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To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Real American
Review: My father enlisted in the Army in 1949 at the age of 18 while inspired by the actions of Audie Murphy. He went to Korea and fought bravely for the USA. I enlisted in the Army in 1992 at the age of 17 for the same reason. This movie not only makes you think but also inspires.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TO HELL AND BACK WITH AUDIE MURPHY
Review: THE MOVIE "TO HELL AND BACK" WITH AUDIE MURPHY. TELL HOW A LITTLE BOY FROM TEXAS WON THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR WATCHING OUT FOR HIS COMPANY IN WWII. I LIKE IT NOT BECAUSE I WAS BORN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. BUT IT SHOW WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO IN ANY GIVING SITUATION........................................

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprisingly Good Hollywood Take On Murphy's War
Review: The single biggest reason to watch this movie is that the star himself was in fact the single most decorated war hero of World War Two, and he is convincing here playing himself with dignity, sincerity, and humility, which, of course, Audie Murphy always had in spades. The movie was adopted from his best-selling autobiography, which my Mom let me read after blackening out all of the four letter slang (as she called it). Perhaps it shows that he was my childhood hero, and I still have a personalized autographed photo somewhere reading "Thanks, Barry, for being my fan" that a friend's mom got for three or four of us ten year olds at the time this movie was released in the mid 1950s. It was the first movie I saw ten times. And I wasn't alone; Murphy was a national icon.

The movie truly is a classic; tightly directed, poignant, honest, accurate, and showing gripping combat without being gory or maudlin. It sometimes decends into travelogue movie-theater type newsreel moments, but these are thankfully rare and forgiveable. On the other hand, this is an interesting and absolutely true story of a common and uneducated boy from rural Texas who wanted more than anything to be a soldier and serve his country, and his subsequent deeds and patriotism above and beyond the call of duty inspired a whole generation of us who wanted to imitate his call to country. Unfortunately we walked into another time and the miasma of Vietnam. But that's another story for another time. Escape back to a time when the moral choices were clearer, and a real live hero was available to act his way memorably through an accurate recounting of his extraordinary if abbreviated military career. He may be gone too soon, the victim of a plane crash in the early 1970s, but his lifetime admirers remain. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better Than The Movie!
Review: There is something compelling about the movie version To Hell And Back which I first viewed as a boy in the 1950s. Perhaps it was the fact that the star was the hero himself "replaying" some of his own wartime experiences. Over the years, the movie has appeared repeatedly on television, and almost routinely on the History Channel. I've watched it many times. The movie, however, pales by comparison to Murphy's actual Medal of Honor citation. Now that I finally have read his book, the citation itself seems to offer only a fraction of the story behind his guts,determination, and eventually the horrible memories he endured until his untimely death in a plane crash. It makes me shutter to think of myself as a combat veteran from Vietnam compared to what men like Audie Murphy had to endure for the duration of their tours in World War II. But, it also makes me realize that war for frontline troops has changed little from one generation to the next. This ought to be REQUIRED READING for everyone who send others to war!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better Than The Movie!
Review: There is something compelling about the movie version To Hell And Back which I first viewed as a boy in the 1950s. Perhaps it was the fact that the star was the hero himself "replaying" some of his own wartime experiences. Over the years, the movie has appeared repeatedly on television, and almost routinely on the History Channel. I've watched it many times. The movie, however, pales by comparison to Murphy's actual Medal of Honor citation. Now that I finally have read his book, the citation itself seems to offer only a fraction of the story behind his guts,determination, and eventually the horrible memories he endured until his untimely death in a plane crash. It makes me shutter to think of myself as a combat veteran from Vietnam compared to what men like Audie Murphy had to endure for the duration of their tours in World War II. But, it also makes me realize that war for frontline troops has changed little from one generation to the next. This ought to be REQUIRED READING for everyone who send others to war!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Audie's Own Story on Film
Review: This is one film that is ripe for a remake. But one thing should be kept in mind; even if you got Spielberg to direct it, Tom Hanks to produce it, and the most authentic WWII gear to make it look real, it would be missing the one thing the original movie has: Audie Murphy himself.

This cinematic treatment of his ghostwritten World War II memoir of the same name differs in many ways from the book. Novak is killed when Murphy was in the hospital according to the book, but in the movie, he dies before Murphy's eyes. Audie is seen at the film's beginning taking care of the family; in truth, he was in orphanages. But again, the movie has Murphy.

And for me, that's enough. Not too many heroes get to portray themselves on the screen. And Audie had enough acting ability to play himself on the screen (something Mickey Mantle or Jackie Robinson couldn't really do with all due respect).

Still, it's a fun movie and it does give viewers Murphy's war experiences in a nice digestible hour and a half. Heck, even if half of what is portrayed on the screen was true, Murphy's war experiences would eclipse 99% of all the others (the guys of E Company in Band of Brothers are included here too).

It's a good intro to Murphy's war career if somehow his book is too daunting or if one doesn't have the time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Gutsy performance by star
Review: This is one of my favorite war films for several reasons. One is that it is always fascinating to see how a book is translated into film, and in this case, Murphy's story is told very well. And I can't remember many other films where the author plays himself! Though not the best war film ever made, it does tell the story the way Murphy wanted it told, through the eyes of the everyday soldier.

What makes the film stand out to me is that Murhpy gives a more gutsy performance than most people can realize. It was learned many years later that he suffered from recurring nightmares about the horrors he saw in war, and one can only imagine what it was like to have to recreate so many painful memories, especially the scene where his best friend(played by Charles Drake) dies in his arms. Though the character had a different name, the scene is almost exactly the way it happened.

Perhaps what I take from this is how war can so drastically change a person. Murhphy entered the war as an underage oprphan who initially was thought unfit for combat, and went on to become our most decorated combat soldier. While it does get a little cliched at times, this movie is enjoyable because it allows us to see the real hero is the common foot soldier, without whom the war could not have been won.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: audie murphy's best movie
Review: This movie was good I dont care what anyone else thinks about this movie.It was a good movie about audie murphy.In socal studies class everyone was mainy sleeping but me and my history teacher were watching it. And we wort about this movie on a worksheet.Anyways I loved the video.I give it 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A unique historical film experience
Review: When are you ever going to see a great hero playing himself in his greatest moments? If "Saving Private Ryan" was too gory for you, here's a movie that shows the glory and pain of WWII, but without the gore. If your grade-school kids want to know about the soldiers of WWII without them having nightmares, have them see this film. Audie Murphy is great in this role -- even though it is his story, it becomes the story of ALL the soldiers (although Audie does have the best moments). The fight scenes are gripping, and it really does feel 'real' rather than 'staged'. I would also recommend that you read Audie Murphy's book of the same name to get the whole story. Definitely Audie Murphy was the greatest U.S. soldier in the 20th Century!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A unique historical film experience
Review: When are you ever going to see a great hero playing himself in his greatest moments? If "Saving Private Ryan" was too gory for you, here's a movie that shows the glory and pain of WWII, but without the gore. If your grade-school kids want to know about the soldiers of WWII without them having nightmares, have them see this film. Audie Murphy is great in this role -- even though it is his story, it becomes the story of ALL the soldiers (although Audie does have the best moments). The fight scenes are gripping, and it really does feel 'real' rather than 'staged'. I would also recommend that you read Audie Murphy's book of the same name to get the whole story. Definitely Audie Murphy was the greatest U.S. soldier in the 20th Century!


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