Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2643 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-11-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.com
First broadcast on HBO in June of 1998--shortly before the theatrical release of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan--this World War II drama offers an equally intimate and devastating study of combat and its tragic aftermath. Set in Germany during the closing days of the war, the film uses a little-known episode of U.S. military history--the bloody battle of the Hurtigen Forest--as the backdrop for the story of a battle-weary private (Ron Eldard) who is the only surviving member of his platoon. Despite his request for dismissal on the grounds of mental disability and shell-shock, he is considered a promising soldier by his superiors, promoted to sergeant, and assigned to command a fresh platoon of young, inexperienced soldiers. The cycle of war continues, and the film ends as it began--with one soldier carrying a mortally wounded comrade from a scene of devastating loss. A veteran of several war films, director John Irvin emphasizes the gritty, physically exhausting realities of combat with keen attention to detail on location in Hungary. This film is decidedly downbeat (don't look for any Spielbergian uplift here), but its depiction of warfare is undeniably powerful, earning praise for Irvin and HBO for tackling such an uncompromising project. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Men That Will Never Fade Away
I grew up in the 1950s playing Army with equipment remnants of WWII. My dad must have gone to a surplus store because we had packs, helmets, the works. But my father and my uncles never talked much about the war. Over the years I was able to get some vague ideas of their experiences and it made my respect for them grow even more. My Uncle Phil especially as he had fought in Africa, Italy, (Normandy Beach and The Battle of the Bulge) France, and Germany. This movie will make you feel a new respect for what many of the men in that war went through at one place or another or one time or another. This one battle made men reach down deep to give their inner strength to those around them. I have never been in the military but in my work and personal life I have been exposed to them all my life. Better yet I have stepsons that are Marines and exposure to them has taught me the code of soldiers. It is quite clear this movie will make you understand that code which when all else fails will get you through. I highly recommend this movie as a purchase. This is by far one of the best WWII movies I have ever seen.

It might be one of the most underrated war movies you never saw
For me and many (if not most) other film enthusiasts, a film's story and plot - rather than the inclusion of "A List" actors (an arbitrary, usually temporary, and essentially meaningless designation) to its cast - is the initial draw (plus a good trailer doesn't hurt); as for rental movies, the reasons can be less geared towards the plot and more geared towards the wondrous aesthetic of bare female skin. In the World War 2 film WHEN TRUMPETS FADE, viewers get none of the latter aspect but a very commendable example of the former. It is an excellent story and screenplay with an engagingly ironic premise and an effective cast. The setting is the Hurtgen Forest, a short distance from the Belgian/German border. The battle over said real estate was a harrowing and bloody ordeal that inflicted significant casualties on the American troops, who expected a cakewalk following the ongoing German retreat in the wake of the allied liberation of France. Instead, the allies found the weary German troops consolidated in well-planned defensive positions from which they put forth determined and brutally effective resistance. The film actually closely follows the details of the battle (one of the longest in U.S. history).

In the movie, Ron Eldard stars as David Manning, the lone survivor of his platoon returning to the battalion HQ after a devastating battle and a harrowing incident which followed. Instead of a brief respite from the horrendous ordeal, Manning is not only put back into combat rotation, but is also assigned as a squad leader. Manning himself is an underachieving fatalistic malcontent without much interest or effort beyond his own self-preservation. The Company Commander (in an understated but not entirely ineffective portrayal by Martin Donovan) has no illusions about Manning's character, but comes to recognize an unappealing yet practical truth: that Manning's experience (especially when compared to the inexperienced replacements who reinforce the mauled units) and his ability to survive are tantamount to making him the best candidate for the position (if for no other reason than by default). Manning continually asks for an exception from combat duty, which is always and immediately refused. Soon, he is assigned a squad to lead, which is reduced to a mere fire team after an unsuccessful attack by the battalion is savagely repelled by German artillery. Following this latest debacle, the Captain makes Manning a somewhat remarkable deal: if Manning will lead his 4-man fire team on a seemingly hopeless assault to destroy the German artillery positions, the Company Commander will classify Manning as unfit for combat via a Section 8.

Thus, what begins with a suicide mission which the Captain believes will rid him of Manning and the requests for removal from combat duty, spurs an increasing cycle of surprisingly heroic though self-serving actions by Manning that grow in daring and peril. Along the way in his Faustian bargain, Manning unintentionally displays the leadership, bravery, and heroism that he had no interest in possessing, even if the motives lack nobility. It is an intriguing question of the nature of heroism: is its essence defined by motive without regards to results, or actions without regard to motive? As for the characters, there aren't many that are very easy to like in a conventional sense, though you end up rooting for some of them. Besides Manning's self-centeredness and disdain for authority, the Captain is an earnest but ineffectual commander, the new and unprepared (both in terms of training and psychology) platoon leader (Timothy Oliphant) utterly loses his nerve and mind after a disastrous attack, the Battalion Commander (marginal performance by Dwight Yoakum) is a rear echelon officer who reflects the upper chain-of-command's oblivion to the tactical realities of the battle. Eldard may not be the greatest actor ever born, but he nails the role and comes off as rather believable - which is or should be the goal of an actor in a film. Frank Whaley, Dylan Bruno, and Zak Orth all turn in solid performances respectively as a dedicated medic, a tough but jaded sergeant, and the brand new augmentee who transforms from being the platoon's biggest doofus to its most promising soldier through his harrowing experiences.

For fans of war movies, the budget is pretty modest (an HBO movie filmed in eastern Europe) with special effects and military props which might not be top of the line as well. But the violence and gore are frankly depicted, and the terror and tension are palpable (this is the movie which prepared me for the unprecedentedly violent Omaha Beach landing sequence in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN). There isn't much in the way of soppy sentimentality, though there is an argument that could be made for this film being one of the most realistic and best World War 2 films you never saw. It is one of my favorite films of all, though this gritty and dark effort doesn't fall into the category of "feel good movies". It's best to be in the right frame of mood for seeing it, though worth the time spent.

Great story, bad acting and directing
I disagree with others raving about this movie.....there is a reason it is not shown on HBO anymore and that is because the acting literally stinks. The director did a horrible job with a great storyline and the characters come across as non-believable. The flame thrower scene when they attack the gun emplacement was literally ridiculous.....I had to shut the sound off because of the idiotic forced screaming the guy was doing. Over all I found this movie very hard to get into, I felt like I was on the outside rather than immersed in the storyline and I LOVE war movies. Once again, great story but a lousy portrayal.