Directed by
Lewis Milestone
USA 1950
'Halls of Montezuma' sports a great ensemble cast. Alongside Richard
Widmark are Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone and Jack
Webb (the last two most well known through their TV incarnations as Paladin and
Sgt Friday).
It's a strong cast of utterly believable actors. Their believability comes from
a strong script by Michael Blankfort and seamless direction by Lewis Milestone,
which portrays genuine heroism, of the sort where courage subordinates very
real, omnipresent fear.
For its time, the action footage is compellingly real -- there is a lot of
genuine Second World War footage used, I believe. The overall effect is grim and
harrowing -- this is no easy ride to glory; this is a campaign where every
participant knows he is living on borrowed time; fighting till finally there
will be no tomorrow.
The apotheosis at the movie's end is couched in religious terms, in a sort of
appeal to patriotism mixed with Christianity. And although I am wary of both
patriotism and Christianity, the effect cannot be dismissed -- these are very
real values being espoused here, and you find themselves totally respecting
them, even if you can't uncommitedly share them (Australians are brought up with
very low levels of both patriotism and religion!).
This is, in summation, a great movie. I have read that it was not well regarded
when first released; it suffered by comparison with some of Lewis Milestone's
earlier works. But time has served the film well. And in many ways, viewing this
movie after September 11 and in the light of the campaign in Afghanistan, it
comes over as being remarkably modern -- grimly modern!
Excerpt from Anthony Clarke at DVDFuture.com located HERE
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Theatrical Release: December 1950
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC
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| Also part of the Heroes of War Collection - Frontline Combat which includes Halls of Montezuma, Decision Before Dawn, D-Day the Sixth of June and Guadalcanal Diary |
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | ||||||||||||||||
| Runtime | 1:53:04 | ||||||||||||||||
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.67 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Mono), DUB: French (Mono) | ||||||||||||||||
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, None | ||||||||||||||||
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Theatrical
Trailer
• 'Support Our Troops'
ribbon fridge magnet
DVD Release Date: September, 2001 |
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| Comments: |
Although originally released in 2001, this DVD is now part of the Heroes of War Collection - Frontline Combat Collection. Nothing has been added or improved and the VOB files on the disc still sport the 2001 date. The transfer is good, but not great. there are instances of dirt and speckles, plus a fair degree of digital noise. It is dual layered, and progressive and the colors look fairly impressive. Detail is perhaps a notch lower than one might expect. The optional subtitles and the original audio are strong. As with other DVDs from Fox it is lean on extras with only a trailer (and other trailers of other Fox entries). Still a worthy purchase and inclusion in this new boxset. The film is very entertaining, if perhaps somewhat dated with one dimensional performances. It shares splashes of brilliance that Milestone is noted for in All Quiet On the Western Front and for those keen on war drama, this would be considered on the of the mainstays of its time. |
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Also part of the Heroes of War Collection - Frontline Combat which includes Halls of Montezuma, Decision Before Dawn, D-Day the Sixth of June and Guadalcanal Diary |
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | ||||||||||||||||
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Gary Tooze
Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA |
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