Customer Reviews

Battleground

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this World War II movie about the Battle of the Bulge. I like this film because it focuses on the ordinary infantryman and is told in a very gritty fashion for its time (1949). Producer Dore Schary had the good sense to let director William Wellman (World War I veteran) film this movie in a more realistic style than a major Hollywood studio would normally have done. Robert Pirosh's competent and honest script breathes reality into the life and death daily existence of these soldiers through their turgid dialog. Paul C. Vogel's black & white cinematography is bleak and adds a sense of anxiety that puts the viewer directly into the story. Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, James Whitmore, Richard Jaeckel and Marshall Thompson are all excellent in their roles. This move is a tribute to the ordinary guy that had to leave home, go out and defend our freedoms.

If you like war movies for more than just shoot em up, special effects, and theater command decisions, then this is the movie for you. This is the soldiers tale of the Seige of Bastogne. Unlike other well made WWII movies, Battleground focuses on on platton in the 101st Airborne, or the screaming eagles. From Rodriquez cheering joyfully at his first experience with snow to Holly and his encounters with a young french woman, this it what the war was like to the everyday soldier. They didn't know what was going on, where there were headed or, whether or not they would be alive the next day. This is one of the greatest war movies of all time because it makes you feel like just one of the buck privates fighting for freedom. You know how much you care for them when at the end, the sun comes out, and you are right there cheering on the much needed air support. "Hey, how've you been!!!!"

Although somewhat dated, Battleground is as close to the Battle of the Bulge as anyone can get. The scene by the railroad trestle is taken from an actual 101st incident and is about as real as one could get including clips ejected from an M-1 rifle. A great history lesson for anyone even remotely interested in WWII.

Being entitled Battleground you might think this film to be non-stop combat, but it isn't. It is so much more than an ordinary "war" film. One won't spy a tank in this film, for instance, until more than 90 minutes into this story; the story of the boys of the 101st who held out in Bastogne until the skies permitted aerial support to come to the rescue in this Battle of the Bulge. Skirmishes there are, however, up until this point, as a prelude---seemingly---to that which will ultimately test them; in which these soldiers show their individual mettle as well as insecurities. It's the story of a historically significant moment, but told from the vantage point of foxholes, in other words, and the GIs that dug them, holed up in them, and sprung from them to engage hostile German combatants. Van Johnson and company are convincing & the direction in this film is commendable. A number of scenes and/or specific camera shots are simply well framed & thus add to the dramatic effect of the lines being delivered by members of this fine cast. There are not that many World War Two-era films as well presented as this one. Do give it a chance (but keep in mind that it's a measured film---almost 2 hours in lenth, & more dramatic than action-packed). My only complaint herein or rather wish would be that they would've filmed more of Battleground beyond MGM's soundstage doors---dialogue in one particular street scene, for instance (wherein troop trucks roll into a town) bares the traces of an indoor echo. In addition, the artificial snow utilized is no better than passably realistic at times. (04Dec) Cheers!

One of the great WWII movies. Being in black and white and before great special effects only makes it seem more authentic to my mind. It is realistic, the M-1's run out of ammo and eject the clips after 8 rounds and the machine guns don't fire forever. The movie focuses on a platoon, which allows you to get to know the main characters. They don't know the big picture and just try and muddle through. This was mostly the case in the Battle of the Bulge, or any battle for that matter. I liked the clautrophobic feel of the fog and snow in the Ardennes. It fits with the haunted look for the real forest and the real battle. James Witmore getting them lined up to go back to the front and then ordering About Face!!! was the perfect end to a fine film. I have been told this movie was filmed partially at Ft. Campbell, KY. This is interesting because that's the home, when the movie was made and today, of the 101st Airborne/Airmoble Division, the unit in the movie.

"Battleground" is the all-star grim depiction of an Allied offensive in the Ardennes forest during WWII. It's remarkably hard edged by 1949 standards - a tribute to the tough, hard-hitting directorial style of director, William A. Wellman. Starring Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, James Whitmore, Scotty Beckett and John Hodiak the on camera camaraderie amongst the men seems geniune, in part because Wellman insisted that his actors train with real soldiers to fully appreciate their brief tenure in military service. MGM refridgerated a cyclorama built inside one of their sound stages to recreate the unsettling and terribly cold atmosphere of winter. This is a top flight, ensemble war drama that engrosses and entertains. Oscars for screenplay and cinematography.

THE TRANSFER: Warner gives us a much improved transfer from previously available versions. The gray scale is nicely balanced. Blacks are generally solid. Some scenes have a bit more film grain and grit that one would like to see, but over all the image quality is very smooth and consistent. While previously issued versions of this film suffered from a misregistration - resulting in ghostly halos around objects and a general blurring of the image quality, this DVD is remarkably solid and sharp. Edge enhancement crops up but is minimal. Pixelization is also present but only marginally. The audio is MONO but very nicely remastered.
EXTRAS: Sorry, war fans. There's nothing to celebrate about here.

BOTTOM LINE: "Battleground" is one of the best war dramas ever made. It is tops in action, establishing taut tension, providing serious storytelling and detailed character development, and truthfully - how many of the more recent war films (Peal Harbour, anyone?) can you say that about?

