Product Details

• Actors: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges
• Directors: Lewis Milestone
• Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: VCI Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 24, 2009
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002FY7WSM
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,127 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Alongside larger-scaled epics, this 1945 drama looks modest, but director Lewis Milestone achieves a gritty realism that is ultimately closer to the truth of combat. A World War I veteran, Milestone had already created a classic war film--and powerful antiwar statement--in 1930's All Quiet on the Western Front, focusing on German troops in the trenches during "the Great War." For obvious reasons, A Walk in the Sun views the action from the perspective of American troops, but Milestone and a strong cast headed by Dana Andrews and Richard Conte prove remarkably clear-eyed in this chronicle of a platoon moving through the Italian countryside following the successful, but bloody, invasion of Italy. There's little of the cheerleading fervor or reflexive demonizing of the enemy visible in other films from the period; instead, the men's treacherous odyssey captures the sense of random chaos as their bucolic trek is interrupted by sudden skirmishes. We're shown the deep bonds forged between the soldiers, the loss of innocence that is the inevitable price of combat experience, and the capricious fates that can spare one soldier while exterminating another. Milestone would extend his mastery of wartime fiction to include the Korean War, captured in the equally fine, equally sobering Pork Chop Hill. --Sam Sutherland

Product Description

The Fighting 36th! They fought best when it was hopeless! During the World War II Allied invasion of Italy, the film stars Dana Andrews as Sgt. Tyne, one of the officers leading an attack on a farmhouse in the Italian countryside which functions as a German stronghold. When the ranking officers are killed soon after the platoon lands on the beach, Tyne must take over. The film is noted for its attempt to portray the infantryman s experience realistically, in particular the banter and mid-1940s slang. This WWII film was the first to use a ballad as a thematic element, a practice which, after HIGH NOON, would become a cliché of the 1950s. One of the best WWII films, A WALK IN THE SUN combines documentary-like sequences with a sharp awareness of the isolation of each soldier in the midst of battle. Includes: 2007 Interview with Norma Lloyd and Video featurette "The Fighting Men of the Texas Division"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DVD quality incredibly poor, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

A Walk in the Sun may be a good movie, but this DVD is amazingly bad. It looks like Madacy made it from a 10th generation VHS tape. They are even moments when static, from the poor tracking of the source tape, is visible. On top of that DVD compression artifacts abound, and my new DVD player has a lot of difficulty playing the disc without pausing every few minutes. It's absolutely amazing how little pride Madacy apparently takes in its products. The one star rating is for the wretched DVD quality only.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Nobody Dies," Best World War II Movie, Poorest DVD Quality, January 30, 2000

By	Sanford W. Bloom (USA) - See all my reviews

I have watched this film trillions of times, and I own many VHS and Beta copies of it. I first saw it as a kid in the 1950's, and it is truly haunting. The dialogue, acting, tension buildup, realism, psychology, and photography/camera work are nothing short of superb. It is a film way ahead of its time, true to its genre, and probably the best/most realistic film to come out of WWII. Many of the ethnic/cultural stereotypes are quite good, even considering the absence of African-American roles, probably fairly accurate for the time. The depiction of war seems very genuine. Does anyone know what Dana Andrews meant when he said "4 ways from the jack?" What a shame that the DVD version by Madacy is so poor. There are video/digital dropouts, terrible sound, missing frames. The VHS and BETA versions are of better quality overall. There is no evidence of ANY Dolby Digital sound.

I hope someone will recognize the true artistry of this film and issue it in a better DVD version.

I would also recommend "The Best Years of Our Lives", although I don't know if it is out on DVD yet.

Anyway, I rate this film as a "Must See/Own!"

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy the DVD version!, July 17, 2001

By	Iain D. Mcdougall (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great film (though not as good as "Attack!"). However, don't, repeat DON'T buy the dvd version of this film. - The quality is simply appalling with a hugely bad compression ratio (honestly it's like watching a grainy movie clip on someone's website). The dvd also had a tendency to splutter to a stop on my dvd player. Now wonder the dvd is so cheap. I've no idea what the vhs video version is like, but it's got to be better than the dvd. 4 stars for the film overall but only 1 star for the dvd version!