Le commando de la mort

This is one of the great war films ever made. Yet there are few combat scenes, and no mock heroics. What makes this movie successful is its depiction of war from the viewpoint of the men in the platoon. The film takes place primarily during the course of a walk from the beach at Salerno, Italy where the platoon has landed to a farmhouse they are to capture 6 miles away.

Although Dana Andrews is listed as the nominal star of the film, the scenes are divided up equally among several men each with their own take on the mission and ultimately the war.

Other than Andrews(approaching the peak of his career as Sgt Tyne)the rest of the cast were young up and comers, many who went on to great acting careers. They included Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges(his first important role), John Ireland, George Tyne, Huntz Hall(on hiatus from the East Side Kids films and very effective) and Norman Lloyd(bitterly brilliant as Archambeau). There is an understated narration by Burgess Meredith and a folk ballad score sung by Earl Robinson. They all perfectly fit in to the picture

The key player in all of this is director Lewis Milestone. A veteran of films since the twenties, his credits included "All Quiet On The Western Front", "The Front Page", and "Of Mice and Men". In "A Walk In The Sun" a Milestone independent production he incorporated the successful elements of the other three and the result is one of the greatest of it's genre. It is a movie not to be missed.

This war drama ranks among the best in its genre. An outstanding ensemble cast and intense story makes for an interesting look at the realism of war. This film follows a platoon of American soldiers from the time they land in Europe until they complete their mission...capturing a German occupied farmhouse in World War Two Italy. The talented and diverse cast includes:Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, George Tyne, Huntz Hall and Richard Conte. Kudos also to director Lewis Milestone.

September 1943 WWII,during the Italian campaign against the Germans, an infantrymen platoon of US army washes ashore on the coast near of Salerno and for the fighting are dieing all officials and the sergeants command to execute the mission assigned,they must capture a farmhouse occupied by the Nazis.The group is trying to take an enemy location by themselves,it's shot with an excellent action sequences.

The picture is a based about novel of same title by journalist Harry Brown who fought on the front since 1941 until 1943 and narrated his experiences as soldier in European Allied army. The first which bought the license was Samuel Bronston but the public was bored of the warlike genre and he wanted the making a super-production and then he gave the rights to Lewis Milestone.This director contacted with Daryl F. Zanuck -the magnate of 2oth Century Fox- who financed the post-production.The film realizes a magnificent reunion actors showing the numerous personages and explores their circumstances,apprehension,fears and cowardice. Lewis Milestone incorporated an off-voice of the actor Burguess Meredith who the same year starred ¨The story of G.I.Joe¨filmed by William A.Wellman and would be its more direct rival.Good storyline by Robert Rossen,turned director with important films as ¨The hustler¨and¨Alexander Magno¨ .Productor and director Lewis Milestone also made others classics as ¨All quiet on the western front¨ masterpiece WWI and the Korean set ¨Pork Chop Hill¨ which along with ¨Men in war¨(Anthony Mann) are the two best films about Korea war. Rating : Awesome and worthwhile effort.

I just like the movie. The first time I saw it was in 1948 and I did not see it again until a few years ago when AMC and the History channel started to show it again. I watch it every chance I get. The cast is excellent with many of the actors becoming more popular in later years. This movie offers excellent insight into what makes people tick. The platoon making its way inland during the invasion of Italy offers insight into what a farmer, school teacher, etc. considers important in life. One scene which I believe describes the futility of war is where the farmer determines that the soil is worthless. The cerebral fellow (John Ireland) states simply that it is because too many soilders have walked over it for too many years (centuries).

I especially like how John Ireland "writes letters" in his head and hopes to write them on paper later. I also like the part where Lloyd Bridges starts laughing because he suddenly feels like a little kid when planting explosives on a bridge. The confident Sergeant ( Dana Andrews) shows fear when about to give the command to launch the attack on the farmhouse.

The fast talking dialogue between Richard Conte and his buddy remind me of people we have met. This is an excellent movie. I believe that most people would appreciate this movie, whether or not they watch war movies. This movie offers a lot of insight into human nature.

The movie is practically void of blood and gore and leaves it to the imagination of the viewer, such as when the Lieutenant is seriously wounded while on board the landing craft, with half of his face missing. You can imagine it and don't have to see it.

I really enjoyed the book "A Walk in the Sun", finding it printed in its entirety in "The Giant Book of WWII Stories". It is a classic story and an equally classic movie. The movie sticks quite closely to the book with only a few changes. Some of the dialogue is lifted straight from the pages of the novella. It is the story of a platoon in WWII trying to capture a farmhouse. The characters are all strong and what they talk about while in the middle of a war is what grips you. I highly recommend both the book and the film.