HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Mono
  Subtitles
    Spanish
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer

The Red Badge of Courage

Warner Bros./Warner Home Video . R4 . COLOR . 69 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

It's a tribute to director John Huston that The Red Badge of Courage is as good a film as it is today. For although what we see is a remnant of a wonderful movie, this is a great remnant.

Huston, when translating this famous American Civil War novel to film, made that very unfashionable animal in the America of 1951 - an anti-war movie. He left America after finishing shooting, to start work on his all-time classic, The African Queen. In his absence, the film studio edited, re-edited and generally mutilated the movie, leaving it with a running-time of less than 70 minutes.

Yet the film, despite pedestrian voice-over narration taken from the 19th century novel by Stephen Crane, and despite the inept editing, still has power. The power is found in Huston's direction and in the acting.

The actors include the baby-faced Audie Murphy as the young soldier who flees battle in fear for his life, but who then returns to redeem himself. Murphy plays this with great sincerity and conviction. The only flaw is that he looks far too young to be in 'real' battle.

Ironically, in real life, Murphy was a Second World War veteran, emerging from that war as America's most-decorated soldier. This is his greatest film role. Sadly, in later life, Murphy suffered greatly from battlefield-induced trauma and depression.

The film, even in its mutilated form, is immensely viewable and very moving. But do yourself a favour. Before viewing it, seek out a copy of the book Picture by Lillian Ross. In Picture, American journalist Lillian Ross wrote probably the most incisive account of Hollywood movie-making ever put to paper. My battered Penguin copy is more than 30 years old; this classic is however still in print.

Lillian Ross followed the course of The Red Badge of Courage as a fly-on-the-wall observer, charting its progress through executive meetings to actual shooting, and through to its disastrous conclusion, with its sad tatters lying on the editing floor. It's a riveting read; an essential accompaniment to what could have been one of the most potent war movies ever made.

While watching this movie, framed immaculately with Huston's great artistic care, I was reminded of the recent eponymously-titled documentary of the Civil War from documentary-maker Ken Burns. Both Huston and Burns obviously related strongly to the classic Civil War photographs by the photographer Mathew Brady - platinum prints of sharp detail and great composition. Burns showed us the Brady photographs - Huston restaged them, and set them in motion.

  Video
Contract

It is wonderful just how beautiful these classic black and white movies can look if transferred with care to DVD. Warners have taken that care. The image is well-nigh perfect, with no edge-enhancement obvious, lustrous tones and high definition.

  Audio
Contract

For an early 1950s Dolby Digital mono soundtrack, there is nothing to complain about here. The sound is satisfyingly clean and clear and realistic. There is good presence in intimate conversation and in the battle scenes too, although of course there is none of today's thundering explosions and wall-shattering audio range.

  Extras
Contract

The original film trailer is presented in a high quality transfer. MGM does go overboard in trying to compare this story to its own much-earlier Gone With the Wind, and it lays on with a shovel the literary merits of the novel it stems from. The salesmanship from a studio which has done its best to destroy the movie is sadly fascinating.

The DVD menu suggests there are biographies of the film cast and crew. Wrong. There's just a list of names gleaned from the film's own titles.

  Overall  
Contract

I want this in my collection because it's by Huston, one of the most important mid-period Hollwood directors, and because of the direct link to one of my favourite books of cinema lore and history, Lillian Ross's Picture. Others may prefer to rent it first. But do yourself a favour - go out and read the book, then view this movie.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2782
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Through studio incompetence, this is just a remnant of a wonderful movie. But what a great remnant!"
    - Anthony Clarke
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Panasonic A330
    • TV:
          Loewe Profil Plus 3272 68cm
      Recent Reviews:
    by Anthony Clarke

    A Fistful of Dollars (Sony)
    "An essential Spaghetti-Western, given deluxe treatment by MGM."

    Stripes
    "Falls short of being a classic, but it gives us Bill Murray, so it just has to be seen."

    Creature Comforts - Series 1: Vol. 2
    "Delicious comic idea given the right-royal Aardman treatment. "

    The General (Buster Keaton)
    "Forget that this is a silent movie. This 1927 classic has more expression, movement and sheer beauty (along with its comedy) than 99 per cent of films made today."

    Dr Who - Claws Of Axos
    "Is it Worzel Gummidge? No, it's Jon Pertwee in his other great television role, as the good Doctor battling all kinds of evil on our behalf."

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright © DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss