Battleground

Rating:
Summary: TAUT, TERRIFYING AND TERRIFIC: BATTLEGROUND HAS IT ALL!
Review: "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?

Rating:
Summary: TAUT, TERRIFYING AND TERRIFIC: BATTLEGROUND HAS IT ALL!
Review: "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?

Rating:
Summary: The Best WW II Movie Ever Made
Review: "Battleground" is the best movie of WW II ever made. The characters are strongly and clearly drawn and the action is, for the most part, realistic. The realism of the movie is also due to it being filmed in black & white, with some inserts near the end of actual combat footage. The interesting fact is that while it continues to be seen on the movie channels and remains popular, a restored DVD version has yet to be produced and marketed.

Rating:
Summary: Low budget, high standards
Review: ---
I have always considered *Battleground* to be one of the best examples of what can be done by a good, conscientious production team with a minimum of money and the scrupulous application of intelligence, truthfulness, and ingenuity.

Take special note of the fact that the actions in which the glider infantry companies depicted in *Battleground* participated (while typical of the hard fighting and harder conditions these troops endured) could not be disputed by any of the veterans who were present at that battle because those companies *DID NOT EXIST*. Writer/producer Robert Pirosh obviously knew that the glider infantry regiments of U.S. Airborne divisions were originally constituted with only two battalions each (A through D companies in the first battalion, E through H companies in the second). In order to prevent this 1949 movie from drawing the jeers of veterans who could justifiably say "That was my outfit, and it wasn't like that at all!" Pirosh designated the companies considered in this movie as if their regiment had an organic *third* battalion (companies I through M).

By this stage in the war, it had been found that glider infantry regiments were too "thin" with only two battalions, and the decision was made to increase each glider infantry regiment's establishment to three battalions. This was not done by raising a third battalion intrinsic to the regiment, but by "cannibalizing" one regiment to attach one of its battalions to each of two other glider infantry regiments. Thus the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment came to contain its two organic 1st and 2nd Battalions and the "temporarily attached" 1st Battalion of the 401st GIR. No companies I, K, L, or M ever existed in the glider infantry contingent of the 101st Airborne Division during the Ardennes Offensive.

Where every minute of the ghodawful recent movie *Pearl Harbor* is laden with historical idiocies discernable by any twelve-year-old boy who'd read THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (Lawson, 1943), *Battleground* offers the viewer an exercise in the cinematic presentation of factual reality cleverly overlaid with those elements of fiction required to attain dramatic coherence. In one sequence, for example, there can even be seen a shoulder-stocked bipod-mounted Browning M1919-A4 "light" machine gun, which was designed for (and issued almost exclusively to) the airborne divisions in World War II. This is the sort of understated but painstaking attention to detail that Pirosh could have expected would only be appreciated by the very small number of former paratroopers and glider infantrymen in his 1949 audiences, but he paid them that tribute without stinting.

A very good script, excellent production values, fine acting, and a genuine respect for the men who held the Bastogne perimeter against everything the enemy could send.

Rating:
Summary: Does Justice to the Bastards of Bastogne
Review: Although overly dramatic at times, Battleground warrants attention as a legitimate WWII film centering on the plight of a 101st Airborne platoon during the strategic battle at Bastogne. Nominated for six Oscars and winner of two (Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography), Battleground captures the physical and emotional hardships endured by combat footsoldiers facing extreme adverse conditions. The dialogue exchanges among the grunts draws the viewer into a soldier's world of fear, survival, and death. Van Johnson and John Hodiak are given top billing, but it is James Whitmore as the tobacco spitting platoon leader Kip who steals every scene he is in. Whitmore walks, talks, and looks like a seasoned veteran of numerous tours of duty. Director William Wellman intersperses actual WWII footage, but he could have improved some of the fabricated battle scenery. For instance the snow used in certain sets is unconvincing. To Wellman's credit the carbine shots, grenade explosions, and the mortar volleys are authenticated with gritty realism. Wellman should also be lauded for the emotionalism in which he draws from his characters. The platoon soldiers are not faceless battle weary men; instead each one is given the latitude to express his individuality. The scene where a soldier takes a drag from a cigarette and immediately experiences blurred vision hints at drug use on the front lines. Wellman had the courage to include this frame and surprisingly it slipped past the scrutiny of the Breen Commission. Remember this was 1946, Mr. Breen and the Motion Picture Production Code were extemely conscious of material that might be deemed Un-American to the movie going public. Other scenes where Holly (Van Johnson) desires sex with the French girl are sugar coated and poorly orchestrated. Battleground was definitely a forerunner for films such as Hamburger Hill and Saving Private Ryan which depict the comradeship among soldiers engaged in the horrors of battle.

