Halls of Montezuma

Rating:
Summary: no widescreen?!
Review: Where is the cinematic version of this great movie?

Rating:
Summary: War Without the Glory
Review: With its grim tone and gritty production values, Lewis Milestone's "The Halls of Montezuma" is a strong entry in the annals of Hollywood war films, marred only by its almost propagandistically negative portrayal of the Japanese. The underrated Richard Widmark plays a determined patrol leader (and former teacher--shades of "Saving Private Ryan") who leads his men in what seems the fruitless search for a Japanese rocket base that is showering destruction upon his fellow Marines. A great ensemble cast of such now familiar faces as Karl Malden, Jack Webb, Martin Milner, Richard Boone, and Jack Palance share his onscreen struggles, which include the typical tragedies of war (shown in relatively graphic ways for the time). The stench of death nearly permeates the screen in "The Halls of Montezuma," punctuating each scene with a visceral energy many films today lack, which adds to the suspense of the film. The only real problem with Milestone's vision is its determination to treat the Japanese as something other than human--sneaky, arrogant, mechanical, mercenary, barbaric--calling to mind so much of the vicious anti-Japanese propaganda of World War Two (which the Germans and Italians--whose populations in the U.S. were significantly larger--seemed relatively spared of). It would be campy if not for the fact that such portrayals inspired generations of empty-headed movie-goers to think of Asians in general in such racist terms.

Rating:
Summary: War Without the Glory
Review: With its grim tone and gritty production values, Lewis Milestone's "The Halls of Montezuma" is a strong entry in the annals of Hollywood war films, marred only by its almost propagandistically negative portrayal of the Japanese. The underrated Richard Widmark plays a determined patrol leader (and former teacher--shades of "Saving Private Ryan") who leads his men in what seems the fruitless search for a Japanese rocket base that is showering destruction upon his fellow Marines. A great ensemble cast of such now familiar faces as Karl Malden, Jack Webb, Martin Milner, Richard Boone, and Jack Palance share his onscreen struggles, which include the typical tragedies of war (shown in relatively graphic ways for the time). The stench of death nearly permeates the screen in "The Halls of Montezuma," punctuating each scene with a visceral energy many films today lack, which adds to the suspense of the film. The only real problem with Milestone's vision is its determination to treat the Japanese as something other than human--sneaky, arrogant, mechanical, mercenary, barbaric--calling to mind so much of the vicious anti-Japanese propaganda of World War Two (which the Germans and Italians--whose populations in the U.S. were significantly larger--seemed relatively spared of). It would be campy if not for the fact that such portrayals inspired generations of empty-headed movie-goers to think of Asians in general in such racist terms.