The Red Badge of Courage
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Movie Reviews of The Red Badge of Courage
Movie Review: Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Short and stirring
This is a classic anti-war novel brought to life. It examines the darker side of war at the "average soldier" level. The characters start off proud and patriotic, but lose courage quickly when confronted with the gruesome truths of combat. It portrays well the inner struggles of the warrior.
Eventually, overcoming his fears, the main character takes up the falling ensign, and leads his comrades in a death defying charge.
The main role is played by a young Audie Murphy, a real-life hero from World War II. He played in several productions, but this is probably his best performance.
It is definately not "politically correct." One yankee quotes, "a dog, a woman and a (almond?) tree; the more you beat them, the better they be." A sentiment from another era to be sure.
Movie Review: One of my favorite Huston films!
Summary: 5 Stars
The elusive line that separates the cowardice and the bravery is shown in this emblematic and bold picture, when Audie Murphy , a youngster decides to enlist in this project, and flees under fire to be judged over his apparent lack of courage.
Based in Lillian Ross book, this cynical gaze to the core of the human soul during War environment is one of the most celebrated and even now acclaimed War movies ever made.
A colossal statement and brilliant exercise of boldness in those anticipatory years of the Cold War.
Movie Review: Must See Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
The classic book brought to the big screen with Audie Murphy as "the boy" is excellent. When you are embarrassed that you haven't read the classic you can always resort to this movie version to become enlightened by the strong character interaction on a true modern day combat issue. Even those who are "black-and-white" challenged, like my kids, once they discover the characters in the movie they watch the movie to the end.Movie Review: the nick of time!!
Summary: 5 Stars
We ordered this video for a class my husband is teaching and it arrived in perfect condition one day before he needed it...just in the nick of time!!
Movie Review: 95 Minute Version!!!!!!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Red Badge Of Courage" was a film destined to fail from its inception. Louis B. Mayer never wanted the picture to be made and did what he could to discourage the process. He felt it could never be a commercial success without female characters or established stars. Mayer expressed his views directly to John Huston, he said, "It has no story and won't make a cent!"
When the film was finally completed, the test screenings were a failure. Houston remarked: "With the Red Badge of Courage, I quite understood at the time why they took the steps they did. I was present at a preview when damn near a third of the audience got up and walked out of the theatre."
Various edits were tried without the participation of Huston, who was working on the "African Queen" with Bogart and Hepburn, and seemed to not give a damn. All that resulted was a picture that got shorter and shorter. The final release version is 69 minutes. The original cut was of 95 minutes, not two hours as has been suggested.
"...they cut out one scene that was probably the best in the picture, in a way of anticlimax. The monumental death of the tall soldier. The boy and the tattered soldier walk away down the hill, and the tattered fellow says, "I've never seen a feller die like that." He begins to ramble and begins to walk around in circles then dies himself. This was the most extraordinary moment in the picture as far as I was concerned. It wouldn't have made any difference so far as the audience was concerned. They still walked out in the middle of the picture."
The footage that was extracted was from the master negative. It was discarded to the floor of the editing suite and thrown away as useless. There are no records of any of the cut scenes or extra footage surviving.
Louis B. Mayer dispatched a second unit to Huston's ranch. The second unit was to film the battle scenes in Technicolor using the Cinematographic process: MGM Camera 65. Louis B. Mayer, at his most vindictive, shot footage that would eventually be used in future productions with the full knowledge of Huston.
As the problems mounted, Huston's enthusiasm for the project waned and he started to gravitate towards his next project. Huston never re-visited "Red Badge Of Courage". It is assumed he was never happy with the film in its original form or its release version and was happy for the film to fade into annals of film history.