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Rating:  -
This movie, together with "The Lost Battalion", demonstrates that HBO excels at producing hard hitting, historically accurate movies, making the point that, in our history, we have sent some very brave men on a fool's errand, and they have paid dearly for it, while acquitting themselves honorably.
In this case, the setting is the Hurtgen Forest in WW II, and the protagonist is a seasoned private, with a natural gift for combat skills, but a primary focus on self-survival. Events will thrust him into a leadership role, and that will gradually change his focus from self-survival, to the survival and success of the men he leads.
The Hurtgen Forest campaign was a needless meatgrinder that chewed up 24,000 Allied dead and wounded, and baffled the Germans as to why we simply didn't by-pass it. This movie pulls no punches about the stupidity of the campaign, but like "Lost Battalion", acknowledges the individual acts of heroism and self-sacrifice that take place even when the circumstances that thrust the individuals placed into that position were misguided and avoidable.
This is a powerfully acted and executed movie, and stands in stark contrast to drivel like "The Green Berets".
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I read a few reviews of When Trumpets Fade recently and figured it would probably be worth the six dollar asking price. It most definitely was. This has become one of my favorite WWII films. I would actually place it ahead of The Big Red One, Saving Private Ryan, and Enemy at the Gates when comparing it to other modern war epics. When Trumpets Fade obviously had a much lower budget than the other films I'm comparing it to, but every dollar made it to the screen. This movie really has nice attention to detail, with accurate weapons, uniforms and vehicles (something that The Big Red One failed at). The acting is top notch, especially Ron Eldard's portrayal as kind of a selfish anti-hero. The film makers wasted no time with misty eyed nostalgia, instead focusing on a group of soldiers merely trying to survive. After watching so many WWII movies with a more patriotic slant, When Trumpets Fade is a breath of fresh air, and all the more believable because of its pessimistic outlook. I give this sleeper film my highest recommendation. The DVD itself is presented in its original aspect ratio of 4:3; it was made for Showtime. The sound isn't 5.1, but the stereo surround track still sounds very nice in Pro Logic II if you have a surround sound receiver, with plenty of explosions and clear dialogue. There are few extras to speak of, but the DVD is still a great bargain for the price.
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As a "Retired Soldier" this FILM hits home!!! I "KNOW" people can & WILL, pick apart ANYTHING but, THIS IS a very decent FLICK about WAR & the MEN who have to LIVE IT !!!
Rating: -
I grew up in the 1950s playing Army with equipment remnants of WWII. My dad must have gone to a surplus store because we had packs, helmets, the works. But my father and my uncles never talked much about the war. Over the years I was able to get some vague ideas of their experiences and it made my respect for them grow even more. My Uncle Phil especially as he had fought in Africa, Italy, (Normandy Beach and The Battle of the Bulge) France, and Germany. This movie will make you feel a new respect for what many of the men in that war went through at one place or another or one time or another. This one battle made men reach down deep to give their inner strength to those around them. I have never been in the military but in my work and personal life I have been exposed to them all my life. Better yet I have stepsons that are Marines and exposure to them has taught me the code of soldiers. It is quite clear this movie will make you understand that code which when all else fails will get you through. I highly recommend this movie as a purchase. This is by far one of the best WWII movies I have ever seen.
Rating: -
For me and many (if not most) other film enthusiasts, a film's story and plot - rather than the inclusion of "A List" actors (an arbitrary, usually temporary, and essentially meaningless designation) to its cast - is the initial draw (plus a good trailer doesn't hurt); as for rental movies, the reasons can be less geared towards the plot and more geared towards the wondrous aesthetic of bare female skin. In the World War 2 film WHEN TRUMPETS FADE, viewers get none of the latter aspect but a very commendable example of the former. It is an excellent story and screenplay with an engagingly ironic premise and an effective cast. The setting is the Hurtgen Forest, a short distance from the Belgian/German border. The battle over said real estate was a harrowing and bloody ordeal that inflicted significant casualties on the American troops, who expected a cakewalk following the ongoing German retreat in the wake of the allied liberation of France. Instead, the allies found the weary German troops consolidated in well-planned defensive positions from which they put forth determined and brutally effective resistance. The film actually closely follows the details of the battle (one of the longest in U.S. history).
In the movie, Ron Eldard stars as David Manning, the lone survivor of his platoon returning to the battalion HQ after a devastating battle and a harrowing incident which followed. Instead of a brief respite from the horrendous ordeal, Manning is not only put back into combat rotation, but is also assigned as a squad leader. Manning himself is an underachieving fatalistic malcontent without much interest or effort beyond his own self-preservation. The Company Commander (in an understated but not entirely ineffective portrayal by Martin Donovan) has no illusions about Manning's character, but comes to recognize an unappealing yet practical truth: that Manning's experience (especially when compared to the inexperienced replacements who reinforce the mauled units) and his ability to survive are tantamount to making him the best candidate for the position (if for no other reason than by default). Manning continually asks for an exception from combat duty, which is always and immediately refused. Soon, he is assigned a squad to lead, which is reduced to a mere fire team after an unsuccessful attack by the battalion is savagely repelled by German artillery. Following this latest debacle, the Captain makes Manning a somewhat remarkable deal: if Manning will lead his 4-man fire team on a seemingly hopeless assault to destroy the German artillery positions, the Company Commander will classify Manning as unfit for combat via a Section 8.
Thus, what begins with a suicide mission which the Captain believes will rid him of Manning and the requests for removal from combat duty, spurs an increasing cycle of surprisingly heroic though self-serving actions by Manning that grow in daring and peril. Along the way in his Faustian bargain, Manning unintentionally displays the leadership, bravery, and heroism that he had no interest in possessing, even if the motives lack nobility. It is an intriguing question of the nature of heroism: is its essence defined by motive without regards to results, or actions without regard to motive? As for the characters, there aren't many that are very easy to like in a conventional sense, though you end up rooting for some of them. Besides Manning's self-centeredness and disdain for authority, the Captain is an earnest but ineffectual commander, the new and unprepared (both in terms of training and psychology) platoon leader (Timothy Oliphant) utterly loses his nerve and mind after a disastrous attack, the Battalion Commander (marginal performance by Dwight Yoakum) is a rear echelon officer who reflects the upper chain-of-command's oblivion to the tactical realities of the battle. Eldard may not be the greatest actor ever born, but he nails the role and comes off as rather believable - which is or should be the goal of an actor in a film. Frank Whaley, Dylan Bruno, and Zak Orth all turn in solid performances respectively as a dedicated medic, a tough but jaded sergeant, and the brand new augmentee who transforms from being the platoon's biggest doofus to its most promising soldier through his harrowing experiences.
For fans of war movies, the budget is pretty modest (an HBO movie filmed in eastern Europe) with special effects and military props which might not be top of the line as well. But the violence and gore are frankly depicted, and the terror and tension are palpable (this is the movie which prepared me for the unprecedentedly violent Omaha Beach landing sequence in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN). There isn't much in the way of soppy sentimentality, though there is an argument that could be made for this film being one of the most realistic and best World War 2 films you never saw. It is one of my favorite films of all, though this gritty and dark effort doesn't fall into the category of "feel good movies". It's best to be in the right frame of mood for seeing it, though worth the time spent.
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