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Battle of the Bulge, originally released in 1965, is
directed by Ken Annakin. The film stars Henry Fonda (12
Angry Men), Robert Shaw (Jaws), Telly Savalas (The Dirty
Dozen), and Charles Bronson (Death Wish.) ***
Battle of the Bulge tells the story of the eponymous
battle, one of the lengthiest and bloodiest battles in World
War II's Pacific theatre. Allied troops, including an intelligence
officer who often clashes with his superiors (Fonda), a
hard-edged merchant (Savalas), and a man in charge of a
less-than-disciplined unit (Bronson) set out to do battle
with an increasingly desperate (and as a result, increasingly
unpredictable) Nazi Germany. Amongst the threats to the
Allies are deadly new weapons, a platoon of Germans expertly
disguised as Americans who have crossed the border, and
a Panzer division lead by a man who lives for war and battles
(Shaw.) ***
This is one of those movies that comes under fire for
its historical inaccuracies, pacing issues, and a plethora
of other issues oh-so-many people point out in their reviews.
Okay, the movie isn't completely off the hook for all that
stuff. But it is a well-made, solid war flick that remains
entertaining all these years later. ***
An ensemble cast of actors is perhaps the best thing
this classic film has going for it. We've got a pre-Death
Wish Charles Bronson and a pre-Kojak Telly Savalas, both
of whom give solid performance is a platoon leader and a
merchant out to make a few quick bucks on the battlefield,
respectively. The always-entertaining Henry Fonda gives
a memorable performance as an intelligence officer who isn't
afraid to go against his superiors when it comes to making
decisions on and off the battlefield. ***
Of course, the true standout here is from a pre-Jaws
Robert Shaw. His performance here brings back memories of
the assassin he portrayed in From Russia With Love, and
that is an enormous compliment. I simply could not have
imagined anyone else in this role. From start to finish,
I truly believed this was a man obsessed with war who saw
no future elsewhere. ***
From start to finish, it is made very clear the production
crew was out to make a BIG movie. And every aspect of it
feels epic. Filmed in an ultra-wide aspect ratio that is
no longer used in filmmaking, with massive-scale sets and
literally hundreds of men on both sides of the battlefield,
not one moment of the movie fails to feel epic. The battles,
the scenes of officers socializing and gathering their troops,
there isn't a dull moment here despite a lengthy run time.
***
As entertaining as the film is, though, there are some
issues here and there. Obvious rear-projection scenes and
models, anachronisms galore, sunny skies during the final
battle which is supposed to be amidst a blizzard, a sometimes
questionable script, you get the idea. The film also, despite
never having any dull moments, does feel a bit bloated at
times. Some scenes definitely feel like they could have
landed on the cutting room floor (and several actually have
in some earlier releases of the film on home video.) Still,
I'm glad to have it restored to the proper length in its
original format. Ultimately the film is solid - a war movie
that stands the test of time and overcomes its few flaws.
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Image And Sound:
Warner Bros. does THE BEST restorations when it comes
to classic films, and their work on Battle of the Bulge
proves to be no exception to this. First and foremost, the
film is finally presented on home video in its proper “super-wide”
aspect ratio. For years, we've had to deal with cropped
atrocities - but the recent releases of the film finally
put that toa n end. On top of that, the level of detail
is absolutely incredible, and the colors pop right off the
screen. It's a very clean picture, with almost no print
damage, dirt, or other anomalies to speak of. There is a
surprisingly-limited amount of grain in the picture, but
the sheer level of detail implies to this viewer that there
were no annoying enhancements applied. This is in all ways
an improvement over DVD versions of the movie. This 1080p
transfer of Battle of the Bulge definitely earns a medal
of honor. ***
Sound quality doesn't fare as good as the medal-winning
picture quality, but it is still a competent stereo track.
Disappointingly, we don't get a lossless option, but this
stereo track (crafted from the original mono elements) doesn't
necessarily disappoint. Audio is loud and clear throughout,
be it dialogue, explosions, or the classic musical score.
My only real complaint is it isn't much of a “surround”
mix and mostly remains front-heavy. I wish the rear channels
had gotten a workout. It doesn't win the medal of honor
the picture quality did, but it's sound quality at least
worthy of an honorable discharge.
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