The Battle of San Pietro
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- For the actual World War II battle, see Battle of San Pietro Infine.
- For the 1734 battle of the War of Polish Succession, see Battle of San Pietro.
| The Battle of San Pietro | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Huston |
| Written by | John Huston |
| Release date(s) | May 3, 1945 |
| Running time | 32 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Battle of San Pietro is a 1945 documentary film directed by John Huston about the Battle of San Pietro Infine during World War II. It was shot by Jules Buck.
Huston and his crew were attached to the US Army’s 143rd regiment of the 36th division. Unlike many other military documentaries Huston’s cameramen filmed alongside the infantrymen as they fought their way up the hills to reach San Pietro. These cameramen were in just as much danger as the soldiers on the ground, often within a few feet of mortars and shells exploding and bullets ricocheting nearby.[1]
The film is unflinching in its realism[2] and was held up from being shown to the public by the United States Army. Huston quickly became unpopular with the Army, not only for the film but also for his response to the accusation that the film was anti-war. Huston responded that if he ever made a pro-war film, he should be shot.
Because it showed dead GIs wrapped in mattress covers, some officers tried to prevent troopers in training from seeing it, for fear of morale.[3] General George Marshall came to the film's defense, stating that because of the film's gritty realism, it would make a good training film. The depiction of death would inspire them to take their training seriously.[3] Subsequently the film was used for that purpose. Huston was no longer considered a pariah; he was decorated and made an honorary major.
In 1991, The Battle of San Pietro was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Haskew, Michael E. “San Pietro capturing the face of war.” Military History, Dec. 2000, Vol. 17 Issue 5, p. 52.
- ^ One scene includes close-up views of the faces of dead soldiers as they are being loaded into body bags, a level of realism unheard of in both fictional portrayals as well as newsreel footage of the time.
- ^ a b William L. O'Neill, A Democracy At War: America's Fight At Home and Abroad in World War II, p. 258 ISBN 0-02-923678-9
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Battle of San Pietro |
- The Battle Of San Pietro is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- The Battle of San Pietro at the Internet Movie Database
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