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Battleground |  | Actors: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Marshall Thompson
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy New: $5.52
as of 9/9/2010 03:14 EDT details
You Save: $7.46 (57%)
New (32) Used (19) from $4.43
Seller: inetvideo
Rating:  64 reviews
Sales Rank: 16704
Format: Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), German (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 012569675216
ISBN: 1419811045
UPC: 012569675216
EAN: 9781419811043
ASIN: B0007TKNLU
Theatrical Release Date: January 20, 1950
Release Date: May 3, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Director William Wellman (The Big Heat) offered up this 1949 treatment of the Battle of the Bulge, which won Oscars for best screenplay and best cinematography. The film concentrates on the camaraderie and the divisions between the troops as they ready for the big offensive. Told in a taut narrative, the men of the 101st, led by Van Johnson, wait out the winter in the Ardennes forest to confront the German army in what would be the last major offensive of World War II. The men are demoralized and trapped, with no hope of support from the Allies as they are forced to band together and defend their position. A classically assembled war drama that nevertheless manages to be both engrossing and entertaining, Battleground is a mainstay of the genre. --Robert Lane
Product Description
Movie DVD
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 64
 Very good.... September 1, 2010
NE resident (Massachusetts)
This is not the standard WW2 ultra-patriotic "shoot-em-up movie", but rather one which emphasizes the life of the soldier as a member of a platoon. To be sure, there are some skirmishes, with fatalities involved, but this is not a movie dependent upon explosions and gun fire at all times.
The cast is excellent, with Van Johnson ( Holley), the light-hearted wisecracker of the outfit, and John Hodiak ( Jarvess), who portrays a small-town journalist who enlisted to fight. Other cast members are as follows:
Ricardo Montalban ( Rodriguez), an religious LA native who has never seen snow;
George Murphy ( Pop Stazak), an older soldier who accepts a dependency discharge to help his ailing wife at home, but who can't leave just yet;
James Whitmore ( Kinnie), an experienced platoon leader with the common touch, who suffers from frozen feet, but soldiers on;
Doug Fowley ( Kip), the biggest griper in the unit, and the one who constantly clicks his false teeth that he may have acquired through dubious circumstances;
Don Taylor ( Standiferd), a light-hearted soldier with a fondness for cognac;
Herbert Anderson( Hansen), a bespectacled family man from Springfield, IL, who demonstrates quiet competence and bravery in a critical moment;
Richard Jaeckel (Bettis), a soldier who experiences "shell shock", and has difficulty with battle scenes;
Bruce Cowling ( Wolowicz), a football-loving sergeant-type who has strong leadership skills;
Jerome Courtland ( Abner), the stereotypical rural Southerner, with a pleasant, easy-going manner, and a fondness for folk songs;
Marshall Thompson ( Layton), the young newcomer, who must learn to find his way into adjusting to life in a combat platoon;
A good movie, the characters are fairly well-developed, and there are a number of scenwes that are quite memorable, and with no small amount of humor , as well. Some of the characters exhibit questionable bevaior at times, but they are all likeable, and tehy redeem themselves well. Not all of them make it, but in war movies, this is not unusual. I can recommend this movie strongly; it will surprise and entertain you at the same time.
Good Movie: Who is the Texas Leaguer major art Checkpoint June 14, 2010
Harold A. Climer (Cleveland, TN USA)
I first saw this movie as a double feature along with Go For Broke, another Van Johnson on film. I guess I was about 10, and every Saturday afternoon, during the summer, the Arcade Theater in Baltimore, would have a double feature with cartoons and the Three Stooges ,etc. All for 25 cents if you were under 12 years old.
The thing that I always remembered about it was Holly and his eggs.
I was wondering if anyone knows who played the Major who did not know what a Texas Leaguer was?
I just got a DVD of the movie and have watched it four times recently. as well as Go For Broke.
 Classic war film sets a new tone May 30, 2010
Dr. James Gardner (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Battleground" is filled with so many good character actors it's hard to know where to begin. Let's do it alphabetically - James Arness, Douglas Fowley, John Hodiak, Van Johnson, Richard Jaeckel, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Marshall Thompson, and James Whitmore.
James Arness is best known as Marshall Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke" from 1955 to 1975 and subsequently has returned every so often for various Gunsmoke TV movies. Before he put on the star for Dodge City, Arness got his big break from John Wayne who cast him in four films in the early 50s. Personally I like to remember him as the original "The Thing" (1951). Arness was a decorated WW 2 vet, serving as a rifleman. He landed on Anzio Beach.
Douglas Fowley appeared in more than 300 films and TV shows from 1933 to 1982. He's best remembered as the director in "Singing in the Rain" (1952) and as Doc Holiday in the TV series "Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1955-61). In the film, Fowley plays with his false teeth. In fact, Fowley lost his teeth while serving in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.
John Hodiak's brief career included memorable roles in "Lifeboat" (1944), "A Bell for Adano" (1945), and "Command Decision" (1948).
