BATTLE CRY Movie Review

1955 Raoul Walsh

In the back seat of a convertible parked on a dark street somewhere near Hollywood, From Here to Eternity and Peyton Place were locked in a steamy embrace. Straps unstrapped, buttons unbuttoned, zippers ripped open. Nine months later, Battle Cry hit theaters.

Leon Uris's adaptation of his own best-selling novel is, in many ways, the perfect mid-'50s war movie. First, it is so worshipful toward the military—specifically the Marines—that it's a two and a half hour “the few, the proud” recruiting commercial. All unpleasant aspects of life in the service are ignored and the positive ones are celebrated, though they are less important than the young characters' sexual initiation. The film's coy evasiveness in sexual matters may seem dated and a little embarrassing now, but to leave it at that misses a larger point. The film struck the right note in 1955. It was a huge commercial hit, number three at the boxoffice that year, and so it was showing people something that they wanted to see. What was that?

The story begins in January 1942, with new enlistees making their way west by train to basic training in San Diego. Andy Hookens (Aldo Ray) is the lady-killing lumberjack from Washington state; Ski (William Campbell) can barely stand to leave his girl back in Philadelphia; Hotchkiss (John Lupton) is the bookish guy; Forrester (Tab Hunter) is the hunky boy-next-door from Baltimore. Eventually, they (and several others) find themselves under the tough-but-fair guidance of Sgt. Mac (James Whitmore), who's also our narrator. The boss of the outfit is Maj. Sam “Highpockets” Huxley (Van Heflin), fair-but-tough.

The kids are fresh out of boot camp, which is given barely a glance by Uris and director Raoul Walsh, when the focus shifts to their after-hours activities. Danny Forrester runs into the married but eminently available Mrs. Yarborough (Dorothy Malone) at the USO and forgets about Kathy (Mona Freeman) back home. Hotchkiss runs into Rae (Anne Francis) on the Coronodo Ferry. She likes his writing so they're chaste and pure. Hookens has to wait until they ship out to New Zealand before he can meet Pat Rogers (Nancy Olson). Throughout, the acting is true to its era and to the often banal dialogue. The men tend to be stiff-backed, even in relaxed situations, and the women are breathless and dewy-eyed.

As the trio of sexual relationships is being untangled, the guys march and learn radio communications. Walsh is in his element with those big outdoor scenes. Given the full cooperation of the Marines, the filmmakers had literally thousands of extras at their disposal. Walsh makes full use of them in several impressive scenes built around marching columns of men that stretch from horizon to horizon. Despite the title, the big combat scenes are reserved for the conclusion. Though they have a look of authenticity, they don't really compare to the same moments in the best of the '40s war movies—Battleground, A Walk in the Sun, The Story of G.I. Joe.

But then, those films shouldn't be judged against Battle Cry. It's a potboiler meant to turn the shared experience of World War II into light nostalgic entertainment. Underlying the various plot elements is the idea that the war caused all of this behavior—good and bad—and so any indiscretion can be quickly forgiven. Besides, all of the right people wind up together, except for the guys who die, and they were brave Marines. In the end, the film ennobles the war, the military and, by extension, the audience. Seen today, it is an instructive example of time-capsule period escapism, slow but enjoyable enough for fans of the era.

Cast: Van Heflin (Maj. Sam Huxley), Aldo Ray (Andy Hookens), Mona Freeman (Kathy Walker), Tab Hunter (Dan Forrester), Dorothy Malone (Mrs. Elaine Yarborough), Anne Francis (Rae), James Whitmore (Sgt. Mac/Narrator), Raymond Massey (Gen. Snipes), William Campbell (Ski), John Lupton (Marion Hotchkiss), L.Q. (Justus E. McQueen) Jones (L.Q. Jones), Perry Lopez (Joe Gomez), Fess Parker (Speedy), Jonas Applegarth (Lighttower), Tommy Cook (Ziltch), Felix Noriego (Crazy Horse), Nancy Olson (Mrs. Pat Rogers), Susan Morrow (Susan), Carleton Young (Maj. Jim Wellman), Rhys Williams (Enoch Rogers), Gregory Walcott (Sgt. Jim Beller), Frank Ferguson (Mr. Hector Walker), Sarah Selby (Mrs. Forrester), Willis Bouchey (Mr. Forrester); Written by: Leon Uris; Cinematography by: Sid Hickox; Music by: Max Steiner; Technical Advisor: Lt. Col. H.P. Crowe. Producer: Raoul Walsh, Warner Bros. Awards: Nominations: Academy Awards '55: Best Original Dramatic Score. Running Time: 169 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV, Letterbox, Closed Caption.