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ASIN : B0007TKNGA
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Editorial Reviews
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The German offensive in December 1944 became the basis for this all-star Hollywood take on the Battle of the Bulge. Henry Fonda is an officer who predicts the assault, Robert Ryan and Dana Andrews are Army brass skeptical of his intuitions, and Robert Shaw (his hair dyed yellow and his eyes glinting with malice) is a German officer leading the tank attack. Shaw is certainly the most compelling thing about the film, especially in his philosophical debates with ambivalent underling Hans Christian Blech. Elsewhere, the movie jumps around to sidebar stories (cowardly James MacArthur becomes a leader, wheeler-dealer Telly Savalas falls in love) while messing around with the historical facts of the battle. There are interesting episodes, such as the Malmedy massacre of American POWs and the Germans' use of English-speaking spies, but overall Battle of the Bulge has the feeling of having been patched together from different scripts. On the physical level the movie comes up short, with the Spanish locations rarely suggesting the wintry misery of the battle, and the use of models and studio sets highly inadequate. A number of war films from this era are compelling on their own terms, but in the wake of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, this one looks antique. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
A sad excuse for the real story (2008-07-06)  I saw this film in the theatre in the 1960's and again recently. My original impression hasn't changed. The writing and acting are generally mediocre. There are some good battle scenes. The story is virtually fiction interspersed with some cliched historical highlights to give it a sheen of accuracy. A better choice than this (though with less sophisticated technology) is Battleground. Also, try reading one of the general histories of the battle - John Toland's "Battle - the story of the Bulge" is the most comprehensive I know of, and is highly readable.
Theme song "Panzerlied" lyrics by Kurt Wiele (2008-06-16)  This is supposed to be an epic war movie. And it is. It is a great vehicle for many of the popular actors of the time which includes some immortals. This is not intended to be a documentary. The over all intent of this presentation other than entertainment is to show that war has a lasting effect on those people that live through it. The story is of course the title "Battle of the Bulge" only instead of concentrating on Bastogne we are treated to the formula which on the U.S. side Lt. Col. Daniel Kiley (Henry Fonda) figures out them sneaky Germans is going to attack through the forest and of course Col. Pritchard (Dana Andrews) wants to have Lt. Col. Kiley committed. On the German side Col. Martin Hessler (Robert Shaw) just wants to have fun playing tank and wants the war to go on for ever; however his sidekick Cpl. Conrad (Hans Christian Blech) has this thing about preserving his offspring from joining the fun of an endless war.Can Gen. Grey (Robert Ryan) find a mistake the Germans have made and turn this around or will the German juggernaut just keep coming on. No fair looking at this movie from hindsight.I have watched this movie on and off for several decades and even though the Blu-ray version does not add any new words or scenes to the movie it does add a sort of 3D effect that adds to ones viewing pleasure. As an added bonus Director Ken Annakin and Actor James McArthur (who plays Lt. Weaver in the movie) are still alive and adds a voice over commentary
Gawd Awful American Garbage (2008-01-15)  No historical accuracy here - fictionalized everything - the action and the tanks are the stars here. Lousy script, re:inventing history glorifying American military achievement - if you have to make it up you're in real trouble (guess so). Robert Shaw is good, Robert Ryan is awful. Overall, an insulting and offensive movie to those that were there - and to those who inflict this mess on themselves. Avoid it or go in aware of it's flaws.
Incredibly inaccurate film ! (2007-12-06) I saw this film in the theatre when it was released. It is incredibly inaccurate and has little to do with the reality of the battle. Given Hollywood's reputation for accuracy in films of this type, I have always been puzzled as to why Fox would have released a film this bad. The actors in it did a credible job with the exception of Telly Savalas' performance which was a joke. The film did portray some of the panic in the initial stages of the battle., Robert Shaw is great as the fanatic tank commander, but as for the rest of it, forget it. - My father was a soldier during the Bulge and I cannot comment on the words he used when HE saw this travesty. He later said that his combat experience in Korea made him feel nostalgic for the Bulge as he said he was never so cold in his life as he was in Korea, and he was born in Pittsburgh where it used to regularly get below zero in the winter. My uncles on my Mother's side were in the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe and they reacted to this film in the same way. - Perhaps one day a proper Bulge film will be made to honor the men on both sides who fought and who died there. - A curious bit of trivia was that on the original Napster, one of the top songs downloaded was Panzerlied. -Read some books on the Bulge and check out some of the great websites on the battle and avoid this film at all costs if you are seeking a look at the battle and how it really commenced.Falkie
dump your VHS version (2005-05-06) I'm not going to waste your time telling you about the movie, and how great it is. The only thing I have to say is someone did something right for a change. Whoever put this one together gave you the full version as it was first shown.On the VHS and when showing on TV, the Fifth Column portions of the film, were usually cut out, but they are included in this version.My advice if you know and love this movie, this is the one to buy, and dump your VHS.This review does not apply to the Battle of the Bulge [HD DVD] released may 22, but the prior release.
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