Battleground

John Chard

2019-06-04

⭐ 8

The Battered Bastards Of Bastogne. Dedicated to the battered bastards of Bastogne, this major player in the war film genre is directed by William Wellman & tells the story of a U.S. Army division involved in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The terrific cast features George Murphy, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, Van Johnson and James Whitmore. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two - one for Robert Pirosh's bold and fluctuating screenplay and one for Paul Vogel's realism inducing black-and-white cinematography. Battleground is an important war film in m…

CinemaSerf

2025-06-04

⭐ 7

Based on the true life activities of an American division shortly after the D-Day landings in the winter of 1944, this offers one of the most authentic interpretations of the wartime experiences of a dozen or so ordinary soldiers far from home, cold, hungry and fearful. They are led by “Holley” (Van Johnson) but rank means precious little really as the squad try to navigate the foggy countryside around Bastogne with little ammunition or food. Meantime, the Nazis are plotting their own major counter-offensive and with a constant barrage of sniper fire, leaflet dropping and radio broadcasts spel…