Those who think Audie Murphy was not a very good actor haven't seen him in this film. Perhaps some of his later Western films didn't give him as much to work with, but in Red Badge of Courage he shines. Just a few of many great scenes which come to mind: early in the film when he hears that his group will finally be going into action, he writes a letter to his pa 'in case you are told that I have fallen', and you can see the remains of tears drying on his face; later on when his friend Jim dies after the first real battle, in Murphy's reaction you can see how wrenching it is for him to realize the human cost of war. Bill Mauldin, the famous cartoonist, plays the role of Murphy's closest friend in his fighting group, and does a superb job as well. Both Murphy and Mauldin seem perfectly suited to the age of their characters. While they were not originally actors by trade and had little if any acting experience, their performances in this film should shame many of today's 'actors' who draw multi million dollar paychecks and whose 'work' pales in comparison to that of Murphy and Mauldin in this film.
My only real disappointment was that due to massive editing the film is only 69 minutes long! I figured it was at the midway point when 'the end' came on the screen. Apparently this film became a sort of political football within the studio when it was made, yet I can't understand how anyone could justify cutting it down to this length. I was thoroughly enjoying this film all the way through and was nowhere near ready for it to end. Even so, even if you're not a Civil War buff, this is an excellent film with very engaging performances. It's more about the people than it is the war. Highly recommended.
My only real disappointment was that due to massive editing the film is only 69 minutes long! I figured it was at the midway point when 'the end' came on the screen. Apparently this film became a sort of political football within the studio when it was made, yet I can't understand how anyone could justify cutting it down to this length. I was thoroughly enjoying this film all the way through and was nowhere near ready for it to end. Even so, even if you're not a Civil War buff, this is an excellent film with very engaging performances. It's more about the people than it is the war. Highly recommended.