Battle Hymn

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Battle Hymn was inspired by the true story of American minister Dean Hess, played here with rare sensitivity by Rock Hudson. A bomber pilot during World War II, Hess inadvertently releases a bomb which destroys a German orphanage. Tortured by guilt, Hess relocates in Korea after the war to offer his services as a missionary. Combining the best elements of Christianity and Eastern spiritualism, Hess establishes a large home for orphans. The preacher's efforts are threatened when the Korean "police action" breaks out in 1950. Battle Hymn was one of several collaborations between Rock Hudson and director Douglas Sirk--though Sirk felt that Robert Stack would have been better suited to the role of Rev. Hess. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: DDM2.0
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Features:
  • Trailer

AWARDS

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding - 1956

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Rock Hudson - Col. Dean Hess
       Anna Kashfi - En Soon Yang
       Dan Duryea - Sgt. Herman
       Don DeFore - Capt. Skidmore
       Martha Hyer - Mary Hess
       Jock Mahoney - Maj. Moore
       Alan Hale, Jr. - Mess Sergeant
       Carl Benton Reid - Deacon Edwards
       Richard Loo - Gen. Kim
       James Edwards - Lt. Maples
       Philip Ahn - Old Man
       Bartlett Robinson - Gen. Timberidge
       Simon Scott - Lt. Hollis
       Teru Shimada - Korean Official
       Carleton Young - Maj. Harrison
       Art Millan - Capt. Reardon
       William Hudson - Navy Lieutenant
       Paul Sorenson - Sentry

• Director:

  Douglas Sirk

• Producer:

  Ross Hunter

• Screenwriter:

  Vincent B. Evans, Charles Grayson

• Book Author:

  D.E. Hess

• Cinematographer:

  Russell Metty

• Composer (Music Score):

  Frank Skinner

• Editor:

  Russell Schoengarth

• Art Director:

  Alexander Golitzen, Emrich H. Nicholson

• Set Designer:

  Oliver Emert, Russell A. Gausman

• Costume Designer:

  Bill Thomas

REVIEW:

• Battle Hymn was a change of pace for director Douglas Sirk, who took a respite from his usual glossy soap operas to produce this sensitive, cross-cultural biographical study of a World War II veteran who re-dedicates his life to helping Korean orphans. The film argues that the disputes of governments matter very little to ordinary people who suffer from the everyday horror and destruction of war, a message unusual in the Cold War 1950s. Sirk lends the film his distinctive visual style, aided by the solid work of cinematographer Russell Metty. Rock Hudson's performance is among the best of his career, and he is ably supported by such familiar supporting cast members as Dan Duryea, Martha Hyer, and Jock Mahoney. Battle Hymn was further evidence of producer Ross Hunter's knack for bringing together just the right elements for a Sirk film, even when the project's subject matter was a departure from the director's standard melodramas. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi