> and the [[The Canadian Press|Canadian Press]].<ref>{{cite news|last=McKay |first=John ([[Canadian Press]]) |title=Welch fleshes out worst in film |work=The Record (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) |page=E4 |date=March 23, 2004}}</ref> ''Inchon'' was later profiled in multiple books on worst in film, including ''[[The Hollywood Hall of Shame]]'' by Harry and [[Michael Medved]],{{sfn|Medved|Medved|1984|p=186}} and ''The Worst Movies of All Time'' by Michael Sauter.<ref name="sauter">{{cite book|last =Sauter |first=Michael |title=The Worst Movies of All Time: Or, What Were They Thinking? |publisher=[[Citadel Press]] |year=1999 |page=197 |isbn=0-8065-2078-7}}</ref> In 2000, Kenneth Lloyd Billingsley, writing in the [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] magazine ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'', saidwrote about a proposed film on [[Stalinism]]: "A film like this could easily have turned out as big a didactic dud as the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's 1982 bomb, ''Inchon'', with Laurence Olivier as Gen. Douglas MacArthur."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://reason.com/2000/06/01/hollywoods-missing-movies|title=Hollywood's Missing Movies |last=Billingsley |first=Kenneth Lloyd |date=July 22, 2007 |work=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> A 2009 review by Phil Hall for ''[[Film Threat]]'' was less negative, and he disagreed with the characterization of the film as the worst ever made, "I was genuinely surprised — this is hardly among the very worst films of all time. That's not to say it is a good film. It is a dull and forgettable movie, and I would never recommend it. However, its reputation for being among the bottom of the cinematic barrel is wholly undeserved."<ref name="filmthreat">{{cite web|url=https://filmthreat.com/uncategorized/the-bootleg-files-inchon/|title=The Bootleg Files: Inchon |last=Hall |first=Phil |date=February 20, 2009 |work=[[Film Threat]] |access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref>

A review in ''Brassey's Guide to War Films'' by Alun Evans was critical, calling the film "Arguably the worst war picture made in the last quarter of the 20th century".<ref name="evans">{{cite book| last =Evans |first=Alun |title =Brassey's Guide to War Films |publisher=Potomac Books Inc. |year=2000 |page=103 |isbn =1-57488-263-5}}</ref> [[Robert Niemi]] commented in his book ''History in the Media: Film and Television'', "Plagued with a terrible script, horrendous production problems, and shoddy performances all around, the resulting film, ''Inchon'' ... was bad beyond belief."<ref name="niemi" /> Niemi wrote that Olivier's performance "was a low point in an otherwise distinguished film career".<ref name="niemi" /> In his biography of the actor, ''Olivier'', author Terry Coleman called the film "probably the worst he ever made and one of the best paid".<ref name="coleman">{{cite book|last =Coleman |first=Terry |title=Olivier |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |year=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/olivier00terr/page/423 423] |isbn =0-8050-8136-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/olivier00terr/page/423}}</ref> Author Lawrence H. Suid wrote in ''Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film'' that "what combat the film portrayed lacked any believability or authenticity... As a result, the movie met with almost unanimous critical disdain."<ref name="suid" />

===AccoladesRecognition===

| rowspan="5"|[[3rd Golden Raspberry Awards|1983]]<ref name="wilson">{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=John|author-link =John J.B. Wilson|title=[[The Official Razzie Movie Guide]]|publisher=[[Time Warner Book Group|Warner Books]]|year=2005|page=344|oclc=56033390|isbn=0-446-69334-0}}</ref>

|bgcolor="#ddffdd"|Won<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982st.htm |title=1982 5th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards |access-date=March 30, 2013 |work=[[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]] |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103154829/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982st.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2007 }}</ref>

* {{cite book|author-last=Medved |author-first=Harry |author-last2=Medved |author-first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Medved |title=The Hollywood Hall of Shame: The Most Expensive Flops in Movie History |publisher=[[Angus & Robertson]] |date=1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodhallofs0000medv |isbn=0207149291}}

* {{cite book|last=Sauter|first=Michael|title =The Worst Movies of All Time: Or, What Were They Thinking?|publisher=[[Citadel Press]]|year=1999|pages=197–198|isbn=0-8065-2078-7}}

| before=''[[Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981 film)|Tarzan, the Ape Man]]'' and ''[[Mommie Dearest (film)|Mommie Dearest]]''