BATTLE CIRCUS Movie Review
1953 Richard Brooks
Robert Altman's M*A*S*H uses the Korean “police action” to comment on Vietnam. Richard Brooks's film, set in the same kind of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, is understandably less sharply focused, reflecting America's less passionate feelings about that war. It's a curious film—flawed, but more good than bad—which treats the subject of medicine in a time of war seriously and makes no comment on the morality or political necessity of the conflict. It benefits immeasurably from the presence of Humphrey Bogart in an understated, easy-going performance.
He plays Maj. Jed Webbe, a surgeon who has a highly developed appreciation for whiskey and blondes, perhaps too highly developed. At least, that's how his boss, Lt. Col. Whalters (Robert Keith) sees it. He's not too enthusiastic about Webbe's penchant for impulsive behavior, either, particularly when it involves helicopter flights into fire zones. Webbe's attention, though, has been diverted by newly arrived nurse Ruth McGara (June Allyson), an innocent who fell right off the turnip truck. She moronically stands up and looks around when everyone else hits the ground during a mortar attack. One true love and flag-waving patriotism are also high on her list.
As an object for Webbe's affection and/or lust, she's an unlikely candidate, and she's the film's main flaw. Her wide-eyed “golly-gee whiz” line delivery and perpetually smiling perkiness are completely insufferable. To be fair, the part is so transparently written that all the blame cannot be laid on her. Actually, the most interesting woman in the cast is Lt. Franklin (Adele Longmire), a cynical brunette who has some sharp oneliners in the early going but then disappears into the background.
Director Brooks is more in his element when the film lives up to its title and pays attention to the mobile characteristics of the unit. The long scenes of striking the huge tents, packing them up and transporting them to a new location have a whiff of nuts-and-bolts realism. The operating room scenes try to achieve that same level of verisimilitude, but viewer expectations in that regard have been raised considerably since 1953, and so the surgery seems tame and bloodless. The other personal conflicts are less than compelling, too. The story finally comes into its own in the third act, with a forced move of the hospital and patients in the face of quickly advancing North Korean troops. Despite California locations that don't look much like Korea, Brooks makes the desperation of the doctors and the wounded seem real.
On its own, Battle Circus is unlikely to make any top-ten lists. It's still fine for Bogie's fans, and its real importance lies in the changing attitudes that it reveals. By 1953, Americans could no longer luxuriate in the role of simple, humble savior of civilization. The world had become too complicated for that, even in Hollywood. The props and John Alton's superb black-and-white cinematography recall the first wave of World War II propaganda films, but the sense of grim determination that comes from being forced into a war for survival is noticeably absent.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart (Maj. Jed Webbe), June Allyson (Lt. Ruth McGara), Keenan Wynn (Sgt. Orvil Statt), Robert Keith (Lt. Col. Hillary Whalters), William Campbell (Capt. John Rustford), Perry Sheehan (Lt. Laurence), Patricia Tiernan (Lt. Rose Ashland), Adele Longmire (Lt. Jane Franklin), Jonathon Cott (Adjutant), Ann Morrison (Lt. Edith Edwards), Helen Winston (Lt. Graciano), Sarah Selby (Capt. Dobbs), Danny Chang (Koren Child), Philip Ahn (Koren Prisoner), Steve Forrest (The Sergeant), Jeff Richards (The Lieutenant), Dick Simmons (Capt. Norson); Written by: Richard Brooks; Cinematography by: John Alton; Music by: Lennie Hayton; Technical Advisor: Mary Couch, K.E. Van Buskirk. Producer: Pandro S. Berman, MGM. Running Time: 90 minutes. Format: VHS, Closed Caption.