Van Johnson appeared in more than 100 films between 1940 and 1992. He made several WW 2 films ("30 Seconds Over Tokyo", "Command Decision", "Two Girls and a Sailor", "Go For Broke"). He's probably best known as Lieutenant Maryl from "The Caine Mutiny" (1954).
Richard Jaeckel appeared in more than 100 films between 1943 and 1993. He was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor opposite Paul Newman in "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1970) but is probably remembered best for his role as the Sergeant in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967).
Ricardo Montalban is best remembered as Mr. Roarke from "Fantasy Island" (1977 - 84) and from his role in Star Trek as Khan, a role he performed on TV and on the big screen. Montalban won an Emmy for his role in "How The West Was Won" (1978).
George Murphy is best remembered as the Senator from California (1965 - 71). His undistinguished film career lasted from 1934 to 1955 and included a few dozen films.
Marshall Thompson's boyish looks served him well as "the new kid" in films like "They Were Expendable" (1945) and "Command Decision" (1948). From 1944 to 1991 he appeared in more than 50 films and transitioned to TV in the early 50s. He had recurring roles as Johnny Smith in the series "Angel" (1960-1) and Dr. Marsh Tracy in "Daktari" (1966-9).
The great character actor James Whitmore was nominated for an Oscar for this film and for "Give `em Hell Harry" (1975). He won the Golden Globe for this film and also won an Emmy for his appearance in an episode of "The Practice" (1997). One of his best roles came late in life, at the age of 73, when he played a convict unable to adjust to the real world in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). Whitmore served as a Second Lieutenant in the Marines in WW 2.
The film was directed by William Wellman. Wellman was nominated 4 times for an Oscar, winning for Best Writer in 1938 for "A Star is Born". He was nominated for an Oscar and a DGA for "The High and the Mighty" (1954) and among his many war films are "Darby's Rangers" (1958), "Blood Alley" (1955), "The Story of GI Joe" (1945) and "This Man's Navy" (1945). Among his non war films are such classics as "The Ox Bow Incident" (1943) with Henry Fonda, "Beau Geste" (1939) with Gary Cooper and Brian Donlevy, and "Public Enemy" (1931) with Jimmy Cagney. Wellman served in WW 1. He was the first American to join the "Escardrille" and was highly decorated.
Robert Pirosh wrote and co-produced. Pirosh's early work was with the Marx Brothers ("Night at the Opera", "Day at the Races"). He won the Oscar, the Golden Globe, and the WGA award for "Battleground". Pirosh had been a Master Sergeant and led a patrol into Bastogne where the film takes place. Pirosh went on to do several more war films (e.g., "Hell is for Heroes") and then the TV series "Combat" (1962-7).
The great Dore Schary shared production credit. Schary was nominated for an Oscar 5 times, winning in 1939 for "Boys Town". His 1958 play "Sunrise at Campobello" won 5 Tony awards and he wrote and produced the film with Ralph Bellamy as FDR.
Paul Vogel won the Oscar for cinematography. He was nominated again in 1962 for "The Brothers Grimm". Among his memorable films were "The Student Prince" (1954), "The Tender Trap" (1955), and "The Time Machine" (1960).
The focus of the film is the Battle of the Bulge. Other films to cover this topic include "Attack" (1956), "Battle of the Bulge" (1965), "Patton" (1970), "A Midnight Clear " (1992), "Hart's War" (2002) and "Saints and Soldiers" (2004). There is also a 1994 PBS documentary "Battle of the Bulge" and the battle is covered in the TV series "Band of Brothers".
What distinguishes "Battleground" from the war films that went before it is the focus on the men and their foibles and their lives outside the combat. Indeed, the first half of the film has no war footage at all. Films like "Bataan" (1943), "Guadalcanal Diary" (1943), "The Fighting Seabees" (1944), "God is my Co-Pilot" (1945), "They Were Expendable" (1945), "Command Decision" (1948), "The Sands of Iwo Jima" (1949), and "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949) are essentially war films while "Battleground" is a film about the warriors, not the war.
The film is also notable for its focus on the Platoon, rather than on individuals. This focus would become commonplace in the TV series "Combat" and later "Band of Brothers".
The film received 6 Oscar nominations (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Writing, Cinematography, Editing), was previewed by President Truman, and was MGM's biggest box office success in 5 years. It was so good MGM tried a follow-up in 1951 "Go For Broke" with Van Johnson, directed by Pirosh and produced by Schary.
True brotherhood. May 10, 2010
Brandi-ann B. Pagano
Battleground illustrates some of the many hardships WWII soldiers faced in Bastogne. Adding a bit of light-hearted comedy to it, Van Johnson plays his character very well. There are some very recognizable young stars in this film if you can find them.
Bastogne, Belgium, Dic 1944! April 26, 2010
Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)
Battlegorund was for its time the most ambitious recreation about Bulge's battle during WW2. (Lately Ken Akin would make a remake in 1965, but without reaching the astonishing spark of this film).
The film by itself received five nominations and two awards. Nominated as Best Film, Best Direction (William Wellman), Best supporting actor (James Whitmore), won as Best Script and Best Photograph.
Realistic and superbly filmed (although for some, it may be dated). A must-see.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 64
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