Walk in the Sun DVD

A Walk in the Sun
Harry Brown's honest, unsentimental WW2 novel A Walk in the Sun has been effectively adapted for the screen by Robert Rossen. Dana Andrews stars as Sgt. Tyne, a platoon squad leader in Italy who ends up assuming command of his platoon after a series of deaths. As they prepare to attack an isolated Nazi-held farmhouse, each of the infantymen reveals his true character as he dwells upon his background and contemplates the job at hand. The film's effectiveness lies in the non-cliched characterizations by a carefully chosen all-male cast. Huntz Hall of "East Side Kids" fame is particularly good in a scene wherein he argues over whether the human body or the leaf is the most complicated natural structure. Director Lewis Milestone's use of a ballad to link the action predates High Noon by some seven years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Dana Andrews as Sgt. Tyne Richard Conte as Rivera John Ireland as Windy George Tyne as Friedman Norman Lloyd as Archimbeau Lloyd Bridges as Sgt. Ward Herbert Rudley as Sgt. Porter Huntz Hall as Carraway Sterling Holloway as McWilliams Richard Benedict as Tranella James B. Cardwell as Sgt. Hoskins Chris Drake as Rankin George Offerman as Tinker Danny Desmond as Trasker Victor Cutler as Cousin Steve Brodie as Judson Alvin Hammer as Johnson Matt Willis as Sergeant Halverson Robert Lowell as Lieutenant Rand Tony Dante as Giorgio

Crew Lewis Milestone - Director Duncan Mansfield - Editor Freddie Rich - Composer (Music Score) Earl Robinson - Composer (Music Score) Frederic Efrem Rich - Songwriter Millard Lampell - Songwriter Earl Robinson - Songwriter Russell Harlan - Cinematographer Lewis Milestone - Producer Robert Rossen - Screenwriter Harry Brown - Screenwriter Harry Brown - Book Author

A Walk in the Sun
Lewis Milestone's solid, low-key war film manages to avoid the flag-waving clichés of most WWII pictures, as it concentrates on the thoughts of the members of an infantry platoon as they undertake an assault on a German-held farmhouse outside Salerno. Robert Rossen's script is less dramatic than novelistic in its effect, as the voice-over narration allows the characters to express the fear of death, boredom, cynicism, and even their rapport with their weapons, in a way that's rare in a combat film. Emphasizing the isolation of the group of G.I.s united only by their common mission, the closest the film comes to gung-ho sentiment is their quietly repeated pet phrase, "Nobody dies." In the equanimity with which the soldiers advance on the farmhouse, Milestone underlines the many battles these veterans have yet survived, and the peace that even the most frightened have made with death. Dana Andrews projects quiet authority in a film that is more than most an ensemble piece, leading a cast that includes John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Richard Conte, and surprisingly good Huntz Hall. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

BFI London Film Festival, Film Presented (nominated) British Academy of Film and Television, Best British Film (nominated) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD: Generic Dolby Digital (unspecified format) Additional Features: DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 117 min Part of Series: Hollywood Classics   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Index 1. Credits [:14] 2. Nobody Dies [9:30] 3. Alone [10:14] 4. Can't See [10:19] 5. Planning [9:27] 6. Wounded [9:49] 7. Translation [10:09] 8. Porter [11:21] 9. Break Down [8:45]