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Features: DVD, Sensormatic
Editor's Note
Richard Widmark stars as Lt. Carl Anderson, a tough Marine officer who has been ordered to take a patrol and capture prisoners who must be interrogated about a Japanese experimental rocket-launching facility in the Pacific Islands. His platoon is split between weary veterans like Lt.Gilfilan (Richard Boone) and Pidgeon Lane (Jack Palance), and nervous recruits such as Coffman (Robert Wagner) and Cpl. Stuart Conroy (Richard Hylton). Despite his own ailments, Anderson must motivate this group of individuals to work as a unit.
Plot Summary
Once again returning to the genre to which he was perhaps best-suited, director Lewis Milestone traces the fate of a Marine platoon in the Pacific theater during WWII. The film stars Richard Widmark as the no-nonsense Lt. Carl Anderson, an officer charged with the responibility of leading his unit on a scouting mission to capture prisoners from an experimental rocket-launching facility and bring them back for interrogation. Among his platoon are veterans Pidgeon Lane (Jack Palance), Doc (Karl Malden), and Sgt. Zelenko (Neville Brand), as well as raw recruits Coffman (Robert Wagner) and Cpl. Stuart Conroy (Richard Hylton). Anderson is skilled at subtly motivating the varied group of characters, while suffering himself from crushing headaches. The platoon attacks the island, taking losses on the heavily defended beach. When they try to take a strategic ridge, they're pinned down by rocket fire whose source is impossible to locate. In desperation, Anderson is ordered to take a hand-picked patrol behind enemy lines to bring back prisoners. After some painful losses, they finally return with prisoners. Despite occasional war movie cliches, this is a solid, exceptionally well acted effort, which gives full weight to the terrible human cost of war. The film is also notable for great performances by Malden, Palance, Widmark, Webb, and the very young Wagner.
| Features | Region 1 | | Keep Case - Sensormatic | | Single Side - Dual Layer | | Full Frame - 1.33 | | Audio:
| Mono - English, French | | Stereo 2.0 - English | | Additional Release Material:
| Trailers:
| 1. Original Theatrical Trailer | | 2. Fox Flix Trailers | | Interactive Features:
| Scene Selection | | Interactive Menus |
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 5/13/2008 |
| Running Time: 113 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1950 | | Catalog ID: 2002545 | | UPC: 00024543025450 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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