Adapted by famed writer Leon Uris (“Exodus”) from his own novel, Battle Cry centers on a group of World War II marines, from Basic Training to Battlefield in the South Pacific.
Van Heflin is cast as the Major Sam Huxley, a man who knows that his men are spoiling for a real fight. Aldo Ray plays Andy Hookens, a tough leatherneck who falls in love with Nancy Olson.
James Whitmore as Sgt. Mac (who also narrates), Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone (typecast as a woman on the prowl), and Raymond Massey co-star.
The film is vigorously directed by pro Raoul Walsh, overcoming some of the problems of the screenplay, which was compromised by the censors of the Production Code due to the raunchy talk and realistic violence, which prevailed in Uris’ book.
Extremely popular at the box-office, Battle Cry was the year’s fourth top-grossing picture.
Composer Max Steiner’s musical score earned him an Oscar nomination (see below).
Oscar Nominations: 1
Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: Max Steiner
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The Scoring Oscar went to Alfred Newman for the romantic melodrama, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.@
Released on February 2, 1955
DVD: May 13, 2003
