A war movie that's not a fighting movie., This film tells one story of the many companies who fought in the "Battle of the Bulge", the WWII battle in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium in Winter 1944.
While the film has several exciting battle sequences, its main focus is on the men who are doing the fighting. Van
Johnson, Marshall Thompson, James Whitmore and John Hodiak lead the cast, all believeable as wearied soldiers who want nothing more than to go home.
I have a special fondness for this film because my grandfather fought in Battle of the Bulge, and it's interesting although painful to see what kind of conditions he endured.
And -- for future reference -- I'm told by people who know better that the film "Battle of the Bulge" is crap and not even close to what really happened out there. This one is the one to see. And to get the full picture, check out Band of Brothers, a 10-part HBO mini-series, based on the a book written by a man who was there.
May 9, 2007
