Battleground

Battleground is simply one of the great Hollywood platoon dramas. In December 1944, the 101st Airborne Division was sent to protect the town of Bastogne in Belgium from a German offensive. It was the last major Nazi push of the war and became known as the Battle of the Bulge. This 1949 film, directed by World War I veteran William A. Wellman and written by Robert Pirosh (who fought in the Battle of the Bulge), views the military engagement from the perspective of one American squad in the rugged, snow-covered terrain as they hold out against the Germans. Van Johnson is the ostensible star but he's essentially the first among equals in an ensemble piece, playing a wisecracking soldier who rises to meet the responsibilities when command is passed down to him. John Hodiak is the former newspaper reporter turned seasoned private, George Murphy an older soldier waiting on orders to go home with each mail delivery, Ricardo Montalban a baseball-loving guy from Los Angeles who is delighted by the falling snow, Marshall Thompson the new kid, and James Whitmore the tough but caring Sarge. Shot largely on studio sets, this is war in close-up, with soldiers digging in, holding ground, walking patrols, marching to the next location, and generally trying to survive with dwindling supplies. A film that focuses as much on the way soldiers deal with the waiting as it does on battle, this is a classic built on the camaraderie and personalities of the soldiers. Winning Academy Awards for the original screenplay and cinematography, Battleground debuts on Blu-ray in a newly restored and remastered edition, with extras including a vintage cartoon and an archival featurette. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)