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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Battleground" is the
all-star grim depiction of an Allied offensive in
the Ardennes forest during WWII. It's remarkably
hard edged by 1949 standards -- a tribute to the
tough, hard-hitting directorial style of director
William A. Wellman. Starring Van Johnson, Ricardo
Montalban, James Whitmore, Scotty Beckett and John
Hodiak, the on-camera camaraderie amongst the men
seems genuine -- in part because Wellman insisted
that his actors train with real soldiers to fully
appreciate their brief tenure in military service.
MGM refrigerated a cyclorama built inside one of
their sound stages to recreate the unsettling and
terribly cold atmosphere of winter.
This is a top flight, ensemble war drama that
engrosses and entertains. Oscars given for
screenplay and cinematography.
Warner gives us a much improved transfer from
previously available versions. The grayscale is
nicely balanced. Blacks are generally solid. Some
scenes have a bit more film grain and grit that
one would like to see, but over all the image
quality is very smooth and consistent. While
previously issued versions of this film suffered
from a mis-registration -- resulting in ghostly
halos around objects and a general blurring of the
image quality, this DVD is remarkably solid and
sharp. Edge enhancement crops up but is minimal.
Pixelization is also present but only marginally.
The audio is mono but very nicely remastered.
"Battleground" is one of the best war dramas ever
made. It is tops in action, establishing taut
tension, providing serious storytelling and
detailed character development, and truthfully --
how many of the more recent war films (Peal
Harbor, anyone?) can you say that about? |
