BATTLEGROUND Movie Review

1949 William A. Wellman

The Battle of the Bulge has been the basis for several films and this is one of the best—a grunt's-eye-view of war that's a worthy companion piece to The Story of G.I. Joe, A Walk in the Sun, and Saving Private Ryan. Director William Wellman had proven his affinity for the material with G.I. Joe, and again he's working with a fine semi-autobiographical script. Before the war, veteran screenwriter Robert Pirosh already had a Marx Brothers comedy, A Day at the Races, on his resume. During the war he served as a sergeant in the 35th Division, and though he wasn't in the Bulge, he was close enough to see what was going on and to know what the men were like. That's the film's central strength. Beyond the inevitable stereotypical characteristics, these guys are real.

With a lack of precision that will be continued throughout, the story begins “somewhere in France,” 1944. Replacement Jim Layton (Marshall Thompson) is reporting to the 101st Airborne, I-company, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Squad. When he finally finds his place, the veterans casually ignore him. Tobacco-spitting Sgt. Kinnie (James Whitmore) is nominally in charge, but the group has been together for so long that everyone knows what to do. Jarvess (John Hodiak) is the small-town newspaper writer who's the brains of the outfit; “Pop” Stazak (George Murphy) thinks his arthritis may get him an early discharge; the smart-aleck Holley (Van Johnson) has an opinion about everything. All of them are looking forward to leave in Paris. Instead, they're sent back up to the front.

Why? Who knows? That's just the way things happen in the Army. One moment, you're supposed to sew your shoulder patches on; the next moment, you've got to remove them. You're ordered to dig a foxhole on this hillside where the squad will hold a position, and when you're halfway through, the group is sent down the road. Nobody in the squad ever completely understands what is going on. As soon as one of them does think that he has it figured out, the situation changes and all of the assumptions are wrong. When the German artillery starts firing and their troops advance, it becomes even more chaotic.

Within that madness, the guys try to survive. Their griping is reflexive, common complaints they've gone through a hundred times before. They wonder about which is the best way to get sent back for medical attention: pneumonia or “a good clean flesh wound"? They'd give anything for some fresh scrambled eggs and the look on their faces when they watch a shot of brandy being poured is indescribable.

The combat scenes are filmed on some of the most authentic and evocative sets ever constructed. Art directors Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters and cinematographer Paul C. Vogel create a heavily wooded world of snow and fog without horizon or shadow. Visibility is so limited that hearing is as important as seeing. Give them and the cast equal credit for making the atmosphere of cold desolation seem so chilling. Wellman mixes in archival footage, as most filmmakers did in those years, but few managed it so seamlessly.

Given those extreme conditions, conventional combat is impossible, but Wellman manages to draw viewers into the action scenes by focusing closely on the individual characters and on smaller details, like the packing and loading of .30 caliber ammunition for an M1 rifle. The first big confrontation takes place near a railroad bridge. We experience it through Layton and Holley, who are reacting in very different ways. As Jarvess says later, “Things just happen and then afterwards you try to figure out why you acted the way you did.”

That's an observation that only a veteran could make, and it's a perfect example of the unvarnished truths that underlie the fiction of Battleground. 1949 was a big year for war films (see sidebar, pg. 278), and Wellman's film was nominated for several Academy Awards. Only Pirosh and Vogel won. Though the film was a major boxoffice hit, it has never enjoyed the reputation of its contemporaries. Any fan who's missed this sleeper should head for the video store right away.

Cast: Van Johnson (Holley), John Hodiak (Jarvess), James Whitmore (Kinnie), George Murphy (Ernest “Pop” Stazak), Ricardo Montalban (Rodriguez), Marshall Thompson (Jim Layton), Jerome Courtland (Abner Spudler), Don Taylor (Standiferd), Bruce Cowling (Wolowicz), Leon Ames (The Chaplain), Douglas Fowley (Kipp Kippton), Richard Jaeckel (Bettis), Scotty Beckett (William J. Hooper), Herb Anderson (Hansan), Thomas E. Breen (Doc), Denise Darcel (Denise), James Arness (Garby), Brett King (Lt. Teiss); Written by: Robert Pirosh; Cinematography by: Paul Vogel; Music by: Lennie Hayton; Technical Advisor: Lt. Col. H.W.O. Kinnard. Producer: MGM, Dore Schary. Awards: Academy Awards ‘49: Best Black and White Cinematography, Best Story & Screenplay; Golden Globe Awards ‘50: Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Whitmore); Nominations: Academy Awards ‘49: Best Director (Wellman), Best Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Whitmore). Running Time: 118 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV, Closed Caption.