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on January 23, 2017
This is really a good war movie, that doesn't have to rely on war and carnage. There is some action scenes but most this this is a character driven story about the battle of Bostone or "Battle of the Bulge" . If you can place your self in the time period of the movie, it must have been an edgy movie for the time.
It's mostly shot on a sound stage, so don't be bummed out about that, the with and humor adds to the movie.
It's mostly shot on a sound stage, so don't be bummed out about that, the with and humor adds to the movie.
on September 1, 2010
This is not the standard WW2 ultra-patriotic "shoot-em-up movie", but rather one which emphasizes the life of the soldier as a member of a platoon. To be sure, there are some skirmishes, with fatalities involved, but this is not a movie dependent upon explosions and gun fire at all times.
The cast is excellent, with Van Johnson ( Holley), the light-hearted wisecracker of the outfit, and John Hodiak ( Jarvess), who portrays a small-town journalist who enlisted to fight. Other cast members are as follows:
Ricardo Montalban ( Rodriguez), an religious LA native who has never seen snow;
George Murphy ( Pop Stazak), an older soldier who accepts a dependency discharge to help his ailing wife at home, but who can't leave just yet;
James Whitmore ( Kinnie), an experienced platoon leader with the common touch, who suffers from frozen feet, but soldiers on;
Doug Fowley ( Kip), the biggest griper in the unit, and the one who constantly clicks his false teeth that he may have acquired through dubious circumstances;
Don Taylor ( Standiferd), a light-hearted soldier with a fondness for cognac;
Herbert Anderson( Hansen), a bespectacled family man from Springfield, IL, who demonstrates quiet competence and bravery in a critical moment;
Richard Jaeckel (Bettis), a soldier who experiences "shell shock", and has difficulty with battle scenes;
Bruce Cowling ( Wolowicz), a football-loving sergeant-type who has strong leadership skills;
Jerome Courtland ( Abner), the stereotypical rural Southerner, with a pleasant, easy-going manner, and a fondness for folk songs;
Marshall Thompson ( Layton), the young newcomer, who must learn to find his way into adjusting to life in a combat platoon;
A good movie, the characters are fairly well-developed, and there are a number of scenwes that are quite memorable, and with no small amount of humor , as well. Some of the characters exhibit questionable bevaior at times, but they are all likeable, and tehy redeem themselves well. Not all of them make it, but in war movies, this is not unusual. I can recommend this movie strongly; it will surprise and entertain you at the same time.
The cast is excellent, with Van Johnson ( Holley), the light-hearted wisecracker of the outfit, and John Hodiak ( Jarvess), who portrays a small-town journalist who enlisted to fight. Other cast members are as follows:
Ricardo Montalban ( Rodriguez), an religious LA native who has never seen snow;
George Murphy ( Pop Stazak), an older soldier who accepts a dependency discharge to help his ailing wife at home, but who can't leave just yet;
James Whitmore ( Kinnie), an experienced platoon leader with the common touch, who suffers from frozen feet, but soldiers on;
Doug Fowley ( Kip), the biggest griper in the unit, and the one who constantly clicks his false teeth that he may have acquired through dubious circumstances;
Don Taylor ( Standiferd), a light-hearted soldier with a fondness for cognac;
Herbert Anderson( Hansen), a bespectacled family man from Springfield, IL, who demonstrates quiet competence and bravery in a critical moment;
Richard Jaeckel (Bettis), a soldier who experiences "shell shock", and has difficulty with battle scenes;
Bruce Cowling ( Wolowicz), a football-loving sergeant-type who has strong leadership skills;
Jerome Courtland ( Abner), the stereotypical rural Southerner, with a pleasant, easy-going manner, and a fondness for folk songs;
Marshall Thompson ( Layton), the young newcomer, who must learn to find his way into adjusting to life in a combat platoon;
A good movie, the characters are fairly well-developed, and there are a number of scenwes that are quite memorable, and with no small amount of humor , as well. Some of the characters exhibit questionable bevaior at times, but they are all likeable, and tehy redeem themselves well. Not all of them make it, but in war movies, this is not unusual. I can recommend this movie strongly; it will surprise and entertain you at the same time.
on August 8, 2007
Long before there was the miniseries "Band of Brothers", there was "Battleground." The story of the 101st Airborne's heroic stand against Germany's final massive assault in the Ardennes - commonly referred to as the "Battle of the Bulge" - and the effects of combat on regular GIs. This movie is as spectacular as it is underrated. Whereas movies such as "Patton" and "Battle of the Bulge" get much airplay and acclaim, "Battleground" sort of sneaks by under the radar, even though it was a fairly major film for its time. With stars such as James Whitmore, Richard Jaeckel, Van Johnson, Denise Darcel, and John Hodiak (did I forget a young Ricardo Montalban?), this film had a substantial talent pool. It also did what few films made today: it took a real event that was remarkable for its drama and importance, and did not overblow it. Rather, they "played it straight," and the result can be overwhelmingly powerful at times.
