One of the best war movies ever
It is in my top five war movies.
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I can't fault that placement, certainly one of the best, and probably THE best movie about WW2 that was made so shortly after the conflict ended.
shareAgreed.
If I had to pick a WWII movie for someone had not seen one before, "Battleground" would be my choice. The good and the bad.
Some of the best war movies show not just action, but even more important, the affects of it.
This one and another from 1949, TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH, are two great examples. Many in BATTLEGROUND have their fears as well as their flaws. Heck, the Van Johnson character, our main star, looks as if he wanted runaway in the middle of the battle, only to have Marshall Thompson follow him, forcing Johnson to change his mind.
In terms of acting, it was great to see some of these MGM stars stretching their legs here, like Johnson and especially Richardo Montalbán as the Mexican-American soldier who had never seen snow up close before. It is the type of role that Anthony Quinn would have played for another studio. Kudos to Dore Schary, for letting Montalbán break out of the stereotypical Latin lover role that Louis B. Meyer had him playing so often.