Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Excellent, a Must See

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Pork Chop HillThe army names hazardous areas after food so starving GIs are inclined to invade.Prime example: the mouth-watering but highly lethal heap of dirt in this war movie.During the Korean War, a depleted US platoon (Rip Torn, George Peppard, Woody Strode) led by Lt. Clemons (Gregory Peck) is ordered to capture a contentious meat-shaped knoll that's currently being occupied by China's Communist forces.While he requires more support to fend off the Red multitudes, Clemons' government is unwilling to support him or withdraw his troops from the worthless mound.As an armistice is hammered out, Clemons and his boys hold off the hordes.A harrowing tale of bravery and stupidity, this 1959 depiction of the 1953 theater of war doesn't dismiss America's delinquencies in the bloodbath, but instead overrides them with glowing nationalism. Fortunately for famished troops, a McDonalds will shortly materialize on any property seized by the US.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

As I write this NATO has been involved in Afghanistan for twelve years . A political breakthrough almost came about this week when the United States were going to have peace talks in Qatar with the Taliban but due to anger from the Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai the talks were cancelled at the last minute . Even if the talks had gone ahead the talks probably wouldn't have gained much due . NATO will pull out of the country next year regardless of any settlement or political deal . There is a rather sad dimension to this and that is NATO soldiers will still die in combat between then and now and there's something much more poignant about dying in a conflict when the end - regardless of the outcome - is in sight The battle of Pork Chop Hill was the last major battle of the Korean War and this film tells the story of the battle . The UN and communist forces were weeks away from signing an armistice but for reasons of not losing face and to hold bigger bargaining chips continued to commit thousands of troops to a battle that had no strategic value . This is patently absurd and the film tries to put a human and ugly face to this absurdity but never manages it The film is directed by Lewis Milestone who won an Oscar for ALL QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT so he should in theory be the number one contender for making an anti-war movie . However the screenwriter is James R Webb who had previous and subsequent tradition in writing Westerns . Is there any genre that's more black and white than a Western ? This explains the rather sketchy characterisation of the soldiers involved , the a man's got to do what a man's got to do commanding officer , the reluctant hero , the malingerer etc . Even the climatic battle where the US forces are besieged and saved at the last minute resembles a Western cliché and negates any anti-war comment the film is trying to make . From a technical point of view it is a good war film but never becomes an anti-war film

Since the Korean War, nothing has been said about it. Yes it is mentioned in history books but even then, the subject matter is skimmed over. No one really knows what happened during that time except for the individuals who took part in the battle. Unfortunately, not many are left to tell their story. Thankfully director Lewis Milestone had the ambition to make this film in honor of those who fought during that time.Gregory Peck plays Lt. Joe Clemons, a tired soldier who is on the boarder of losing all his men because communication ties are running thin between him and headquarters. Along side Peck is Harry Guardino, George Peppard and Rip Torn. At first, it may seem a little difficult to see who's who, because the film is black and white but it doesn't take long before these recognizable faces come clear. What's nice though is how well each actor portrays their character. Each one has a specific background and when they talk about themselves, it reflects the time of the era very accurately. Another great feature is the set design. Every piece of the set is like what it would be if the viewer were in the soldier's shoes. There's nothing comforting about warfare and that is what's in this film. Barb wire, bunkers, sandbags, flood lights, bayonets and dirt is all that will be seen; which is anything but cozy. Also the fact that the psychological aspect being inserted into the story makes things even more accurate. Trying to persuade the Americans to leave over a loudspeaker can make them very uneasy, which is understandable.As for action, I suspect some viewers will be turned off that there's no blood and guts. But what could someone ask for from the era of conformity? Realistic gore was considered taboo at the time and probably would have freaked too many people out. Especially since the government didn't want the families at home to see what war was really like. For this element, the audience must suspend from their minds that gore just wasn't permissible at the time, and there for, omit it from affecting their judgment of the film.For the few films that focus on the Korean War, this film shows the best reflection of what times were like. The actors perform well, and the set is accurately grimy which is all due to Milestone's direction.

I read all the reviews and just had to mention (you had to be there to feel the terror). I was lucky enough to survive this and a few other battles. I was on Bloody ridge when the fighting stopped and the chinks came out of there caves by the hundreds only a few hundred yards in front of us.Yes they did use music by Doris day ,and at night they would shout "Yankee, tonight we come,and tonight you die.We would answer with a few choice words of our own. It's too bad this was known as the forgotten war. I ask my 12 year old grand son what he knew about the Korea war.All he could remember was MASH on TV. They didn't want to mention that nasty POLICE action in History class. I'M not bitter now .At least i lived to come home to my wife and produce four children that in turn produce four more children,and life goes on. I didn't think about the war much until a few years ago.That was my generation.A lot of the guys i went to school with were there,in fact one of my close friends was on Sand Bag Castle at the same time and we never knew until last year that we were both there at the same time.SMALL WORLD. SGT.BILL SCHALLER