Five months
after D-Day, most American soldiers think the German army is
broken. The Germans think otherwise. In an attempt to buy time
to fill the skies with their invincible new jets, they launch one
fast, furious offensive: the Battle of
the Bulge.
CRITIQUE
In the 1960’s
and early 70’s, Hollywood let flow a wave of straight forward,
tell-it-like-it-was World War II films: In Harm’s Way, The Longest
Day, Midway, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and others. Most focused on
specific battles, told from both sides of the battlelines, specialized
in detailed recreation, and featured large, star-studded casts. In a
sense, they were not unlike the wave of disaster films that were
popular around the same time; both kinds of films featured many of the
same characteristics: characters that were up against seemingly
insurmountable odds, often caught by surprise, turning things around
and coming out on top. Battle of the Bulge fits this tradition
on every level.
The film looks
at the lead up to and the fighting of the battle from both sides. On
the German side, Colonel Martin Hessler (Robert Shaw) is brought in by
his commanders and given a glimpse at the Hitler’s vision for winning
the war. Much of it rests on new high tech weapons that they believe
will decimate the Allies: jet fighter planes, tanks that are more
heavily armored than anything seen before, and “bombs that can destroy
an entire city in a single blast.” But the Nazis have the blueprints
for a house they cannot afford to build; their new weapons are still
months away from being operational, and they need time. Col. Hessler
is given the task of leading a major offensive, a surprise attack on a
weak point in the Allied line. The Germans have enough resources for
one all out fifty hour assault, which they believe will set their
enemies back enough to get their plans off the ground.
On the American
side, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Kiley (Henry Fonda), an Army
intelligence office, gets his hands on some reconnaissance photos that
he believes point to a looming attack. Kiley, a police detective
before the war, brings the photos to his superiors, who are reluctant
to act at first because the evidence is so thin. They all believe
that the Germans are on the run, that they have had it, and that it is
only a matter of time before they surrender. Everyone he talks to
seems ready to pack it in, but as Kiley says over and over, there are
still six million Germans carrying arms for Hitler, and the war is not
over until it is over. Fonda is good in the role, but it is one that
he played over and over throughout his career, the lone man trying to
convince everyone else to wake up and look at the facts. His Lt. Col.
Kiley is not unlike the roles he played in 12 Angry Men, The Ox-Bow
Incident, and many other films. But he plays it so well that it
is hard to look away.
There are other
excellent performances throughout the film. Shaw is especially good
as Hessler, the German tank commander who has won so many decisive
battles that the thought of being defeated never crosses his mind.
Shaw imbues the character with an unwavering determination that comes
more out of professional pride than Nazi fanaticism. In some ways,
Hessler comes away looking better than some of the Americans. Charles
Bronson plays the fanatical Major Wolenski, who thinks that Germany
should be wiped off the map completely. “Don’t leave two stones
standing together,” he says. The Allies should turn the whole country
into an open plain, give them two buffalo and let them start
over. Wolenski is out for total destruction, a point of view that was
probably not uncommon.
We all know how
the battle turned out. Like Titanic, or The Passion of the
Christ, the suspense comes not from wondering how the story will
end, but in seeing characters who are up against incredible odds and
watching them figure it out. We know the Germans are planning
an attack, but the Generals won’t listen to Kiley! It’s like watching
a horror film and seeing the killer coming up behind the hero’s back:
we know they are going to turn around, but will it be in time?
The filmmakers
are able to build an incredible level of suspense in Battle of the
Bulge; it almost seems like a miracle that things turned out the
way they did. The film is incredibly detailed. One of the
consultants was an ex-Panzer captain, a man who led German tanks
during the real life battle. Writer-producer Milton Sperling was a
combat cameraman in the Pacific, and he was with the Marines at
Guadlecanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and other battles. The whole
undertaking is well directed by Ken Annakin (Swiss Family Robinson,
Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, The Pirate Movie,
etc.), who was no stranger to epic filmmaking. Epic is exactly what
this film is; all the elements are present: life and death struggle,
enemy infiltrators, incredible odds and incredible heroism. And
it’s all true.
THE VIDEO
Battle of the
Bulge is presented in the original 2.35:1 shooting ratio, and
considering that this film was made especially for the big screen,
this is really the only way to see it. The transfer is pristine, and
the colors have never looked better. The black and white levels are
expertly rendered, which is all the more important considering that
much of the action takes place in the snowy Belgian winter.
THE AUDIO
This DVD
features a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. All the
battle sounds are brought vibrantly up to date. The layering is
solid, and there is excellent dispersal throughout the film. This
film has never been as clear.
THE EXTRAS
The Filming of
Battle
of the Bulge:
A vintage behind-the-scenes look at the making of the filming of this
movie, centered around an ex-German Panzer commander, who led a tank
division during the actual battle and was now a consultant on the
film. (10:00)
History
Recreated:
British television interviews. One features Robert Shaw talking about
how he created his role as the German tank commander, and another has
co-writer/co-producer Milton Sperling talking about turning an epic
film into an epic battle. (8:00)
Theatrical
Trailer:
The original theatrical trailer.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Battle of the
Bulge
is an epic film in every sense of the word: great performances
highlighting a detailed recreation of historical events brought to
life by people who, in many cases, participated in World War II. The
audio/visual quality has been updated, and the bonus material gives us
an interesting look at the making of this picture from the time it was
actually being filmed.
