Battleground (1949)
Genre: Action / War
Duration: 118 minuten
Alternative title: De Slag om Bastogne
Country:
United States
Directed by: William A. Wellman
Stars: Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and John Hodiak
IMDb score:
7,4 (8.459)
Releasedate: 9 November 1949
Battleground plot
"The First Great Picture Of The Second World War!"
The US Army advances to the German border. According to the General Staff, the Germans are so weakened that they are no longer able to counterattack. This miscalculation almost changed the course of the war.
Actors and actresses
Holley
Jarvess
Roderigues
'Pop' Stazak
Jim Layton
Abner Spudler
Standiferd
Wolowicz
Kinnie
'Kipp' Kippton
Reviews & comments
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
With a few exceptions, I usually don't like war films that take place at the front. This is such an exception. Based on an excellent script by war veteran Robert Pirosh, director Wellman has made an authentic-looking account of the ups and downs of American soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division, who were involved in the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944/45. It may have been fifty years or more since I first saw the film, but the image of the hobbling, tobacco-chewing James Whitmore (The Shawshank Redemption) has always stayed with me. With this renewed acquaintance I can conclude that the other actors are hardly inferior to him.
What a horrible poster by the way. Only one woman plays in the film and she looks anything but the woman on the poster.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Lovelyboy
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- 3954 messages
- 2956 votes
Oldie that I tapped on the head via Marktplaats and have not exactly regretted.
Despite the poorly chosen location in the beginning of the film, and the fact that nowhere seems to be really cold, especially the first half hour to three quarters of an hour, this does not really detract. Let's be honest, the dust and sand that kicked up during the excersion doesn't fit the picture of Northern France at the end of 1944 during the coldest winter of the war years. In addition, as far as I'm concerned, the cheerful behavior of the soldiers, even on patrol in the forest, sometimes causes some friction with the familiar and grim reality. Anyway, that is something that must of course be seen in the image of the time...
The second part, after the snow falls, and the hardships rise, the quality and content of the film also rise at the same time. The troops still don't come across particularly chilly, but the misery and despair does radiate at the end. The extensive exchange of shots is also impressive and even sounds very good for that time. Nice is the Hellcat that passes by and of course other material and details such as the scattered notes and the infamous 'nuts' moment. The edited real images are good and of course James Whitmore is present who, apart from the Shawshank, only seems to be cast for roles as a non-commissioned officer.
Battleground Bastogne is a more than fine war film for its time and wipes the floor in terms of reality and details with The battle of the Bulge, and that for a film from '49.
Translated from Dutch · View original
james_cameron
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- 7060 messages
- 9827 votes
Nice war film, shot in sober black and white, about American soldiers who get stuck in the besieged Belgian city of Bastogne in December 1944. The emphasis here is clearly more on characters than on spectacle, but it actually works out fine. The hypothermic dialogues are first-class and the film manages to create a lot of atmosphere with few resources. It's also clever how the film maneuvers artfully between corny humor and wry drama.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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