User reviews

Many war movies just following WWII were of the John Wayne tough guy type. However, Halls of Montezuma, is refreshing in that it looks in depth at the psychology of the soldier. Really at how men change when laying there lives on the line. The cinematography was also well done when you consider this movie was made half a century ago. You won't see the blood and guts as in a Saving Private Ryan, but the movie may make you think twice before signing up for active duty.

I was surprised that Halls of Montezuma was not an adapted play since a great deal of the action takes place in a cave that serves as a battalion headquarters where Colonel Richard Boone is trying to extract information from prisoners.

That in itself wasn't easy because the Japanese were not known for surrendering. Boone gives an order to try and take prisoners on this landing on an unnamed Pacific island.

Richard Widmark's company finds a few of them and it's a rough go and several members of Widmark's command die in the mission. The Japanese are firing a lot of rockets from a hill and the bombing from planes doesn't do any good. Before the big push towards that hill can be made those rockets have to be dealt with.

A lot of promising young players from 20th Century Fox were in Widmark's platoon like Robert Wagner, Jack Palance, Richard Hylton, Skip Homeier, Martin Milner. Some make it and some don't. There are several flashback sequences showing these guys in their civilian lives and earlier in the war.

At the headquarters there's also quite an assortment, Jack Webb a war correspondent, Philip Ahn an articulate Japanese prisoner who is a baseball player in civilian life and looking decidedly out of place there is the urbane Reginald Gardiner replete with cigarette holder. He's along for the ride because he's an expert on Japanese culture and psychology and speaks the language.

Halls of Montezuma is a good, not a great war film. Three performances do stand out. Karl Malden as the veterinarian now serving as a medic and career marine Bert Freed and his sergeant Neville Brand.

At age 10, in 1960, I watched the "Halls of Montezuma" movie on television. In 1968, I found myself in the U.S. Marine Corps serving as a machine-gunner in the infantry. Sometimes, movies have a way of becoming true reality; and, because the movie gave me a little insight and understanding of the brutality of war, in some way, I owe a debt of gratitude to the movie.

This is one of a slew of WW2 films made in the late 40's and early 50's, some better than others. This is definitely one of the better ones. This film features a whole bunch of future stars, such as Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Richard Boone, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Jack Webb and Martin Milner. Most of them hadn't completely honed their skills yet and a couple of the performances are either a bit wooden (Malden, Wagner and Webb) or overdone (Widmark). The technology is very primitive by today's standards, yet this film holds up well. The acting aside, it seems that every effort was made to make the film as realistic as it could be. In that respect, this film is much better than some of the others of the same era. There are a lot of films from this era. If you choose to watch only a few of them, make sure this is one of the few.

The interesting and uncharacteristic film is a gripping war story from Lewis Milestone in that's all patriotic and all flag-waving with valiant US soldiers facing on Japanese enemy in the Pacific Basin . The Marines assault a strongly held enemy island in the Pacific to track down a Japanese rocket base . We follow them from the beach to a Japanese rocket site throughout enemy infested jungle , being commanded Lt. Anderson , an ex-school teacher (Richard Widmark) along with his old pupil Conroy (Richard Hylton) and other Privates as Coffman (Robert Wagner) , Pretty Boy (Skip Homeier) , Whitney (Martin Milner) , Slattery (Bert Freed) ; furtermore , a Sgt. called Zelenko (Neville Brand) , Sgt. Johnson (Reginald Gardiner) , Doc (Karl Malden) and a War Correspondent named Dickerman (Jack Webb) . Along the way , all of them are transformed into battle veterans.

This thrilling , large WWII yarn capably put together by a good filmmaker , concerns a company of Marines led by a two-fisted Lieutenant whose squad becomes a tight fighting unit , while races against the clock by hunt down a Japanese rocket base . Being a fast-moving , rather thoughtful little film about battles between Marines and Japanese and their strong resistance to the invasion , though some feats are hard to believe . It is all plenty with glory-glory , propaganda and martial music in the background , being compellingly made by the same man who 21 years earlier directed the landmark anti-war film ¨All quiet on the Western Front¨. This unnerving epic depicts the war horror , including atrocities by both sides while happen attacks during the invasion . Thought-provoking screenplay , including dramatic scenes in overall effects , also has moments of astounding power with some overwhelming war images . It is competently acted by a strong cast which plus stars Richard Widmark , there are Karl Malden , Skip Homeier , Robert Wagner and Jack Palance . In addition , Richard Boone as tough Lt. Col. Gilfillan , Reginald Gardner in a rare dramatic character and Jack Webb as a war correspondent.

