Four American soldiers and one Brit fighting in Europe during World War II struggle to return to Allied territory after being separated from U.S. forces during the historic Malmedy Massacre.Four American soldiers and one Brit fighting in Europe during World War II struggle to return to Allied territory after being separated from U.S. forces during the historic Malmedy Massacre.Four American soldiers and one Brit fighting in Europe during World War II struggle to return to Allied territory after being separated from U.S. forces during the historic Malmedy Massacre.
- Awards
- 16 wins & 2 nominations
- Medic Steven Gould
- (as Alexander Niver)
- Private Shirl Kendrick
- (as Lawrence Bagby)
- Sophie Theary
- (as Ruby Chase O'Neil)
- Private McKinley
- (as Ben Gourley)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe photo that "Deacon" carries throughout the film is of actor Corbin Allred's grandmother, and is in fact the photo that Allred's grandfather carried with him throughout WWII.
- GoofsThere are several problems with the Malmedy massacre scene. First, there was no snow on the ground when it took place; it snowed afterwards and covered up the bodies. Second, the film shows the massacre beginning when an American prisoner seizes a rifle from a German guard and shoots him, causing the Germans to open fire on everyone; that did not happen. Third, the massacre is shown being committed by Wehrhacht--regular German army--troops. In fact, it was committed by an SS unit under the command of the notorious Col. Joachim Peiper, and it was not, as claimed in the film, a "tragic accident"--Peiper's intention all along was to kill the prisoners, and he had them transported to that open field for precisely that purpose (Peiper served 12 years in prison after the war for his involvement in the crime. In 1976 he was living in France when he was shot to death in his home, which was then burned to the ground, in what many believe was revenge for the Malmedy massacre).
Yes and no - The German version of events unsurprisingly maintains the prisoners were trying to escape when the shooting started and there is a suggestion from some of the survivors that men were moving away from the main group before, or immediately after the first shots were fired, however this is also described by other survivors as men from the front rank pushing backwards to get out of the firing line. The first shots were fired by Romanian SS tanker George Fleps acting on the orders of his tank commander Staff Sergeant Hans Siptrott who believed he was compliant with order issued that prisoners were to be shot if they interfered with the main objective which was to get to the Meuse bridges. At the time of the shootings Peiper was much further back with the HQ group; he did not have the prisoners transported to the field, that's where they were assembled after being captured at the crossroads a few yards north. The battle group was responsible for other shootings along their line of advance particularly Stavelot where Belgian civilians were shot in their homes. It's worth noting that on January 1st 1945, 14 days after Malmedy, 60 German PoWs were murdered at Chenogne as the Americans went on the counter offensive. No-one was ever brought to justice and it was acknowledged that many units were instructed to kill SS troops and paratroopers out of hand.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Radio Announcer: This is Armed Forces Radio, reporting from London. Today Supreme Allied Headquarters reported American combat troops and aircraft have completely routed the attacking German army at the Ardennes front.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005)
- SoundtracksVilla
Performed by JoAnn Ottley
JOANN OTTLEY: Retrospective
1999 Tantara Records
Used by permissionn
Saints and Soldiers is such a movie. If you like lots of big budget special effect -loud explosions, -crashing airplanes, -panoramic scenes with thousands of extras slogging through the mud, -if that's what you want in a war movie, skip this one. It doesn't have any of those things.
What it does have, however, is a very effective ensemble cast telling a very compelling story, -a true story, of the Battle of the Bulge. From the utter confusion and tragic consequences of the "Malmedy Masacre", depicted in this movie as more an accident of the fog of war rather than a cold calculated act, to the final climactic battle scenes, this movie shows world war II as it most likely really was. A very personal war for each soldier involved.
My uncle was a soldier who lost a leg in Europe during that time and as he related experiences of battle, he always made it perfectly clear that war was always a very personal thing. You were doing everything to survive. Your enemy was doing the same thing, and somehow battles were eventually won or lost. The average G.I. didn't know, or much care what was going on over the hill, or on a grand scale. He only knew he and a few of his buddies were being shot at by a few of the enemy and they had to shoot back or perish. It's all about living another day.
This movie conveys those sentiments very clearly. It is about daily survival without the grandiose trappings. You really wind up caring about each of these characters. It is well worth seeing. Especially if you were a soldier -or know a soldier, -or just want to know more about being a soldier. In my opinion it will go down in history as one of the more realistic war movies ever made.
- remay1
- Jan 21, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Saints of War
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $780,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,310,470
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $129,056
- Aug 8, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $1,310,470
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1 / (high definition)
- 1.85 : 1
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