When Trumpets Fade (1998)

A private in the latter days of WWII on the German front struggles between his will to survive and what his superiors perceive as a battlefield instinct.

Director:

John Irvin

Writer:

W.W. Vought

Stars:

Ron Eldard, Zak Orth, Frank Whaley

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ron Eldard	...	Manning
Zak Orth	...	Pvt. Warren Sanderson
Frank Whaley	...	Chamberlain - Medic
Dylan Bruno	...	Sgt. Talbot
Devon Gummersall	...	Lonnie
Dan Futterman	...	Despin
Steven Petrarca	...	Baxter
Dwight Yoakam	...	Lieutenant Colonel
Martin Donovan	...	Capt. Pritchett
Timothy Olyphant	...	Lt. Lukas
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Bobby
Bobby Cannavale	...	Capt. Zenek
Frank-Michael Köbe	...	German Sergeant (as Frank Köbe)
András Stohl	...	Wounded Soldier
Matthew Rutson Cooney	...	Driver Corporal (as Matthew Ruston Cooney)

Storyline

In WWII Western Germany, Private David Manning reluctantly leaves behind a mortally wounded fellow soldier and searches for survivors from his platoon, only to learn from commanding officer Captain Pritchett that they have all been killed in action. Despite requesting a discharge on the grounds of mental disability, Manning is promoted to sergeant and assigned to lead a new platoon of young inductees.

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Plot Keywords:

platoon | sergeant | battlefield | hurtgen forest | ends with text | 

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Taglines:

In the heat of battle not all soldiers can be heroes

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic war carnage and strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hurtgen

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Citadel Entertainment,Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 92 min (DVD) 88 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Petrarca and Ron Eldard later appeared in Fathers and Sons (2005).

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Goofs

The insignia of rank of the German sergeant leading his patrol is of a design not used by the German army.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator, news footage: August 1944. The outcome of the Second World War appeared to be no longer in doubt. Paris was liberated. After four years of fighting, victory against the Germans seemed assured. Since the Normandy landings, American and Allied forces had battled their way across northern Europe, and pushed the German enemy to within its own homeland.

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Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005)

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Soundtracks

White Christmas
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

One of the best war movies ever made

This is a must see film. It presents war realistically. Just as in real combat, some soldiers are reluctant to attack, some officers are not that smart, many soldiers are scared, and the mission is of dubious value.

This particular story focuses on one soldier who was the lone survivor of an allied attack or the Germans. He is promoted to Sgt. against his wishes because they are short of people. Put in charge of new replacements, he is torn between training the new men, and staying out of the fight so he will stay alive.

After another failed attack by his company, he is promoted to Lt. Again he does not want this responsibility, but now has to lead men into battle.

Its one of the few films that show how inept some officers are. Band of brothers is the only other film I can think of that shows an inept American officer, Capt. Herbert Sobel (played by David Schwimmer).

Its also one of the few American films about the Battle of the Hertgen Forrest, which was overshadowed a few months later by the Battle of the Bulge.