Battle Circus (1953)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Allen Rivkin (story) and
Laura Kerr (story) ...

Release Date:

6 March 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | War | Drama

Tagline:

M-G-M's great drama of desire under fire!

Plot:

Set in Korea and made during the war, this is the love story of a hard-bitten Army surgeon, and a new nurse ready to save the world.

Plot Keywords:

Korean War

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Maj. Jed Webbe
June Allyson	...	Lt. Ruth McGara
Keenan Wynn	...	Sgt. Orvil Statt
Robert Keith	...	Lt. Col. Hilary Walters
William Campbell	...	Capt. John Rustford
Perry Sheehan	...	Lt. Laurence
Patricia Tiernan	...	Lt. Rose Ashland
Adele Longmire	...	Lt. Jane Franklin
Jonathan Cott	...	Adjutant
Ann Morrison	...	Lt. Edith Edwards
Helen Winston	...	Lt. Graciano
Sarah Selby	...	Capt. Dobbs
Danny Chang	...	Korean child
Philip Ahn	...	Korean prisoner
Steve Forrest	...	Sergeant

Also Known As:

MASH 66 (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16175)

Filming Locations:

Fort Pickett, Blackstone, Virginia, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film originally had a different title but the studio and the director thought that title would mislead audiences, so the title "Battle Circus" was instead chosen. The title that was rejected: "MASH".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The aircraft strafing the hospital at the beginning of the movie have USAF markings.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bacall on Bogart (1988) (TV)

Dull

Battle Circus (1953)

** (out of 4)

MGM drama about a MASH unit in Korea and a doctor (Humphrey Bogart) who falls for a new nurse (June Allyson). This is a pretty strange film that didn't quite work with me and I think a lot of that is due to the rather poor screenplay that never knows what it's trying to be. It starts off as a war drama then moves into a romantic comedy and then at the end tries to turn into something else. The moods of the film are constantly changing to the point where you don't know what or how you're suppose to be feeling. Bogart was an interesting choice for the role here because he's having to put on the charm from scene one until the end. Many have found his performance bad here but I thought he handled it pretty well. The sweet talk stuff doesn't sound right coming from someone like Bogart but that's why I found it charming. Allyson isn't nearly as strong in her role but she's adorable enough. Bogart and her do a nice job together, although I had a hard time believing he'd actually fall so hard for her. I've read several comments that have attacked the film and Bogart's character because he's pretty much sexually harassing the woman throughout the movie. Even when she wants nothing to do with him he still uses his power as a doctor to touch her and so on. I personally didn't take this stuff that serious as I don't think it was meant to be seen as any sort of harassment. In the end, the film doesn't work and turns out to be one of the legendary star's lesser films.