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When Trumpets Fade
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When Trumpets Fade (1998) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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When Trumpets Fade (1998) -- A private in the latter days of WWII on the German front struggles between his will to survive and what his superiors perceive as a battlefield instinct.

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   2,891 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Irvin
Writer (WGA):
W.W. Vought (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for When Trumpets Fade on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 June 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | War more
Tagline:
In the heat of battle not all soldiers can be heroes
Plot:
A private in the latter days of WWII on the German front struggles between his will to survive and what his superiors perceive as a battlefield instinct. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
Heurtgen Forest was no Walk in the Park more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ron Eldard ... Manning

Zak Orth ... Warren
Frank Whaley ... Medic Chamberlain

Dylan Bruno ... Sgt. Talbot

Devon Gummersall ... Lonnie
Dan Futterman ... Despin

Steven Petrarca ... Baxter

Dwight Yoakam ... Lieutenant Colonel

Martin Donovan ... Captain Pritchett

Timothy Olyphant ... Lt. Lukas

Jeffrey Donovan ... Bobby
Bobby Cannavale ... Captain Zenek
Frank-Michael Köbe ... German sergeant (as Frank Köbe)
András Stohl ... Wounded soldier
Matthew Rutson Cooney ... Driver Cpl. (as Matthew Ruston Cooney)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Hamburger Hill 2 (Australia)
Hurtgen (USA) (original script title)
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MPAA:
Rated R for graphic war carnage and strong language.
Runtime:
95 min | UK:92 min (DVD) | UK:88 min (video)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Filming Locations:
Budapest, Hungary more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The phrase "Nobody Dies" is a reference to the book and film "A Walk in the Sun (1945)", where "Nobody Dies" is the platoon motto. Both book and film deal with similar effects of war as "When Trumpets Fade". more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The Dragons teeth of the Siegfried line are not shown as they really were (and in numerous places still are today). 1) In the movie the line is build with four rows of teeth. In reality the line is build with five rows. 2) The teeth are in reality not made in one size as shown in the movie, but in 3 different sizes, where the first and last rows contain the biggest pillars, the middle three are middle sized, and woven in the last row you can find the smallest. 3) The rows are not placed exactly behind each other. If you would see them from above, you would see an angle in the middle. 4) The rows of pillars are also not build in one line. If you would look over a row from the side, you would see a zigzag of pillars. 5) The pillars in the movie are too close too each other. In reality, the area between two pillars is so big, you can park a car between them (as is done by the author of this comment on numerous occasions). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator, news footage: August 1944. The outcome of the Second World War appeared to be no longer in doubt. Paris was liberated. After four years of fighting, victory against the Germans seemed assured. Since the Normandy landings, American and Allied forces had battled their way across northern Europe, and pushed the German enemy to within its own homeland.
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Movie Connections:
Follows Hamburger Hill (1987) more
Soundtrack:
White Christmas more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful:-
Heurtgen Forest was no Walk in the Park, 26 July 2003
Author: (ramblin.jack@verizon.net) from Hollywood Bungalow!

Two years ago a WWII veteran asked me if I saw WHEN TRUMPETS FADE, the story of the battle for Heurtgen Forest. He said that he was wounded in the battle, which history has almost forgotten because it was so overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge starting several days later.

He informed me that it was chilling in it's dead-on accuracy, not only of the events within the battle itself but of the ferocity of carnage that permeated the senses 24/7 of everyone who was there.

After watching it, I realized this was not a "Let's travel to Middle Earth, and slay the dragon fantasy" but a testimony to the barvery, or lack of it, in battle, that men must endure to justify their existance, which is continually threatened by the enemy. There isn't room for sub-plots when all that is on your mind is staying alive; and at what cost?

All the performances are exemplary in this regard, Eldard creating a character that is not only believable but admirable in it's honesty.

It should be ranked among the new age of war classics of recent years. But please don't look for any love stories or soul searching introspectives, there wasn't any time for that when you are cursing the very ground to get lower than the bullets flying over your head.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Those tanks... supermoseley
A detailed account IvanSR
Great movie with a few exceptions... nathanwoodruff
German sergeant ivan-liska
The Real Battle was worse Scrimss
The make up bobhund_80
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