 |  | Solid and gratifying, if not deep |  |
Oh, how Hollywood has difficulty treating spiritual issues. The true story of how an American pilot was moved by God to help defenseless Korean orphans could have been treated with the serious it deserved, say like in the production values attending "Bridge Over the River Quai". As it is a credible attempt was made here, albiet a little corny. Worth the watch; not a classic.
March 13, 2008Based upon a true event from the "forgotten war", this film should be remade and credit given to ALL who made the orphan rescue happen. History shows that the true heros of this event were the ones given little or no credit. Sgt Meryl Strang is not even mentioned. Oh well...the story is compelling and the actors although not Korean do a fine job. Even Rock Hudson gives a good performance...now if only they would remake it and tell the whole story...
March 16, 2007 | | Rock Hudson in Korean War Melodrama | |
This story of a preacher who leaves the ministry to alleviate his conscience by joining the Korean War effort and ends up helping Koren orphans reteams producer Ross Hunter, director Douglas Sirk and star Rock Hudson. However, this war melodrama is not as good or entertaining as their previous collaborations, the grand-scale soap operas "Magnificent Obsession" and "All That Heaven Allows". Probably because its based on the true story of a war hero, Sirk doesn't push genre conventions as he did on his better-known melodramas. Still, Battle Hymn is a very good film, with more emphasis on human relationships, especially "white male guilt" (a favorite theme of Sirk), than war. There is also the suggestion of interracial desire between Rock Hudson and Indian-born actress Anna Kashfi (who would become better known as Mrs. Marlon Brando), who plays a beautiful and noble foreign woman who helps Hudson take care of hundreds of orphans (while his white wife waits back home pregnant). Her attraction for Hudson, of course, is very nobly repressed throughout the film.
January 28, 2006| | | A HYMN TO HIM AND HER - MORE LOVE THAN WAR! | |
"Battle Hymn" is the story of a minister (Rock Hudson) who returns to train Korean soldiers to fight after he feels he has lost his calling. Of course he finds redemption and his true faith when he becomes involved with a group of Korean orphans and a young Korean/Indian woman that cares for them. Despite several brilliantly staged action sequences this film is not so much a war saga as it is a tale of introspection and finding courage in religion to carry on. The reason is simple; the film's director is Douglas Sirk - known for his soppy, sloppy and gushy melodramas that ooz treacle over substance, like "Imitation of Life" and "Written on the Wind". The blend of both adventure and drama is seamless. "Battle Hymn" is an intelligently-crafted and inspiring without being stoic or preachy.
THE TRANSFER: Overall the picture quality is nicely rendered but the ravages of time have not been kind in a few spots. Age related artifacts are present throughout - sometimes glaringly so. Black levels are often weak and fine detail is lost in the darkest scenes. Digital anomalies are not an issue for a generally smooth visual presentation. The audio is nicely presented - if somewhat dated.
EXTRAS: None.
BOTTOM LINE: "Battle Hymn" is finely wrought melodrama tinged with the prerequisite of combat that all war films have in common. The DVD is admirably realized but is not reference quality. Still, it's definitely worth a look.
May 25, 2004| | | Finding God Amidst The War | |
Rock Hudson stars as a minister who feels he has lost his calling and returns to the Air Force (he had fought in WWII) to train Korean soldiers during the Korean War. He and his men become involved with a group of Korean orphans and a young Korean/Indian woman that cares for them. While the war rages on, Hudson begins to find his way back to God, while also trying to protect the orphans. I initially believed that this was a war-action film, only to be surprised that, although there are several good fighting sequences, this was a more personal story of finding faith. Surprisingly, it meshes together well with the action. Hudson is earnest in his portrayal of the real life colonel, and he is well supported by Dan Duryea as one of his men/sidekick. There are some great lines about faith, and some of them made me think, especially the belief that God allows things to happen for reasons that may not be clear to us now, however bad they may seem at the time. In light of what has gone on in the world lately, this is a comforting thought. Battle Hymn is a well crafted, inspiring movie that never seems to preach, yet it certainly makes its points.
January 2, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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