"Battleground" is a black and white picture, and it makes the images of snow "feel" colder to the eye. The lack of bright red blood is not missed - you know it is there. It is conspicuous by its absence, but again, your mind knows it is there. And you get to like these guys - you really do. And it hurts when they die. Rarely do you really get to care about soldiers in a war movie, and here you really do. Maybe it's because in real life, my uncle was one of those guys at Bastogne - or perhaps it is because it is just an excellent film.
In short, "Battleground" is easily my pick for the best film made about land combat in the European Theater (for air combat, I would say "12 O'Clock High," and for sea, it would most likely be "Das Boot.") It is simply that outstanding a movie, and if I could, I would replace the annual Patton-fest on Ted Turner's networks with it (not to short-change George C. Scott, even though he got the voice all wrong.)
If you want a great WW2 movie, get "Battleground." You will thank me.
"Battleground" is a black and white picture, and it makes the images of snow "feel" colder to the eye. The lack of bright red blood is not missed - you know it is there. It is conspicuous by its absence, but again, your mind knows it is there. And you get to like these guys - you really do. And it hurts when they die. Rarely do you really get to care about soldiers in a war movie, and here you really do. Maybe it's because in real life, my uncle was one of those guys at Bastogne - or perhaps it is because it is just an excellent film.
In short, "Battleground" is easily my pick for the best film made about land combat in the European Theater (for air combat, I would say "12 O'Clock High," and for sea, it would most likely be "Das Boot.") It is simply that outstanding a movie, and if I could, I would replace the annual Patton-fest on Ted Turner's networks with it (not to short-change George C. Scott, even though he got the voice all wrong.)
If you want a great WW2 movie, get "Battleground." You will thank me.
on March 16, 2017
great old time war movie without blood and gore
on April 27, 2017
CLASSIC Battle of the Bulge war movie.
on October 28, 2015
I saw this when it was first released and liked it very much. Since then I have aged and have encountered some men who were actually there, and even though they did not want to talk about it some info was forthcoming after getting to know them much better. It has given this movie a new meaning. Even though there is the usual creative editing and drama, it still reminds of what this countries people are all about. Guts and determination for a worthwhile cause!
on July 6, 2007
My father, Everest R. Kenne, died in the 1970's. I knew he'd served in the battle of the Bulge and had endured frozen feet in the process. He was made an acting sergeant at the time and remained on the front lines despite his painful condition until he was made a cook behind the lines. Can you imagine my family's surprise recently discovering (tears after my dad's death) that he'd been portrayed by James Whitmore in this old movie? Admittedly, he is depicted as a rougher character than the man I knew. His name is misspelled as well, in the credits it is shown as "Sgt. Kinnie".
I watched the film last night and though it doesn't quite compare to Band of Brothers, which more fully depicts men enduring the full harshness and desperation of the same battle, Battleground is a worthy offering and stands the test of time. I just wish my dad had seen the film. He was a fan of WWII movies.
My mother said he'd never talked about his war experiences after returning, choosing instead to quietly forget them. What she didn't know was that before my oldest brother went to Vietnam, my father had shared his war experiences with him privately. If he had not, we would never had known my dad was portrayed in this film. Every one of the main facts regarding his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge related by my father to my brother was shown in the movie in the character with the same last name.
I have speculated that possibly my dad knew about the movie but did not want any of the personal attention that would have followed had others known he was depicted in it. Perhaps he was never contacted by the film makers and others in his unit described his actions and role. My dad was a musician, a quiet creative person, and I always felt he suffered from his own private demons while keeping a calm exterior and fully being the husband and father that was expected.
Thanks, Daddy for your unselfish service!
I watched the film last night and though it doesn't quite compare to Band of Brothers, which more fully depicts men enduring the full harshness and desperation of the same battle, Battleground is a worthy offering and stands the test of time. I just wish my dad had seen the film. He was a fan of WWII movies.
My mother said he'd never talked about his war experiences after returning, choosing instead to quietly forget them. What she didn't know was that before my oldest brother went to Vietnam, my father had shared his war experiences with him privately. If he had not, we would never had known my dad was portrayed in this film. Every one of the main facts regarding his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge related by my father to my brother was shown in the movie in the character with the same last name.
I have speculated that possibly my dad knew about the movie but did not want any of the personal attention that would have followed had others known he was depicted in it. Perhaps he was never contacted by the film makers and others in his unit described his actions and role. My dad was a musician, a quiet creative person, and I always felt he suffered from his own private demons while keeping a calm exterior and fully being the husband and father that was expected.
Thanks, Daddy for your unselfish service!
on October 5, 2012
I have always liked this movie. One of my favorites and would always watch it on TV when I could. I always felt like I was another GI who was just part of the unit and simply observing. Simple and effective story about the regular guys who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The simple personal bits and pieces of each of their lives during that time. Feet too big for rubber galoshes, eggs dripping from a helmet, lost false teeth, the kid that had never encountered snow before, frozen feet, fear and wanting to run away, brave so not to let your buddy down, why did I have to be the one to start shooting?, getting busted back to civilian but can't leave because they were surrounded, your buddy getting killed in a nearby unit and they did not even know his name. No big battle scenes, but you felt what it was like to be a part of that small unit of GIs.