For fans of the genre, without question the worst part of any combat war movie is the first third. Granted, a lot of movies take a while before shifting into gear and getting serious about things. Combat war movies are uniquely hobbled, though. They usually have a large, ensemble cast and their raison d'être is to display men at war. Their large cast has to be introduced and the audience has to identify and bond with them. I suppose. Why we have to waste time warming up to the cast is a little mystifying, though. They could hang cardboard signs over the characters - the Grizzled Vet (James Whitmore), the Short-Timer (George `Pops' Murphy), the Nominal Hero (the one who possesses the skills and guile to survive, Van Johnson), the Greenhorn (the rookie through whose eyes we generally experience the film, Marshall Thompson), the Ethnic (Ricardo Montalban.) Somehow BATTLEGROUND left out the Brooklyn Kid, although it does contain his typical foil, the Hillbilly Rube, herein played by Jerome Courtland.

William Wellman's BATTLEGROUND overcomes its opening act intact, though. We all have pet and anti-pet actors, and Van Johnson, the star of this movie, is one of my least favorite actors. Watching him kick his heels and cavort in Bastogne prior to the German assault is tolerable, although not something I looked forward to. Johnson never seems real to me, as though at some time he peered long into the mirror, discovered there was no depth to parade in front of a camera, and from that point on decided to lard every character he played with artifice and loud noises. There are moments of the bad Van in the opening, especially when he's making sweet with a young woman from Bastogne. Soon enough, though, the men are ordered to "Move out" and the movie proper begins in earnest.

BATTLEGROUND is the story of the 101st Airborne's role in repelling the last major offensive action by Germany in World War II. It's a story, one story, of Allied operations during what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The conditions were brutal - severe winter weather, a clinging fog that cancelled out Allied air superiority, the infiltration of German soldiers disguised as American troops. Supplies couldn't be renewed. BATTLEGROUND was made a few years after the end of the war, and some veterans of the 101st appear in the movie. Wellman, as he did in 1945's THE STORY OF G.I. JOE., seamlessly integrates documentary footage of the battle into the movie. Adding yet another layer of realism to things is the understated approach. Nobody makes big speeches. The Whitmore character - Whitmore is the best thing in this great movie - is a sergeant with a perpetual cheekful of tobacco and a bad case of trenchfoot. I think a lot of movies would succumb to the temptation to make much of Whitmore's sore feet, but they're only briefly mentioned one time. This is a heroism that doesn't announce itself.

I'm a big fan of HBO's `Band of Brothers,' a mini-series that is also about the 101st and devotes an episode to the defense of Bastogne. I like both very much, although it'd be nice to see steamy breath when you're trying to convince someone that the action is taking place in a frigid environment. Neither BoB or BATTLEGROUND get THAT right. There are differences, of course. BoB boasts much better special effects, wounds are graphically displayed and artillery shells are powerful enough to fell trees. On the other hand, BATTLEGROUND is so near in time to the events it recreates that it seems a little truer to the spirit of the times. Highest recommendation for this great combat movie.

When I was a kid living on an army post in Europe, Battleground used to wander through whenever there was a lag in getting movies from the States. Goodness, my brother and I must have seen this 100 times and it still has so many memorable scenes and roles. James Whitmore was absolutely perfect as the machine gun toting sergent. Van Johnson was fine, George Murphy, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montabaln. A great cast. Favorite lines/scenes:

"Get a load of mama!"
"There is a boarding house far, far away..."
"The fight they put up was one for the books." (talking about the wounded fighting the attacking Germans)
"That's for sure, that's for dang sure."
"Texas leaguer, right over the 2nd baseman's head."
The ambush by the railroad tracks.
Whitmore seeing his shadow as the weather finally breaks.

It goes on and on. And great sets! It seems it was mostly filmed on a sound stage but the sets are very realistic.

Just perfect filmmaking.

Wellman and Pirosh deliver believable action and dialogue in this historical saga directly based on the events of the seige at Bastogne during the Ardennes Offensive of WWII. Casting is highly commendable with rich performances by Van Johnson, James Whitmore, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, Leon Ames, Herbert Anderson, and many other up-and-coming stars like James Arness, Richard Jaeckel, and Marshal Thompson. Black and white lends itself to the stark contrasts of the bitter winter scenes. The gritty action is enhanced by the rich character-driven performances. This movie, no doubt, set the pace for the war pictures that followed.

William Wellman was by far, one the most emblematic and talented filmmakers of the American Cinema. And this film constitutes by itself another evidence that avails this statement.

The powerful and well detailed study of the character and psychological profile of this men who were part of the American troops in the famous Battle of Bulge. With an evident sources economy, Wellman made it. A memorable artistic achievement around the lives and times of a handful of soldiers, his dreams, illusions and hopes surrounded by an oppressive winter in the middle of nowhere

Of course you may argue the close resemblances of a previous and refulgent work such as "A walk in the sun", but personally this is a much more complete and ambitious in its purposes.

Recommendable in sum grade.