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Battle Cry

Amatory, rather than military, action is the mainstay of this saga of the United States Marines. While overboard in length, this comes from the detailing of several sets of romantics, each interesting in itself, plus the necessary battle action to indicate the basis is rather grim warfare.

Amatory, rather than military, action is the mainstay of this saga of the United States Marines. While overboard in length, this comes from the detailing of several sets of romantics, each interesting in itself, plus the necessary battle action to indicate the basis is rather grim warfare.

The latter is at a minimum, however, since Leon Uris’ screen adaptation of his own novel is more concerned with the liberties and loves of the World War II Marines with whom he served, than with actually winning the fight in the Pacific. It is the story of a group of enlisted men and their officers in a communications battalion, taking them from civilian life, through training and then to New Zealand, from which base the outfit participates in Pacific action.

Of the romantic pairings, the most impression is made by Aldo Ray and Nancy Olson, not only because it occupies the main portion of the film’s second half after the two other principal teamings have been completed, but also because of the grasp the two stars have on their characters.

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1955: Nomination: Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture

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Battle Cry

  • Production: Warner. Director Raoul Walsh; Screenplay Leon M. Uris; Camera Sid Hickox; Editor William Zeigler; Music Max Steiner; Art Director John Beckman
  • Crew: (Color) Widescreen. Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1955. Running time: 147 MIN.
  • With: Van Heflin Aldo Ray Mona Freeman Nancy Olson Tab Hunter Dorothy Malone

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Update: 2024-09-23

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