In late September-early October 1918, an obscure U.S. infantry battalion, the 308th, led by an equally obscure citizen-soldier, Major James Whittlesey, was ordered to take and hold the mill at Charlvaux as part of a major allied offensive in the Argonne forest. Soon cut off from its supporting forces (both French and British units had fallen back), unaware of their exposed position (and misled on this by the general staff), the battalion seized its objective and held it in the face of overwhelming enemy forces. Fully two-thirds of its men never returned.
This TV-movie dramatizes those events and depicts them superbly. This is due to a number of factors: there's the incredible amount of research, for example, which results in an uncanny feeling of accuracy; this accuracy is further heightened by excellent cinematography, often using handheld cameras to catch the frenetic pace of hand-to-hand combat, unflinching in its depiction of slaughter and yet never gratuituous in that depiction. A word should also be said for the casting: the actors here have the look -- and the sound -- of mostly a bunch of streetwise New Yorkers ("gangsters," as one terms it).
And then there's Rick Schroder, letter-perfect in his portrayal of the bespectacled Whittlesey, having to reconcile his sense of responsibility for his men with his sense of duty as he ultimately comes to win their trust, their admiration, even their love.
"The Lost Battalion" is a balanced and honest look at the savagery of war, rendered with care to the very end.
This TV-movie dramatizes those events and depicts them superbly. This is due to a number of factors: there's the incredible amount of research, for example, which results in an uncanny feeling of accuracy; this accuracy is further heightened by excellent cinematography, often using handheld cameras to catch the frenetic pace of hand-to-hand combat, unflinching in its depiction of slaughter and yet never gratuituous in that depiction. A word should also be said for the casting: the actors here have the look -- and the sound -- of mostly a bunch of streetwise New Yorkers ("gangsters," as one terms it).
And then there's Rick Schroder, letter-perfect in his portrayal of the bespectacled Whittlesey, having to reconcile his sense of responsibility for his men with his sense of duty as he ultimately comes to win their trust, their admiration, even their love.
"The Lost Battalion" is a balanced and honest look at the savagery of war, rendered with care to the very end.