The Mountain Road

"The Mountain Road" is a different and interesting war film. Set in China in 1944, it is about a U.S. Army demolition team doing what it can to stop the Japanese advance as the Chinese and American forces withdraw. It is based on a novel of the same title by noted author Theodore H. White. White said that his story was inspired by an interview he had with a former OSS Major Frank Gleason Jr. who had headed just such a demolition crew. Gleason was later hired as a technical consultant for the film, although he is not listed in the credits. According to one source, Gleason headed a demolition group that blew up more than 150 bridges and destroyed more than 50,000 tons of munitions in Dushan.

The film shows the challenges of military command and conflicts that the lead character, Major Baldwin has. James Stewart plays that part very well. His conflicts are different in that most of his decisions about blowing up bridges, roads and even buildings in villages affect hundreds of civilians.

All of the cast are very good in their roles. Among the most prominent are Lisa Lu who plays Madame Sue-Mei Hung, Harry Morgan who plays Staff Sgt. Mike Michaelson and Glenn Corbett who plays Collins.

An interesting aspect of this film is that there are no Japanese soldiers. The Americans never encounter the enemy. The film depicts some of the aspects of the Chinese culture that Major Baldwin had not yet learned. The terrain looked like it could have been filmed in China, but was mostly rugged hilly country and mountains in Arizona.

The film has some impressive scenes of explosions. Some consider it an anti-war film, and it fits that mold of most war movies that show the horrors, death, destruction and insanity of war.

It's a good film, but not great. War film buffs and those who enjoy history should enjoy it. Others, especially modern audiences used to fast and furious entertainment, may find it hard to sit through.

The best line in the film is from Alan Baxter who plays Gen. Loomis. After Stewart's character tells him that he had asked for the command, Loomis says, "You know what command is, major?" Maj. Baldwin replies, "Well, sir, the book says... " And Gen. Loomis says, "Command is power. Pure, simple, unlimited."

The only film that World War II veteran James Stewart made during his career was one far away from his wartime experience flying missions over Germany in the European Theater. In fact it's the Chinese mainland theater which few have ever written about.

One of those who did was Theodore H. White who in the year before his first Making of the President books came out wrote the novel on which The Mountain Road is based. White was a correspondent during World War II and he covered this forgotten theater of the war where more time was spent in the quarrels with American commander Joseph Stilwell and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek of the Kuomintang Nationalist Chinese forces than in actually fighting the Japanese.

The year is 1944 and the Japanese army is once again on the offensive and the Chinese are retreating deeper into their interior. Stewart heads an eight man army demolition team and he's destroying a whole lot of things useful to the advancing Japanese, scorching the Chinese earth for the invaders.

But he's in a country that the only things Americans know about it come from missionary tales, Pearl Buck novels, and Charlie Chan movies. Which would make Stewart's character no different than most of the rest of his countrymen. One of the people in his team is the Chinese speaking Glenn Corbett who's studied the language and culture.

In this war movie, we never see the Japanese. Stewart's big problems come from the mass of refugees heading west to escape the advancing Japanese. He's also dealing with conflicting orders, with Chinese commanders looking to evade responsibility, and some outright bandits who really don't care who wins the war.

Four of the team are killed and the reprisals Stewart takes cost him the affection of Lisa Lu, widow of a Chinese general who chose wrong politically and paid for it.

Actually the performance I liked best in the movie is that of Frank Silvera as a Chinese Kuomintang commander who actually does understand and sympathize with Stewart, but who also knows his people.

My guess is that James Stewart took this film because it's not a typical war film with no great combat scenes. It's about the responsibility of command in a war where you can't tell whom you should fear.

Still The Mountain Road drags in spots and comes to no real satisfactory conclusion. It's different, but because of that remains one of James Stewart's least known and viewed films.

I first saw this as a 16 year-old on its release in the UK, and have seen only glimpses on TV since. What I remember most is, having the year before seen "The Big Country", recognising the similarity of the scores as having the same composer in Jerome Moross (I had taken my seat after the opening credits). I felt quite pleased with myself at the time. I thought the movie to be much along the lines of earlier James Stewart/Anthony Mann classics, although with not quite the punch or pace. Harry Morgan's performance explains why he was never short of roles and why he became a stalwart member of the "MASH" brigade. Definitely worth another viewing.

Watching this film with jimmy stewart as a driven military man was interesting. I have always thought of stewart in the role in Harvey or its a wonderful life.

Stewarts characters struggle with power and his obsession to accomplish his objective was fun to watch. This film is worth the time spent and includes some great character actors of this period. I think it deserves its 6.6 overall rating.

Watching this movie develop reminded me of recent events in europe and made the film seem timely despite its age.

The Mountain Road is the story of an American Enginers destroying military stockpile ahead of a Japanese advance in late World War II. The corrupted Chinese Warlords refused to equip their men for the fight against the Japaneses and wanted to hoard so they could profit from the sale of gasoline and military supplies. One of the themes of the movie is the cultural clash between Americans and Chineses. One of the major difference between the two was the value of human life. I wish that this movie was available on DVD or VHS tape as I would like to have it for my collection. It is well worth while seeing to see one aspect of World War II in China.