For all its box-office potential (notable credits, star cast, epic production), this WWII effort in color and widescreen does not seem to enjoy that much of a reputation. Having watched it for myself, I can understand why: the film spends a great chunk of its nearly 2½ hours exploring (or is that exploiting?) the dreary love lives of the various members of a marine unit; this atypical approach may prevent the film from being yet another routine actioner, but, it does come perilously close to soap opera at times – which is worse! Director Walsh was an action expert but, as I said, here this element is relegated to the last 20 minutes or so; popular novelist Leon Uris's screen adaptation of his own novel was by all accounts a watered-down affair (actually common practice for Hollywood at the time). Incidentally, Walsh would helm the similarly mild film of a classic war novel by another renowned author – Norman Mailer's THE NAKED AND THE DEAD (1958), for which he 'recalled into service' a number of actors from BATTLE CRY itself. The cast, then, includes established and up-and-coming stars: Van Heflin (despite being top-billed his role is virtually that of an observer), Dorothy Malone, Raymond Massey (a mere cameo), Nancy Olson, Aldo Ray (who comes off best) and James Whitmore (basically retreading – albeit effectively – his Oscar-nominated role in BATTLEGROUND [1949]) in the former category and William Campbell, Anne Francis, Tab Hunter, L.Q. Jones (formerly Justus McQueen, he stuck to his character's name here professionally thereafter!), Perry Lopez and Fess Parker in the latter. The narrative features, at least, three ongoing romances: Tab Hunter is even involved with two women (Mona Freeman, absurdly third-billed, and an unlikely dalliance with frustrated Dorothy Malone), bookworm John Lupton has an even less believable relationship with floozie Anne Francis, while tough/beefy Aldo Ray demonstrates his sensitive side when he falls for New Zealander Nancy Olson. These are developed intermittently between the training sessions and the aforementioned climactic action bout (which despite some obvious stock footage is fairly well handled on a grand scale); joining the various dots, as it were, within this episodic structure is Whitmore's sympathetic narration.
Review of Battle Cry
