MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Adapted by Leon Uris from his own novel, the film follows a group of World War II marines, from Basic Training to Battlefield. Major Van Heflin knows that his men are spoiling for a real fight, but must make do with the desultory skirmishes assigned them by the Brass. All this changes with an onslaught of heavy-duty battling in the South Pacific. Aldo Ray plays a tough leatherneck who falls in love with demure Nancy Olson, while James Whitmore, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone and Raymond Massey costar. And watch for young Justus McQueen, cast as private L.Q. Jones; McQueen liked his character name so much that he adopted it as his professional cognomen. Composer Max Steiner's musical score earned him an Oscar nomination. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Spanish, French, English, Korean, Thai
• Features:
  • • cc All-new digital transfer
    • Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
    • Interactive menus
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Raoul Walsh profile
    • Scene access
    • Subtitles: English, Français, Español, Português, Chinese, Thai, & Korean

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Drama or Comedy Score - 1955 (Max Steiner)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Raoul Walsh

• Producer:

  Raoul Walsh

• Screenwriter:

  Leon Uris

• Book Author:

  Leon Uris

• Cinematographer:

  Sidney Hickox

• Composer (Music Score):

  Max Steiner

• Editor:

  William H. Ziegler

• Art Director:

  John Beckman

• Set Designer:

  William Wallace

• Costume Designer:

  Moss Mabry

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Francis J. Scheid

• Makeup:

  Gordon Bau

• First Assistant Director:

  William Kissell, Russ Saunders

REVIEW:

• A big hit in 1955, Battle Cry today comes across as an average relationships-during-war movie. It's surprising to see that Battle is directed by Raoul Walsh; with Walsh at the helm, one expects that the majority of this two and a half hour film will be spent on the front lines, with shells bursting and guns blazing. In fact, only the final half hour or so involves combat, with most of the rest revolving around the tangled love lives of its Marine heroes. In some other films, focusing on the personal lives of combatants pays big dividends, but the turgid, clichéd and overlong screenplay for Battle offers little of interest. Walsh does what he can, gamely trying to mine the drama out of the stereotypes he has been presented with and hoping that playing the soap operatics for all they're worth will be enough to make the film the epic that it wants to be. Alas, it isn't. Things are not helped by the hammy acting of many of the principal players. The final action sequence is gripping, and Van Heflin and James Whitmore do very well with the material, but the only aspect of Battle that really stands out is Max Steiner's score. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi