Saints and Soldiers

Saints and Soldiers
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Ryan Little
Produced by	Adam Abel Ryan Little
Written by	Geoffrey Panos Matt Whitaker
Starring	Corbin Allred Alexander Niver Kirby Heyborne Lawrence Bagby Peter Holden
Distributed by	Excel Entertainment Group
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	90 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$780,000
Box office	$1,310,470 (USA)

Saints and Soldiers is a 2003 drama-war film featuring Corbin Allred, Alexander Niver, Kirby Heyborne, Lawrence Bagby and Peter Holden.

It is based loosely around events taking place shortly after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge where several US soldiers and a downed British airman need to reach Allied lines to pass on some vital intelligence.

Plot

The film begins with the Malmedy massacre and the escape of American soldiers from their German captors. During the escape, Deacon (Corbin Allred) manages to disarm a German soldier but does not shoot him - even at the insistence of medic Gould (Alexander Niver).

Gould and Deacon are joined by two other survivors Kendrick (Larry Bagby) and Gunderson (Peter Asle Holden). Gunderson explains it would be better to hide out until the Allies retake the area and the four hide out in an abandoned building. When a German patrol comes along, the soldiers hide under the floor. While there Deacon loosely translates a German message about a downed plane in the area. Leaving after the Germans, the Americans find a British pilot Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley (Kirby Heyborne).

Winley explains he has important intelligence he has to get back to the Allies and the group decide to try and reach the Allied lines some 20 miles away. While on point, Deacon has a hallucination and breaks down. Gunderson explains that Deacon inadvertently killed two women and six children recently. Gould begins to oppose Deacon for not shooting the German or for being religious, Deacon offers him his Book of Mormon which Gould refuses. Deacon said that Gould is asking too many questions for someone who is not interested in faith.

Shortly afterwards, Kendrick falls through the roof of an old building that had been covered by the snow. Looking for shelter Gunderson enters a house and finds a woman and girl who speak French, Catherine and Sophie Theary. A snow storm sees Gunderson surmise that the Germans will be pinned down and immobile. He suggests staying the night but Winley insists that he must get the information to the Allied troops and leaves during the storm. The others are sure he will die in the cold.

Catherine brings some bread to the soldiers. While with the soldiers, two Germans arrive and Catherine talks to them. One German starts scouting the building while the other attempts to rape Catherine. She yells, and Deacon kills one German, as the other runs into the woods. Winley arrives back with this German as his prisoner. Deacon recognises the German as "Ruddy" from his time serving an LDS mission in Berlin.

In the morning, Deacon has let Ruddy go, but Ruddy has told them where the Germans lines are and a way to get through them. With captured weapons they set out but soon encounter a small group of German soldiers. Gunderson is fatally shot by a sniper, whom Deacon then kills. More Germans attack and Winley is hit in the leg. During the firefight the Allied group is split in two. While carrying Winley, Kendrick is shot in the stomach and dies. Winley kills the German and when trying to hobble away falls into a river. Deacon and Gould find him. While caring for Winley, Rudolph "Ruddy" Gertz finds them and tells them where there is a jeep, and goes off in the direction of the pursuing Germans.

The three remaining Allied soldiers, now dressed as German soldiers, get in the jeep and head towards the German lines. They manage to talk their way past a German guard (as Deacon speaks fluent german from his LDS mission in Berlin) but when they veer towards the American lines the Germans open fire. Speeding towards safety of the American lines (where observers work out they are Allied soldiers) the jeep is overturned by mortar fire. Deacon gives covering fire as Gould and Winley head for safety. Deacon is killed by a sniper but the other two make it through and the important intelligence is passed onto to headquarters.

Gould sees Deacon's body being carried away, he takes out Deacons Book of Mormon, places the photo of Deacon's wife into Deacon's pocket and takes the Book of Mormon accepting it from Deacon because Deacon offered it to him earlier. Gould encounters a now captured Ruddy, nods and then helps an injured German soldier that Gould recognises from the massacre at the start of the film.

Cast

• Corbin Allred as Corporal Nathan "Deacon" Greer
• Alexander Polinsky as Private Steven Gould
• Kirby Heyborne as Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley
• Larry Bagby as Private Shirley "Shirl" Kendrick
• Peter Asle Holden as Staff Sergeant Gordon "Gundy" Gunderson
• Ethan Vincent as Schütze Rudolph "Rudi" Gertz
• Melinda Renee as Catherine Theary - Belgian woman
• Ruby Chase O'Neil as Sophie Theary - Catherine's daughter

Historical premise

Malmedy massacre

Ryan Little (director), Adam Abel (Producer) and Matt Whitaker (writer) give background and insight in to the film and its historicity on the commentary track of the DVD. In this commentary, before the massacre, after a shot of a German soldier lighting a cigarette for one of their prisoners, Whitaker and Little discussed the scene:

Whitaker: "That shot right there, I just thought was so well .... I remember when you and I talked, Ryan, we talked about putting things in there showing a German lighting a cigarette for an American prisoner of war. And with that shot you kind of establish right off that this is not your typical war movie. This is not the bad guys/good guys. We're showing that there were levels and elements of good and bad, you know, in everybody there."

Little: "Yeah, I think you're right. I think, you know .... When Geoffrey had done so much research on the Malmedy massacre, and presented it as the idea .... There are so many accounts about what happened. And, you know, it's interesting. We didn't know exactly where to kinda, you know, what point of view to take and so I guess we all, as we discussed it, we kinda decided that maybe more of a kinda neutral approach."

Actual events

At the beginning of the film is the text "based on actual events". Besides World War II, the Malmedy massacre and the Battle of the Bulge, the commentary mentions the following events that actually happened to soldiers in World War II:

• There was a group of Allied soldiers that hid under the floor of a building while some German soldiers had dinner in the room above them.
• An Allied sharpshooter had shot at, and missed, a German soldier. When that German soldier was later captured, he and the sharpshooter discovered that they were of the same faith.
• A German prisoner of war used some tin foil (that had wrapped something in the meal that he had eaten) to form the figure of an angel.

Historical accuracy

Several members of the 101st Airborne Division are depicted as being present at the massacre. In reality, the 101st was held in strategic reserve by SHAEF at this point in time to recover from combat in Operation Market-Garden. The 101st did not reach the front until December 18 (the massacre was on the 17th), and was sent to Bastogne, far to the south of where Kampfgruppe Peiper operated. Most of the victims were actually from the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion.

Production and release

Saints and Soldiers was released on video and DVD in May 2005. First-time director Ryan Little teamed up with actors Corbin Allred, Peter Holden, Alexander Niver, Kirby Heyborne, and Lawrence Bagby, along with a small production team to make the film. It was shot in the forested hills of northern Utah with a budget of less than $1 million. However, through special connections, the production team was able to obtain dozens of re-enactors, extras, and rare period equipment. The film was rated PG-13 for war violence and related images.

Production went smoothly and the film opened at film festivals nationwide, where it won 14 Best Picture Awards. It was the highest grossing film ever produced by Excel Entertainment. It grossed over $1 million.^{[citation needed]}

Religious overtones

Although this film can be classified as a film about Allied soldiers during World War II, it can also be generalized to any soldier, from either side of the battlefield. Kendrick, Gunderson and Winley do not make any identifications regarding religion; Gould says that he does not believe in an afterlife. Deacon's religion is identified on the commentary track as the LDS Church. Clues of this are given in the film: he is from Snowflake, Arizona (founded and densely populated by Mormons), he served a mission to Berlin, Germany, every spare moment he is seen reading a small book and the following is said of him by Gunderson:

"Deacon's the squarest guy I know. He's from some little backwards town in Arizona. Doesn't drink. Doesn't smoke. He doesn't even like coffee. That's why they call him 'Deacon.'"

Hence the reference to 12 and 13 year old boys who conduct sacrament services within the church who are called deacons. There is some antagonism between Gould and Deacon that comes to the surface several times during the film. But when it comes down to it, they protect each other, regardless of their differences. During an exchange during the film, Deacon offers Gould his Book of Mormon. Gould refuses, and Deacon responds by saying that for someone who isn't interested, Gould sure has a lot of questions. At the end of the film, Gould takes it from Deacon's front, right pocket.

At the same time, the film is produced by Excel Entertainment Group, which is a Mormon company. Thus, one can interpret Gould's taking of Deacon's book as an attempt by the filmmakers to promote a response to atheism.

The Excel Entertainment Group is heavily influenced by LDS Church and the film's content reflects this. "LDS people see our films as a mirror," Simpson (CEO) says of his products. "But they are also a window into the LDS culture."

MPAA rating

Saints and Soldiers was originally rated "R" by the MPAA. The director, writers and producer wanted a rating of PG-13. The director had this to say on the commentary track of the DVD when Gunderson is fatally shot:

Little: "The majority of the people who bought this are probably aware that Saints and Soldiers, when it was originally rated, received a "R" rating. And as we went through that process, for lack of a better term, went to war with the MPAA to find out what it was that we did that constituted a "R" rating, this was one of those scenes that came to them. And again, it came to personalized violence. They said, you care about these characters, and to see them die in a horrific way is worthy of this rating."

Some criticism has been leveled against the MPAA rating board with regard to them rating independent films more harshly than those of the large studios. (See also "LDS cinema and MPAA ratings".) Producers edited the film to receive PG-13 for commercial distribution.

Sequel

A sequel, Saints and Soldiers II: Airborne Creed, is currently in pre-production, and will be released in 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Saints and Soldiers at the Internet Movie Database
• Saints and Soldiers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Saints and Soldiers at Metacritic
• Saints and Soldiers at Box Office Mojo
• Hulu link