Walk in the SunRating:
Release Date: 01 August, 2001 Retail Price: $7.49 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (9 total) |
Walk in the Sun Reviews
Extraordinary Focus on the Ordinary Infantryman
I use the term ordinary to emphasize just how extraordinary the US infantryman was in WWII. In motion pictures it seems that most war films focus and glorify trained teams sent on secret missions or small groups of elite fighting men trained for a specific purpose. Most of these films never really focus on the men, the morality and camaraderie developed (one exception being THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE) and the day-to-day grind of combat and unsettled nerves. A WALK IN THE SUN is one of a handful of war films that focuses on these endearing elements of civilian men thrown into this mundane (on the surface) yet extraordinary routine of constant exposure to death from enemy ordnance. They are a unit from mixed backgrounds thrown into this maelstrom of uncertainty and death. They develop camaraderie and build trust in each other and execute the daily task they are ordered to without real knowledge of the bigger picture and without specific question of purpose. They get the job done ay any cost whatever the reason. Men die, they grieve and they keep moving. They are on the lowest rung in the field of getting the job done. And they persevere. Recent pictures like SAVING PRIVATE and the restored Sam Fuller epic THE BIG RED ONE have redirected the focus to the lowly ordinary infantryman out there getting the job done. BATTLEGROUND and THE STORY OF G.I. JOE have been around for a while and they too have gotten their deserved recognition. Their greatness comes because they have focused on the men. A WALK IN THE SUN is poetic in nature. Mild mannered Sterling Holloway's death scene is very poignant and difficult to watch and even fathom because of the irony that war has exposed these men to. The diversity of the men is great yet the leader types pick up and take charge when it becomes necessary without any hesitation. Dana Andrews is a man seeing that they get the job done. John Ireland, in one of his better performances, is a distant and cool character that seems like the eyes and ears of the viewer taking in all that transpires. Screenwriter Robert Rossen's script is rich in the character studies of these men including Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, George Tyne, Huntz Hall and Herbert Rudley under Lewis Milestone's lyrical direction. Beware that this DVD may not be up to your standards of picture quality.
The Battle for Tibet
Somewhere along the line this film gained a reputation as a ground-breaking war picture. That is hardly the case. In fact, the first 20 minutes are so poor that I nearly gave up on it.
The film concerns a US Army infantry outfit in the invasion of Italy in WWII. After about an hour Dana Andrews character of Sgt. Bill Tyne begins to take shape. The other thing that keeps the film moving and rather unique is a snap crackle dialogue that occurs between two members of a machine gun squad that entertain each other with quick witted barbs and come-backs as they hump along the tripod and ammunition. Richard Conte is great, as one half of this duo. I could listen to their routine all day.
Other than that the production values are marginal at best and the rest of the cast is pretty forgettable. A scene in which a sergeant has a nervous breakdown is also not very believeable.
A war film worth taking a look at but if you don't add it to your permanent collection it won't be missed.
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