Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

tomsview When the worst thing the drill instructor can call the new recruits at boot camp is "Meatheads", you know that the movie is pulling its punches. Not that I thought that about "Battle Cry" when I saw it at the age of nine in 1956 at the movies, then I lapped up every minute of this film devoted to those most cinematic of warriors - the US Marines.The years have not been kind to "Battle Cry". It has dated in a way that "From Here to Eternity" has not. However it seems that many WW2 veterans like this film. They seem less critical of it than younger reviewers, and it's hard to argue with people who actually lived it rather than viewed it. To be honest, "Battle Cry" seems more truthful to the spirit of the marines of WW2 than a movie such as "Windtalkers" with all its gore and false heroics.Leon Uris wrote the novel based on his experiences with the marines during the war. It contained passages that were thrilling, funny and outrageous. The book's description of boot camp and the lustiness of the marines pulled no punches at all. But 1950's censorship made the movie a different matter.The story follows a group of marines from the time they head to boot camp until their return from battle in the Pacific. So many characters are introduced that some of them emerge as overly familiar stereotypes, but Tab Hunter and Aldo Ray hold their own. Although James Whitmore's performance as Mac, the master sergeant, is convincing, his narration often comes across as trite and intrusive.The movie concentrated as much on the encounters in the bedroom as on the battlefield, split evenly between the women the boys leave behind and the ones they find on their way to war with Nancy Olsen giving the strongest performance as the New Zealand widow who falls in love with Aldo Ray's character. The movie becomes more focused when the recruits pass through boot camp and join the battalion that takes them to war. Van Heflin as Major Huxley, the commanding officer, gives the standout performance in this film, providing the right combination of toughness and compassion as the professional given the job of moulding boys into marines. His performance goes a long way towards counteracting the negatives in "Battle Cry".The film's best sequence begins when Huxley pushes his men to outperform another battalion in a gruelling cross-country hike in New Zealand. After reaching their destination, he decides to do the return journey as well, pushing the men to their limits. When it seems they can't continue, the other battalion passes them on their way back mounted on trucks. The sight galvanises Huxley's men and resentment turns to pride as they march on bloodied feet back to camp. "When we hit that camp gate, let's give 'em a look at the best outfit in the Corps", exhorts Huxley as his men swing past to the accompaniment of Max Steiner's rousing score. Unlike music for war films of the last 30 years or so, which invariably play to the pathos and tragedy of war, Steiner went for the glory. Steiner's original marching song, "Honey Babe", provides an enduring memory of the film."Battle Cry" delivers its major battle at the end. The landing on Saipan is well staged if somewhat confusing, but it leads to an emotional ending as the surviving marines return home.The success of "Battle Cry" indicated that audiences of the day needed the reassurance of some core values: honour, duty, patriotism and sacrifice. "Battle Cry" over-delivered on those qualities. Vietnam was still ten years away, and then the generation brought up on movies like this would face some harsh realities of their own.It is difficult to recommend "Battle Cry" to a broad audience today. But with that said, it does boast a number of fine performances and a sequence or two that stays in the memory.

tangrene Good solid war story with what I believe may be the first instance of a "navaho Wind talker) being used in the field commumications. The short clip has a navaho "Phone Talker" speaking his dialect to another base to another navaho.I found that this may actually be the first example in the War Movie of the 40's to show this little piece of American History. I think most folks only learned about the "Wildtalkers" of the Navaho Nation in the later war fields that can out since the 80's 90's when the last movie with nicholas cage and Adam Beach played in the movie "Wingtalkers" As an old film buff I had remembered that I had see at least 2 old 40-50's war movie with had a minor character who used Native Indian language as code talkers. The old BattleCRY is one of those movies. I am still lookin for the 2nd one from that time period.

bgaffney My father was a squadron commander in the Marine Corps. We were stationed at Opa Loka Marine airbase north of Miami, Florida. My father had just finished a tour in Korea. His squadron was going with the fleet to Vieques Island Puerto Rico for carrier quals. and firing exercises. The grunts (a battalion) were to make an amphibious landing on Vieques Island and my father's squadron was to provide close air support for the landing. Vieques at that time was owned by the Navy and off-limits to most non-military personnel however the director of Battle Cry was given permission by the Navy to film part of his movie on the island during the ambhibous landings. In the film you only see my father's squadron for an instant as they roared in over the beach in echelon, which they would have not done in reality. My father had pictures taken with all the male stars and autographed by them. He also received outtakes of his squadron in the air which were left on the cutting room floor. Most of the Marines in the picture were real which is good because they were real SALTY. Utilities were faded etc. Equipment looked used. The japs were marines also. One error is that if you look close the jap. artillery is the same as the Marines, 105 hows. My father said the Marines loved to ham it up too much and had to take many take to get one scene but the director got everything except the stars for free!!!!in 1964 I landed on that same beach with a battalion of Marines, I was a company commander but no movies for us. Each night the stars and the pilots returned to the Navy Base at Roosevelt Roads. There was no airstrip on the island. I thought the authenticity was excellent, as a Marine I only caught one small error, when the General Raymond Massey was on the command ship a Marine Officer of the Day brought him a message about Huxley's difficulties. He wore a hat (cover) Marines do not wear covers indoors however he was under arms he was wearing a 45 pistol when underarms a Marine does salute and does wear a cover indoors only the generalRaymond Massey was covered and he was not under arms also the Admiral was covered and he was not underarms small detail really small considering such a complex movies about the Corps. One thing I did miss was the Browing Automatic Rifle or BAR which was a staple of the Corps in WWII. Semper Fi. Saipan was one of the bloodiest landings ever made by the Corps. Most of the real troopers in the first group to hit the beach were either killed then or in the many deadly, brutal days of combat after the landings. Most of Huxleys men would have come in body-bags or injured. The Navy used less ordnance on Saipan than they did on Guadacanal. But Saipan one the first base used by our B-29s to attack Tokyo.

greenstone110 My father was a Marine and a writer for the entertainment section of the Stars & Stripes. My dad, Staff Sargent Charles R. Cain, my mom, and sister and I, went daily, to where outside scenes were being rehearsed and filmed. I was 6 yrs. old. My dad and L.Q. became long time friends. My dad still has letters from Mr. Jones. In one he writes that he can't imagine himself in a mustache. Years later he did wear a mustache. It looks great! At one point during a scene, a rattlesnake made it's unwanted appearance. The filmmakers and actors were at a momentary loss about how to take care of the matter, so my dad, being the ham that he is, grabbed the snake behind the head and carried it off beyond harms way. On another assignment, Jack Webb offered my dad a part in the movie "The D.I." but my dad turned it down. That's part of the reason we're not rich and famous today.