A Walk in the Sun/Go for Broke

Director: Lewis Milestone
Actors: Lloyd Bridges, Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Van Johnson
Studio: CATCOM Home Video
Category: DVD

Buy New: $5.95

New (1) Used (3) from $5.95

Rating:

1 reviews
Sales Rank: 168091

Format: Black & White, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 211 Minutes

UPC: 741914026167
EAN: 0741914026167
ASIN: B00067ZN86

Publication Date: 1945
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Double Feature DVD. Go For Broke is the heroic tale of the 442nd. Also includes an ARMY Cartoon and An Abbot and Costello Skit. Includes some classic TV commercials.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

The Ordinary the US Infantryman in WWII October 12, 2006
gobirds2 (New England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I use the term ordinary to emphasize just how extraordinary the US infantryman was in WWII. In motion pictures it seems that most war films focus and glorify trained teams sent on secret missions or small groups of elite fighting men trained for a specific purpose. Most of these films never really focus on the men, the morality and camaraderie developed (one exception being THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE) and the day-to-day grind of combat and unsettled nerves. A WALK IN THE SUN is one of a handful of war films that focuses on these endearing elements of civilian men thrown into this mundane (on the surface) yet extraordinary routine of constant exposure to death from enemy ordnance. They are a unit from mixed backgrounds thrown into this maelstrom of uncertainty and death. They develop camaraderie and build trust in each other and execute the daily task they are ordered to without real knowledge of the bigger picture and without specific question of purpose. They get the job done ay any cost whatever the reason. Men die, they grieve and they keep moving. They are on the lowest rung in the field of getting the job done. And they persevere. Recent pictures like SAVING PRIVATE and the restored Sam Fuller epic THE BIG RED ONE have redirected the focus to the lowly ordinary infantryman out there getting the job done. BATTLEGROUND and THE STORY OF G.I. JOE have been around for a while and they too have gotten their deserved recognition. Their greatness comes because they have focused on the men. A WALK IN THE SUN is poetic in nature. Mild mannered Sterling Holloway's death scene is very poignant and difficult to watch and even fathom because of the irony that war has exposed these men to. The diversity of the men is great yet the leader types pick up and take charge when it becomes necessary without any hesitation. Dana Andrews is a man seeing that they get the job done. John Ireland, in one of his better performances, is a distant and cool character that seems like the eyes and ears of the viewer taking in all that transpires. Screenwriter Robert Rossen's script is rich in the character studies of these men including Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, George Tyne, Huntz Hall and Herbert Rudley under Lewis Milestone's lyrical direction. Beware that this DVD may not be up to your standards of picture quality.

GO FOR BROKE! This is a very entertaining film directed by Robert Pirosh about the formation of the WWII 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Based on factual events and what makes it unique is that the 442 was made up of Japanese-American volunteers who served in the European, essentially Italy and France, theater of battle. Van Johnson, giving one of his best performances, portrays Lt. Mike Grayson in charge of a platoon of these troops. Van Johnson as Lt. Grayson carries as much prejudice against Japanese-Americans as did the rest of the country at that point in the war. The film appears true to its subject depicting prejudice and resentment from both sides of the issue. The combat scenes have a sense of reality about them never losing sight of the horrors of war. The photography by Paul C. Vogel and detailed sets by Cedric Gibbons and Eddie Imazu enhance this point. However, this film does run the gamut of emotions and the camaraderie of the Japanese-American soldiers developed along side Van Johnson's Lt. Grayson is extremely well conveyed and is a high point of this film. This is a very good film, somehow forgotten and deserves to be seen and stand along side other essential WWII films.