PORK CHOP HILL Movie Review
1959 Lewis Milestone
Some see Lewis Milestone's Korean War film as an anti-war companion piece to All Quiet on the Western Front. Others note the onscreen introductory statement of grateful thanks for the cooperation of the United States Army and see it as an apology for military-political bungling. Milestone himself claimed that studio interference altered his original conception of the story. Who's right? An objective viewer can find arguments for both interpretations, though one isolated moment near the end tips the balance toward the hawkish side.
The setting is 1953, and the peace talks between the North Korean and the United Nations provide a framework for the battlefield action. In the language of diplomacy, the discussions are “frank"—neither side is moving an inch. During a break away from the table, one of the high-ranking Americans mutters, “These aren't just Orientals, they're Communists!” Those six words are a perfect summation of all the racial and political biases of the 1950s that are played out in other scenes, too. In context, the sentiment seems serious, not facetious or ironic, and the concluding patriotic rhetoric about preserving freedom for millions underscores that reading.
Whatever Milestone's intention, the body of the film is a well-made, visceral look at updated trench warfare.
Lt. Joe Clemons (Gregory Peck, who's considerably older than most lieutenants) is ordered to lead the 135 men of King Company up a strategically unimportant hill and to take it. Believing that he has reinforcements from Love Company to protect his flank, Clemons takes two platoons up the slope in a night attack and holds one platoon in reserve. What is supposed to be a piece of cake turns into a hard-fought assault where progress is measured in inches. Communications are so fouled up from the beginning that the generals actually think that Clemons is having no trouble. Later, for unclear reasons, the same commanders choose not to send in more men.
Milestone is most comfortable in the heaviest action, showing how desperately the men fight over this ugly patch of dry dirt. He and veteran cinematographer Sam Leavitt tell the story through a series of sharply defined and textured black-and-white images. James Webb's script, based on a book by Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall (USAR), creates memorable characters with a few bold strokes. Franklin (Woody Strode) is the black soldier who seriously questions the necessity of the action. Lt. O'Hashi (George Shibata) is more committed. The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces—Rip Torn, George Peppard, Martin Landau, James Edwards, Norman Fell, Robert Blake, Gavin MacLeod, Bert Remsen—but the three leads are the most memorable and completely realistic. Each reacts to the situation differently. Clemons desperately tries to explain the truth of it to his superiors while caring for his men. O'Hashi supports him without question, while Franklin is looking for a way out of a fight that means nothing to him.
The soldiers' frustration at the lack of coordination and commitment of their senior leadership is emotionally wrenching. In the middle of the first wave of the attack, their own forces mistakenly turn searchlights on them. Concertina wire that was supposed to be flattened by shelling is still there when they approach it, and those are only the beginning. But every SNAFU is answered or explained until finally, it's all the fault of those Oriental Communists.
Given the cozy relationship that existed between Hollywood and the military in the post-war years, perhaps such equivocation is inevitable. Still, the outrage at the Army's mistakes is so strong and heartfelt that a more definitive conclusion is called for.
Cast: Gregory Peck (Lt. Joe Clemons), Harry Guardino (Forstman), Rip Torn (Lt. Russell), George Peppard (Fedderson), James Edwards (Cpl. Jurgens), Bob Steele (Kern), Woody Strode (Franklin), Robert (Bobby) Blake (Velie), Martin Landau (Marshall), Norman Fell (Sgt. Coleman), Bert Remsen (Lt. Cummings), George Shibata (Lt. O'Hashi), Biff Elliot (Boven), Barry Atwater (Davis), Martin Garth (S-2 officer), Lew Gallo (Pl officer), Charles Aidman (Harrold), Leonard Graves (Lt. Cook), Ken Lynch (Gen. Trudeau), Paul Comi (Sgt. Kreucheberg), Cliff Ketchum (Cpl. Payne), Abel Fernandez (Kindley), Gavin MacLeod (Saxon); Written by: James R. Webb; Cinematography by: Sam Leavitt; Music by: Leonard Rosenman; Technical Advisor: Capt. Joseph G. Clemons Jr. Producer: United Artists, Sy Bartlett. Running Time: 97 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV, Closed Caption.