Less regarded Fuller movie - none of his flourishes. There are some fine battle sequences - done in long shot. Lots of emphasis on the physical difficulty of travelling and fighting - the sore feet, random illnesses.
Lots of scenes of people saying they're too tired to fight. Doctors trying to persuade people not to fight.
The British are mentioned lots of times and we see a Gurkha. I think they were hoping to avoid an Objective Burma style controversy.
Some nice touches like the mule guy's love for his mule, the Filipino who refuses to tuck in his shirt. it's very different in that Merrill/Chandler has a heart attack at the finale.
Big role for Ty Hardin though one senses anyone could've played it. Jeff Chandler is fine - rugged, tired - but Fuller couldn't access hidden depths.
It's absolutely fine - just lacks that delirious Fuller excess. Maybe because it was a based on a true story.
No comments:
Post a Comment