The Mountain Road (1960)

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Alfred Hayes, Theodore H. White (novel)

Stars:

James Stewart, Lisa Lu, Glenn Corbett

Cast

Cast overview:
James Stewart	...	Maj. Baldwin
Lisa Lu	...	Madame Sue-Mei Hung
Glenn Corbett	...	Collins
Harry Morgan	...	Sgt. 'Mike' Michaelson (as Henry 'Harry' Morgan)
Frank Silvera	...	Col. Kwan
James Best	...	Niergaard
Rudy Bond	...	Sgt. Miller
Mike Kellin	...	Prince
Frank Maxwell	...	Sgt. Ballo
Eddie Firestone	...	Major Lewis
Alan Baxter	...	Gen. Loomis
Leo Chen	...	Col. Li
Bill Quinn	...	Col. Magnusson
Peter Chong	...	Chinese Colonel
P.C. Lee	...	Chinese General

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

china | aviation | asian | world war two | based on novel

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Taglines:

THE REAL EPIC OF THE SCORCHED EARTH...when hate and heroism, danger and disaster blocked escape on...THE MOUNTAIN ROAD

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Chinese

Release Date:

June 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Kommandant

Filming Locations:

Stewart Mt. Roads, Salt River Canyon, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Goetz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the only real war movie which James Stewart starred in. He had vowed never to make one, since he complained they were hardly ever realistic. Harry Morgan said he believed that Stewart made an exception for this film because it was definitely anti-war.

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Goofs

When Baldwin and his unit arrive at the ammunition dump they're supposed to blow up, it consists of several small buildings and shacks. But the interior shots showing mountains of ammunition have no resemblance to the buildings they're supposed to be in: two of them are clearly gigantic tunnels ten or twenty times as long as the buildings that are supposedly being inspected.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Madame Sue-Mei Hung: To the end of the road, peace and safety.

User Reviews

Good yarn with a good score

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.