Review of The Red Badge of Courage (1951) by Kelly A — 13 Jul 2007

One of the most famous examples of a studio altering a director's vision in post-production. Huston's cut ran approx. 2 hrs. before being slashed down to the 69 min. version that was released, and still the director proclaimed this the best film he ever made.

I don't concur, but it is difficult to argue against this being a pretty special film. Even in its compact form, the movie feels amazingly complete, with splendid-looking battle scenes and its extraordinary look at the existential concerns that individual soldiers encounter in the realm of savage warfare.

No soldier wants to feel that he is the least brave member of his company, especially when everyone around him seems so intrepid and at the ready to charge into battle. This is a story about finding redemption, and how receiving that assurance then leads to the gaining of courage to face mortal uncertainties without crippling distress.

I'm a fan of Crane's novel, and Huston was smart to use the book's text verbatim to unearth these observations. We'll never know how good the lost director's cut was, but what we are left with is far from the disaster that could have resulted from such studio tampering.