Rating:
Summary: Does Justice to the Bastards of Bastogne
Review: Although overtly dramatic at times, Battleground warrants attention as a legitimate WWII film that centers on the plight of a 101st Airborne platoon during the strategic battle at Bastogne. Nominated for six Oscars and winner of two (Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography) Battleground captures the hardships endured by combat footsoldiers facing extreme physical conditions during times of war. The dialogue exchanges among the grunts draws the viewer into a soldier's world of fear, survival, and death. Van Johnson and John Hodiak are given top billing, but it is James Whitmore as the tobacco spitting platoon leader Kip who steals every scene he is in. Whitmore walks, talks, and looks every bit the part of a seasoned veteran of numerous tours of duty. Director William Wellman intersperses actual WWII footage throughout the film, but he could have improved the realism of some of the fabricated battle scenes. The snow in certain scenes for instance looks unconvincing. To Wellman's credit the shots fired from the soldier's carbines, grenade explosions, and mortar volleys are authenticated with gritty realism. Wellman should also be lauded for the emotionalism he draws from his cast of characters. The platoon soldiers are not faceless battle weary men, instead each man is given the latitude to express his individuality throughout the film. The scene where a soldier takes a drag from a cigarette and then immediately experiences blurred vision hints at drug use among some WWII soldiers. This revelation would be unheard of during the censor minded times of the Breen Commission, yet Wellman deftly slips the frame past the scrutiny of the Motion Picture Production Code. Other scenes where Holly (Van Johnson) desires sex with the French woman are sugar coated and poorly orchestrated. For a film released in 1946, Battleground was definitely a forerunner for future films such as Saving Private Ryan and Hamburger Hill, which depicted the comradeship and loyalty among soldiers engaged in the horror of battle.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest about the Foot Sloggin Infantry
Review: An excellent story about the regular G.I.'s who did the fighting during WWII. You'll see their bravery, brotherhood and their fears. A great cast of characters from the gruff Sgt. Kinney (hup, two, paree, four) played by James Witmore, to the reluctant hero played by Van Johnson. The story is a valid depiction about the harships and the ultimate triumph of the 101st Airbourne division during the Battle of the Bulge. The ending is inspirational and a true reflection of the American fighting man. Vaz is diz Nutz ?

Rating:
Summary: Collection of the best
Review: Battleground is a true classic about WWII made only a few years after the war. It boasts an all-star cast of Van Johnson, Marshall Thompson, John Hodiak, James Whitmore, Don Taylor, Ricardo Montalban and many other notable faces. The story follows members of the 101st Division before and during the battle of the Bulge, especially the seige of Bastogne. All the performances are great. The movie gives an excellent idea of what being a soldier is actually like. These men aren't gung-ho soldiers bent on killing. They are just hoping to survive the war. Excellent movie, not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: When films had scripts
Review: Battleground is the definitive squad-lvel war film. It concentrates on a small group of soldiers and shows their cold food, gripes, hopes - and the reason why they fought in the 1940s.
Well acted and very well written (garnering a screenplay Oscar), the movie concentrates on a small group of men in the 101 Airborne -and not the "spectacle" of war. At times the lack of a bigger budget - and the lack of any Wehrmacht tanks on-screen is a liability for some viewers; in some scenes the film reminded me of a Shakespearean play, where the actors point offstage to the major battle. But the humanity of the film make it much more compelling than the bombastic but somehow hollow modern efforts like Blackhawk Down.
The only real knock is the very grainy look of the dvd - a combination of all the fog in the film and poor source material. Rarely crisp, it still looks better than I've seen it before. If you want a gripping war film that puts people ahead of explosions, Battleground is a classic.