Editing Lewis Milestone (section)

===''Ocean's 11'' (1960)===
Milestone accepted an offer from [[Warner Bros.]] to produce and direct comedy-[[Heist film|heist]] film ''[[Ocean's 11]]'' (1960) for Dorchester Studios. The story by [[George Clayton Johnson]] concerns of group of ex-military comrades who orchestrate an elaborate burglary of [[Las Vegas]]'s biggest casinos. The movie stars the [[Rat Pack]] led by [[Frank Sinatra]], who like the director, had been a supporter of the [[Committee for the First Amendment]] during the [[Red Scare]]. Milestone's earlier success with comedy films and combat sagas may have influenced Warner's decision to choose Milestone for the film.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 180: "The plot involves a gang of old army buddies out to heist the biggest casinos in [[Las Vegas]]{{nbsp}}... perhaps Warner Brothers felt that Milestone could orchestrate both the military[-like] operation of the plot and the comic turns of the cast."<br />Safford, 2008 TCM: "One of the first in a series of heist movies in the sixties, ''Ocean's Eleven'' (1960){{nbsp}}... audiences are treated to a glimpse of Sinatra and his favored cronies [The Rat Pack]."<br />Walsh, 2001: "Sinatra had been a member of the Committee for the First Amendment, founded to oppose the [[House Un-American Activities Committee|HUAC]] attacks on Communists in Hollywood.<br />Safford, 2008 TCM: "Lewis Milestone, the veteran director whose most famous film remains the anti-war saga, ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930), seemed an unlikely choice to direct Ocean's 11. But his career had suffered during the communist purge of Hollywood due to Senator Joe McCarthy's influence in the fifties and Milestone needed the work."</ref>

The film's screenplay, which Millichap (1981) called "preposterous", was written by [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]] and [[Charles Lederer]].<ref>Millichap, 1981 pp. 180&ndash;181: "Given what he had to work with- a preposterous screenplay by [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]] and [[Charles Lederer]]-and a cast including [[Dean Martin]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Peter Lawford]], [[Joey Bishop]] and [[Buddy Lester]]- he did a fair job."</ref> Millichap (1981) said Milestone delivered a film that equivocates between a pure satire of American acquisitiveness or its celebration.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. "the movie never quite decides if it is being played straight or as a spoof,; if it is an amoral satire of American values or a silly television variety show" and "preposterous" also here.<br />Silver, 2010: "A career 'climaxing' with the [[Rat Pack]]'s version of [[Ocean's 11]]{{nbsp}}... doesn't lend much to the argument that Milestone had a coherent worldview."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: "a pedestrian comedy-thriller [and not as impressive] as [[Henry Hathaway]]'s [[Seven Thieves]] (1960) which was released at the beginning of the year."</ref> The film was a box-office success but critics have widely dismissed it as unworthy of Milestone's talents.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 181: "As entertainment the movie made money, but it proves completely forgettable as a film."<br />Walsh, 2001: "How much director Lewis Milestone had his heart in it is questionable."<br />Silver, 2010: "A career 'climaxing' with the [[Rat Pack]]'s version of [[Ocean's 11]]{{nbsp}}... doesn't lend much to the argument that Milestone had a coherent worldview."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 105: "Milestone's experience with Ocean's Eleven was not the first time his career was affected by a poor decision on timing and distribution."</ref> According to film critic [[David Walsh (writer)|David Walsh]]:

{{blockquote|[H]owever history had contrived to drop the somewhat improbable project in his lap, Milestone no doubt worked away conscientiously on ''Ocean's 11''. He probably had little choice in the matter. Even in the last days of the studio system, directors were more or less at the beck and call of the studio chiefs. The more talented, working within an institutional strait jacket, struggled to imbue their genre projects with personal and social meaning, with varying degrees of success.<ref name=":1">Walsh, 2001</ref>}}