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
Christian Drake	...	Rankin (as Chris Drake)

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 | soldier | world war two soldier | u.s. soldier | military | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The footage of the platoon attacking the German armored car--which was actually a US Army halftrack--has been used in many subsequent war movies and TV shows.

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Goofs

When a small patrol attacks the farmhouse they have to return to the wall. Lloyd Bridges is shown throwing his rifle over the wall with a bayonet attached. The next scene shows his bayonet in its scabbard on his back pack.

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Quotes

Sergeant Tyne: Nothing slower than crawling. Nothing in the world. How long would it take to crawl around the world? A hundred years? A thousand years?

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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

Featured in Blue in the Face (1995)

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Soundtracks

The Ballads
Words by Millard Lampell
Music by Earl Robinson

User Reviews

Based on the novella of the same name by Harry Brown.

I really enjoyed the book "A Walk in the Sun", finding it printed in its entirety in "The Giant Book of WWII Stories". It is a classic story and an equally classic movie. The movie sticks quite closely to the book with only a few changes. Some of the dialogue is lifted straight from the pages of the novella. It is the story of a platoon in WWII trying to capture a farmhouse. The characters are all strong and what they talk about while in the middle of a war is what grips you. I highly recommend both the book and the film.

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