A Walk in the Sun (1945)

During WWII, a platoon of American soldiers trudge through the Italian countryside in search of a bridge they have been ordered to blow up, encountering danger and destruction along the way.

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Harry Brown (by), Robert Rossen (screenplay)

Stars:

Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dana Andrews	...	Sgt. Bill Tyne
Richard Conte	...	Pvt. Rivera
George Tyne	...	Pvt. Jake Friedman
John Ireland	...	Pfc. Windy Craven
Lloyd Bridges	...	Sgt. Ward
Sterling Holloway	...	McWilliams
Norman Lloyd	...	Pvt. Archimbeau
Herbert Rudley	...	Sgt. Eddie Porter
Richard Benedict	...	Pvt. Tranella
Huntz Hall	...	Pvt. Carraway
James Cardwell	...	Sgt. Hoskins
George Offerman Jr.	...	Pvt. Tinker
Steve Brodie	...	Pvt. Judson
Matt Willis	...	Sgt. Pete Halverson
Chris Drake	...	Rankin

Storyline

In the 1943 invasion of Italy, one American platoon lands, digs in, then makes its way inland to blow up a bridge next to a fortified farmhouse, as tension and casualties mount. Unusually realistic picture of war as long quiet stretches of talk, punctuated by sharp, random bursts of violent action whose relevance to the big picture is often unknown to the soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | italy | reference to norman rockwell | mental breakdown | stone wall | 

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Taglines:

THEY FOUGHT BEST WHEN IT WAS HOPELESS! (print ad for 1951 reissue "Salerno Beachhead" - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 December 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Salerno Beachhead

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lewis Milestone Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Named one of the year's ten best films by the National Board of Review.

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Goofs

An American half-track is portraying its German counterpart.

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Quotes

Windy: [looking at Sergeant Porter, sobbing face down on the ground] Keep crying, Porter. You're crying because you're wounded. You don't have to be bleeding to be wounded; you just had one battle too many. Yeah, you're out of it now. No more guesswork, waiting and wondering, for you. You've built yourself a foxhole
[taps his own helmet]
Windy:

• up there. Nothing in the world that can make you come out of it. Go ahead, Porter; keep crying - we understand.

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Crazy Credits

The beginning shows an unseen male narrator grabbing a book from a shelf and the cast and crew are set out in the pages of a book.

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Connections

Referenced in The Young Lions (1958)

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Soundtracks

This Is the Story of One Little Job
(uncredited)
Music by Earl Robinson
Lyrics by Millard Lampell

User Reviews

An excellent title for a book and movie dealing with individual thoughts which often occur while taking a long walk.

I just like the movie. The first time I saw it was in 1948 and I did not see it again until a few years ago when AMC and the History channel started to show it again. I watch it every chance I get. The cast is excellent with many of the actors becoming more popular in later years. This movie offers excellent insight into what makes people tick. The platoon making its way inland during the invasion of Italy offers insight into what a farmer, school teacher, etc. considers important in life. One scene which I believe describes the futility of war is where the farmer determines that the soil is worthless. The cerebral fellow (John Ireland) states simply that it is because too many soilders have walked over it for too many years (centuries).

I especially like how John Ireland "writes letters" in his head and hopes to write them on paper later. I also like the part where Lloyd Bridges starts laughing because he suddenly feels like a little kid when planting explosives on a bridge. The confident Sergeant ( Dana Andrews) shows fear when about to give the command to launch the attack on the farmhouse.

The fast talking dialogue between Richard Conte and his buddy remind me of people we have met. This is an excellent movie. I believe that most people would appreciate this movie, whether or not they watch war movies. This movie offers a lot of insight into human nature.

The movie is practically void of blood and gore and leaves it to the imagination of the viewer, such as when the Lieutenant is seriously wounded while on board the landing craft, with half of his face missing. You can imagine it and don't have to see it.