The cover for Halls of Montezuma features a typically anguished-looking Richard Widmark, one of my least-favourite actors. The disc itself states that it is 'a World War II battle-action classic paying homage to United States marine corps operations in the Pacific".
Now, I possess a reasonable amount of film lore, but Halls of Montezuma had passed me by. I placed the disc in the player, expecting to be exposed to unrealistic gung-ho heroism, of the sort showing John Wayne single-handedly winning the war in the Pacific. My wife, who hates war movies (except those of the most escapist nature, such as Where Eagles Dare) looked at the titles, and asked 'just what is THIS?".
In fact, we both watched, totally riveted. Halls of Montezuma is a sleeper - a 1951 movie which deserves to be counted as one of the very finest war movies extant.
I should not have been so surprised. It was directed by Lewis Milestone. And I did know that name. It was Lewis Milestone who, a few years later, directed the classic Mutiny on the Bounty starring the young Marlon Brando. And it was the same Lewis Milestone who, way back in 1930, had won an Oscar for 'Best Direction' for another great war movie, the pacifist-inspired account of the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front.
Halls of Montezuma sports a great ensemble cast. Alongside Richard Widmark are Jack Palance (billed as Walter 'Jack' Palance), Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone and Jack Webb (the last two most well known through their TV incarnations as Paladin and Sgt Friday).
It's a strong cast of utterly believable actors. Their believability comes from a solid script by Michael Blankfort and seamless direction by Lewis Milestone, which portrays genuine heroism of the sort where courage subordinates very real, omnipresent fear.
For its time, the action footage is compellingly real - there is a lot of genuine Second World War footage used, I believe. The overall effect is grim and harrowing, this is no easy ride to glory; this is a campaign where every participant knows he is living on borrowed time; fighting until finally there will be no tomorrow.
The apotheosis at the movie's end is couched in religious terms, in a sort of appeal to patriotism mixed with Christianity. And although I am wary of both patriotism and Christianity, the effect cannot be dismissed - these are very real values being espoused here, and you find themselves totally respecting them, even if you can't uncommitedly share them (isn't it fortunate that we Australians are brought up with very low levels of both patriotism and religion? Well, apart from John Howard, that is...).
This is, in summation, a great movie. I have read that it was not well regarded when first released; it suffered by comparison with some of Lewis Milestone's earlier works. But time has served the film well. And in many ways, viewing this movie after September 11 and in the light of the campaign in Afghanistan and Iraq, it comes over as being remarkably modern - grimly modern!
If you enjoy the war movie genre, this is an absolute must. If the war genre usually leaves you cold, give this movie a try for being an intelligent, clear-eyed look at the horror and the genuine heroism of men at war.
The movie was made in 1951, before the era of widescreen movies. So it is presented in standard ratio, but it is a pleasingly clean transfer, with excellent colour registration.
There is quite a bit of image discrepancy between footage shot in 1951, and the genuine Second World War action footage spliced into the film. But this doesn't jar; if anything, it gives the movie a sort of gritty verisimilitude.
