The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

Truncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Stephen Crane (novel), John Huston (screenplay)

Stars:

Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audie Murphy	...	Henry Fleming - the Youth
Bill Mauldin	...	Tom Wilson - the Loud Soldier
Douglas Dick	...	The Lieutenant
Royal Dano	...	The Tattered Man
John Dierkes	...	Jim Conklin - the Tall Soldier
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Bill Porter
Tim Durant	...	The General
Andy Devine	...	The Cheery Soldier
Robert Easton	...	Thompson (as Robert Easton Burke)

Storyline

Plot centers around how a young recruit (Audie Murphy) faces the horrors of war. Character vascilates between wanting to fight and doubting his own courage. In midst of first bloody encounter, Youth runs away. After seeing dead and wounded, sense of shame leads him back to his unit, where he distinguishes himself in the next battle. Having overcome his fear of "the great Death" he knows e can face whatever comes. Somewhat sentimental "coming of age" tale was pet project of John Huston, who fought MGM over casting of Murphy and Bill Mauldin in lead roles.

---

Plot Keywords:

firearm | saber | crying | rifle | bayonet fight | 

---

Taglines:

Stephen Crane's Great American Story of the Civil War

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 34-star US flag was used from 1861-63.

---

Goofs

The movie was shot in California and the brown grass and oak trees are obviously not the tidewater area around the Rappahannock River in Virginia where this story is set.

---

Quotes

The General: Howdy Jim, Corporal. How are those wounds?
Soldier: Stinging some, General, but they're a-mending.
The General: That's fine, fine. Anybody care for a chaw?

---

Connections

Featured in Histoire(s) du cinéma: Toutes les histoires (1989)

---

Soundtracks

The Battle Hymn of the Republic
(uncredited)
Music by William Steffe
Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe

User Reviews

Summoned Up His Memories

Although John Huston's The Red Badge of Courage has stood the test of time critically, back then it lost lots of money in its first release. The film was a bone of contention between Louis B. Mayer and Dore Schary who were locked in a power struggle for control at Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer. Schary wanted to make the film, Mayer said it would flop and he was proved right. He also got ousted anyway.

The Red Badge of Courage refers to the blood that gets spilled should you sustain a battle wound. If you remember in Oliver Stone's Platoon, the men don't treat new arrival Charlie Sheen until he's gotten one of those. Here the Red Badge is something to be avoided if possible.

By a piece of serendipity when Audie Murphy returned from World War II and was deciding on a career, he chose the movies. He certainly was loaded down with offers, but I guess he sensed in himself an inner gift for being an actor. Not Marlon Brando or Laurence Olivier, but someone in the hands of the right director could get a good performance out of him. In John Huston he found that director, twice in fact as he later worked with him in The Unforgiven.

There was no need for research because our most decorated soldier in history lived the research in North Africa and Europe. There's a dimension to Audie's performance and that of GI cartoonist Willard Mullin that no training at the Actor's Studio could have given them. Murphy just summoned his memories of what it was like to be a kid from Texas whisked off to Europe the way young Henry Fleming is facing the Confederates in their backyard.

Murphy gets good support from an able cast of people like Arthur Hunnicutt, Royal Dano, John Dierkes, and Andy Devine as various other soldiers in the Union Army, all citizens serving their country. No career people in this crowd. Also James Whitmore, reading the narrative of Stephen Crane's novel serves almost like another cast member and moves the film's story line along.

Though it lost money for MGM, The Red Badge of Courage is still a fine film with some great insights into the meaning of battlefield bravery.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Red Badge of Courage

Filming Locations:

Bidwell Park - Manzanita Avenue, Chico, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,640,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1