The Red Badge of Courage (1951 film)
| The Red Badge of Courage | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | John Huston |
| Written by | Stephen Crane (novel) John Huston Albert Band |
| Produced by | Gottfried Reinhardt |
| Starring | Audie Murphy Bill Mauldin Andy Devine Robert Easton Douglas Dick Tim Durant |
| Narrated by | James Whitmore |
| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Distributed by | MGM |
Release date | March 16, 1951 |
Running time | 69 min |
| Country | Template:FilmUS |
| Language | English |
The Red Badge of Courage is a 1951 war film made by MGM. Directed by John Huston, it was produced by Gottfried Reinhardt with Dore Schary as executive producer. The screenplay is by John Huston, adapted by Albert Band from Stephen Crane's novel of the same name. The cinematography is by Harold Rosson, and the music score by Bronislau Kaper. The making of the film is the subject of Lillian Ross's 1952 book Picture, originally in The New Yorker.
The American Civil War film is a sparse but faithful retelling of the story, incorporating narration from the text to move the plot forward. Audie Murphy, a hero of World War II who later went into acting, played the lead role of Henry Fleming. Other actors include cartoonist Bill Mauldin, Andy Devine, Arthur Hunnicutt and Royal Dano.
Characters and story
The plot is based on the book with less bloody details. A regiment of Union soldiers head South to engage Confederate forces. Joining them is Henry Fleming (Audie Murphy), a green private sent into battle for the first time. He is unprepared for the fight, but by the time battle breaks out, he finds his endurance and courage tested.[1]
Cast
- Audie Murphy as Henry Fleming (aka The Youth)
- Bill Mauldin as The Loud Soldier
- Douglas Dick as The Lieutenant
- Royal Dano as The Tattered Man
- John Dierkes as The Tall Soldier
- Arthur Hunnicutt as Bill Porter
- Tim Durant as The General
- Andy Devine as The Cheery Soldier
- Robert Easton as Thompson (as Robert Easton Burke)
Production
Director John Huston used unusual compositions and camera angles drawn from film noir to create an alienating battlefield environment. Huston had high hopes for the movie, believing it could have been "his best". He became frustrated when the studio cut the film's length to 70 minutes and added narration following supposedly poor audience test screenings.[1]
Much of the history of the making of this film, considered by some a mutilated masterpiece, is found in Lillian Ross' critically acclaimed book Picture. Of the stars who appear in the film, three served in World War II: Bill Mauldin was a famous editorial/cartoonist who created Willie and Joe while in Europe, Audie Murphy served auspiciously with the U.S. Army in Europe and narrator James Whitmore served with the U.S. Marine Corps.[1]
The film is available on DVD. In 1974, it was remade as a TV movie with Richard Thomas as Fleming.
See also
References
External links
- The Red Badge of Courage site
- The Red Badge of Courage at IMDb
- The Red Badge of Courage at AllMovie
- The Red Badge of Courage at the TCM Movie Database