Review of Battleground (1949) by Adrian B — 02 Jun 2011

William A. Wellman's 1949 WWII epic Battleground stands as something of an All Quiet on the Western Front for World War II in the way that it is startlingly frank and violent in its depictions of war, and sympathetic, human, and vulnerable portrayals of the soldiers.

Battleground lacks the scope of All Quiet, but this isn't a bad thing--Battleground focuses on two pivotal battles (Bastogne and Bulge) rather than an entire war. Indeed, Battleground's dramatizations are spectacular: highly accurate, grim, and moving.

The ensemble works as a finely tuned machine, no man in particular standing out among the rest (although Van Johnson and James Whitmore deliver noteworthy performances). Excellently directed, written, and performed, Battleground is a terrific film.