A WALK IN THE SUN Movie Review

Salerno Beachhead

1946 Lewis Milestone

Some unfortunate devices rob Lewis Milestone's second great war film of much of its power. The most obvious is a pretentious “folk song” glorifying the heroism of “common men.” Had it appeared only in the theme, it might not have been so bothersome. But it is featured prominently in the introduction, which also includes reverential shots of hands opening Harry Brown's novel, and thumbnail sketches of the main characters (by a narrator who sounds like Burgess Meredith). Then the song reappears at slower moments to comment on recent action, and finally, at the conclusion, the words of the last verse appear on screen as a glorified subtitle. The black-and-white photography is also muddy and indistinct in places. Even on DVD, the film compares poorly to some other pictures of its time. Blame either the original print or the transfer to video.

Those reservations notwithstanding, this is one of the better examinations of the war in Europe. Opening on a pre-dawn landing craft somewhere off the Italian coast, the film follows a platoon that's isolated in a nameless battle. Before the men even reach the beach, the lieutenant is killed and Sgt. Porter (Herbert Rudley) is left in charge. He knows nothing of the larger battle plans.

All he has been told is that the unit is to establish a position a hundred yards off the beach and then to follow a road six miles to a farmhouse. What should they expect to encounter on the way? Why is the farmhouse important? What will they find there? The sergeant doesn't know. No one does. But those are their orders and, after some discussion with Sgt. Tyne (Dana Andrews) and Sgt. Ward (Lloyd Bridges), they make their way inland.

As the title suggests, the rest is essentially a loose episodic road picture paced at a slow walk. The various situations that the platoon faces are really less important than the gradual revelation of the men's characters and their reactions to the war. Windy (John Ireland) is composing a long letter to his sister. Archibald (Norman Lloyd) thinks that the war will last forever and that in 1958, they'll be fighting the Battle of Tibet. Rivera (Richard Conte) is the unit's smart guy. His long conversations with Friedman (George Tyne) are almost comedy routines. The medic, McWilliams (Sterling Halloway), is too curious for his own good.

The combat scenes involve only the platoon and adversaries of similar size and power. Though the level of violence and amount of blood may seem tame by today's graphic standards, the physical action is realistic and believable. Again though, that side of the film is no more important than the less noisy moments. In those long scenes of walking and waiting and eating, the men's talk sounds absolutely authentic. Griping, dreaming, remembering food, taking care of each other—it all comes through in the words. That's where Robert Rossen's script, based on Brown's novel, is at its best. These guys are real. They're neither glorified for persevering in a tough job nor pilloried for their weaknesses. And those weaknesses are not ignored. A long, slow breakdown is revealed in telling detail, and at other times the characters make simple, critical mistakes.

The strong anti-war sentiments that director Milestone expressed in All Quiet on the Western Front are largely absent here, but the film cannot be accused of flag-waving jingoism, either. Essentially, Milestone praises the men for what they do. If he'd left it at that, and not attempted to underline his points in other ways, he might have had a masterpiece. In the end, the flaws are not fatal to A Walk in the Sun, but everything else about the film is so outstanding that they are impossible to ignore.

Cast: Dana Andrews (Sgt. Tyne), Richard Conte (Rivera), John Ireland (Windy), Lloyd Bridges (Sgt. Ward), Sterling Holloway (McWilliams), George Tyne (Friedman), Norman Lloyd (Archibald), Herbert Rudley (Sgt. Eddie Porter), Richard Benedict (Tranella), Huntz Hall (Carraway), James B. Cardwell (Sgt. Hoskins), George Offerman Jr. (Tinker), Steve Brodie (Judson), Matt Willis (Sgt. Halverson), Alvin Hammer (Johnson), Chris Drake (Rankin), Victor Cutler (Cousins), Jay Norris (James); Written by: Robert Rossen, Harry Brown; Cinematography by: Russell Harlan; Music by: Freddie Rich, Earl Robinson. Producer: Lewis Milestone. Running Time: 117 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV, 8mm, DVD.