The Rack (1956)

A decorated Korean War hero inexplicably collaborates with the enemy while interred in a POW camp and is court-martialed.

Director:

Arnold Laven

Writers:

Stewart Stern (screenplay), Rod Serling (teleplay)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Newman	...	Capt. Edward W. Hall, Jr.
Wendell Corey	...	Maj. Sam Moulton
Walter Pidgeon	...	Col. Edward W. Hall, Sr.
Edmond O'Brien	...	Lt. Col. Frank Wasnick
Anne Francis	...	Aggie Hall
Lee Marvin	...	Capt. John R. Miller
Cloris Leachman	...	Caroline
Robert Burton	...	Col. Ira Hansen
Robert F. Simon	...	Law Officer (as Robert Simon)
Trevor Bardette	...	Court President
Adam Williams	...	Sgt. Otto Pahnke
James Best	...	Millard Chilson Cassidy
Fay Roope	...	Col. Dudley Smith
Barry Atwater	...	Maj. Byron Phillips

Storyline

Captain Edward Hall returns to the USA after two years in a prison camp in the Korean war. In the camp he was brainwashed and helped the Chinese convince the other prisoners that they were fighting an unjust war. When he comes back he is charged for collaboration with the enemy. Where does loyalty end in a prison camp, when the camp is a living hell?

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Plot Keywords:

prison camp | korean war | captain | extreme closeup | court martial | 

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Taglines:

All the drama, the suspense, the power of "The Caine Mutiny"!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Anklage: Hochverrat

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oscar winning Art Director Cedric Gibbons' last feature film.

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Goofs

In the closing scene inside the courtroom, Capt. Miller (Lee Marvin) conspicuously comes in and sits down in a chair right next to the door, against the back wall. We see him there in a couple of close-up shots, but in several wide camera shots taken from the front of the courtroom, he is nowhere to be seen.

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Quotes

Lt. Col. Frank Wasnick: [Addressing the jury, presenting the closing arguments for Capt. Hall's defense] Gentlemen, I have here a document which is not very pleasant to read. It's a communiqué written by the Communists describing shortcomings they observed among certain American prisoners of war.
Lt. Col. Frank Wasnick: [Quoting from the document] "One: Many of the prisoners reveal weak loyalties to their families, their communities, and their army. Two: When left alone, they tend to feel deserted, and they underestimate their ability to ...
[...]

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Connections

Remake of The United States Steel Hour: The Rack (1955)

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Soundtracks

"The Last Time I Saw Paris"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (1940)
Hummed by Walter Pidgeon

User Reviews

Memorable performance by Paul Newman

Paul Newman has impressed me in "Cool Hand Luke" and in this film his performance ranges from the "cool" to the frail man in the duration of the movie.

Among films based on courtroom trials this one is remarkable. It rates alongside Bruce Beresford's Australian film "Breaker Morant" and the British film "Term of Trial."

A major feather in the cap is the ending, which is a clever touch by the director Arnold Laven. Any other ending would have made the film less poignant.

The development of the relationship between Newman's character and that of Annie Francis' Aggie is again worthy of note. Lee Marvin's small role catches your attention though it is not his finest by any measure.

All in all this film should be given more publicity, as the theme is relevant today as it was when it was made.