★ 7 / 10
**_A few days of the Battle of Hurtgen
Wuchak
**_A few days of the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in November’s gloom_** Released in 1998, the events take place entirely in the woods along the border of Belgium…
**_A few days of the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in November’s gloom_**
Released in 1998, the events take place entirely in the woods along the border of Belgium and Germany in 1944. This makes the movie one-dimensional, unlike, say, “The Big Red One,” which took place in no less than six different countries in the Mediterranean and Europe.
Everything looks authentic and the hardships are well detailed, as well as the tensions between the men. In contrast to 1965’s “Battle of the Bulge,” which was shot in the heart of friggin’ Spain, this was filmed in areas similar to the actual locations in Hurtgen Forest; specifically, Lake Balaton, Hungary, which is an hour’s drive southwest of Budapest.
It runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Additional stuff was done in Calgary, Alberta.
GRADE: B/B-
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★ 8 / 10
A Starkly Realistic Film
doug_park2001
WHEN TRUMPETS FADE is one of the very best recent WWII films. It doesn't have anywhere near the scope of something like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but it captures…
WHEN TRUMPETS FADE is one of the very best recent WWII films. It doesn't have anywhere near the scope of something like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but it captures what it was like to fight as a typical "grunt" in Europe during the winter of '44-'45--and what it's like to fight in a war anywhere--about as well as any movie can. Appropriately enough, its setting is the bloody, intense Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the longest single engagement in the history of the United States Army and one that, ironically, many of the history books largely ignore. Many experts now believe that this battle should have been avoided altogether.
Ron Eldard gives a really fine performance as "Manning," a reluctant draftee-type who's "not about to take a bullet for anyone." One of the best aspects of this film is the way it shows the psychology--and irony--of how Manning's higher-ups use him via a combination of threats, flattery, and promotions just to take one small strategic spot during the battle. Just about everyone else in the film--American or German, I don't believe that there are any non-military characters --gives a commendably believable performance, but special mention goes to Zak Orth, who plays a typical replacement who, young, green, and unsoldierly though he may seem, turns out to be a fine soldier, and Martin Donovan as Captain Pritchett, a typically ruthless, uncaring commander to the men in his company but a bit of a Private Manning himself to his superior officers.
Like most of today's war films, WHEN TRUMPETS FADE is gory, disturbing, and, by necessity (since it's about an unpopular and rather ineffectual battle), somewhat depressing. Still, the dialogue, battle footage, and various other aspects are nothing if not realistic. WHEN TRUMPETS FADE captures the cynicism of war-in-general incredibly well.
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I had this on our VHS...damn...still good to watch...tnx team..