The motion picture was well and powerfully directed by Lewis Milestone, who cut in actual combat footage along with the mock-up set-pieces filmed in the United States at Camp Pendleton . Lewis was born in the Ukraine , but emigrated to America at 18 and he served in WWI . He often made chronicles of wartime conflicts and persisted in showing horror war from the point of view of the ordinary soldier , providing a grimmer stuff as well as quieter moments . As he showed WWI (All quiet on the western front) , WWII (A walk in the sun , Purple heart , Halls of Motzuma , Edge and darkness) and Korean war (Pork Chop Hill) ; and directed several other excellent movies in different fields , drama (Of mice and men , Strange love of Martha Ivers) , adventures (Mutiny on the Bounty) and heist-comedy (Ocean's eleven) , among others . Rating : Better than average , 7/10 . Well worth watching .

This is a rather standard WWII film--neither exceptional nor bad in any way. Plus, considering the good acting and decent script, it's certainly worth watching if you like war films but not different enough to merit watching it if you don't.

In many ways, this is highly reminiscent of THE SAND OF IWO JIMA, which was made a year earlier. However, instead of starring the always tough John Wayne, this one was a Richard Widmark vehicle. Wayne's film was more enjoyable to watch, though realism was not all that important (using too much grainy WWII footage and a plot that was pure but enjoyable melodrama). The biggest strength of HALLS OF MONTEZUMA was its realism--without the extensive use of stock footage, actual period airplanes, etc. Plus, this film was without the heroic and bigger than life quality of SANDS.

No problems with this picture--nothing that didn't entertain or enlighten. However, if you've seen the Wayne film, they're so similar you probably don't need to see both.

Halls Of Montezuma is a busy, Technicolored war film circa 1950, and was a big hit in its day. The story-line, such as it is, is convoluted and not really worth going into. Basically the film is about the psychology of war and its effect on human relations, especially those created by the war itself. A good deal of the film, as I recall, takes place in caves, ditches and deserted buildings. Unlike most war films this one emphasizes the fact the most soldiers, even Marines, are made, not born; they all come from someplace and would like to return there, preferably in one piece. Lewis Milestone directed the picture, and while it is a far cry from his classic All Quiet On the Western Front, this film is no shabby piece of work. Richard Widmark heads a cast of future stars, and they all perform well, if a bit too strenuously at times. The actors tend to be grouped together a good deal, maybe to ensure that no one can outshine anyone else, and this, plus the emphasis on isolated settings, succeeds in making the film strangely intimate. The color is bright and often glaring, and the Pacific island setting well-rendered. It's worth mentioning as a footnote that the studio that made the picture, 20th Century-Fox, would soon be switching over to making almost exclusively CinemaScope films, and would also soon be dropping Technicolor for the cheaper De Luxe color. Their post CinemaScope product is for the most part vastly inferior than what they previously had been doing, and Halls Of Montezuma, while not a great film, shows, even today, just how beautiful Technicolor could be. This, plus the use of the square, tidy space movies were limited to in those pre-wide screen days, makes for a depth in perspective that is at times almost seductive, even in so grim a film as this.

Even playing the Marine Corps Anthem at top volume can't hide that this is an antiwar film, and a good one. The occasional soundtrack is the only thing gung ho about it.

Much of the film is on the pain of combat, the stress, fear, and horror on top of the high death toll. There are strong early performances from Widmark, Malden, Webb, Wagner, Palance, and others.

One surprising part of the film is the blunt admission of atrocities against the Japanese. An officer says early on they don't take Japanese prisoner, they execute them. And the film is filled with depictions of savage white American racism against the Japanese, one racist epithet after another, and does not glorify it.

I first saw "Halls of Montezuma" on television when I was a kid, and even now, I think it is one of the best war films ever made. All of the actors were perfectly cast and each man gives an outstanding performance. Richard Widmark is particularly good in his role as Lt. Anderson, a tough Marine who is respected by his men, but who also has to suppress his own fear with pills. My favorite scene in the film is where the men are in their foxholes at night, listening to the taunts of the Japanese soldiers. Their faces are briefly illuminated by parachute flares floating in the sky as they talk to each other, waiting for the enemy to do something. It's one of the most realistic scenes I have ever seen in a war film. I think this was one of the first post-WWII films that actually portrayed Japanese soldiers as real human beings, not just simple-minded brutes. You can see some similarities with the combat scenes of "All Quiet on the Western Front", which Lewis Milestone directed 20 years earlier. Anyone who is interested in WWII films should also check out "A Walk in the Sun", another excellent war film directed by Milestone. Simply put, "Halls of Montezuma" is an excellent war film that is underrated by most critics. It should not be missed.

A very good war drama from director Lewis Milestone. The bonding relationships formed in combat is one part of the movie. The main plot finds US Marines searching for the source of Japanese rocket fire. Very spirited and Gung Ho. Ensemble cast provides the usual stereotypical men at war; fine performances from Richard Widmark, Reginald Gardiner, Richard Boone and Karl Malden. Lesser roles for Jack Webb, Neville Brand, Martin Milner and Robert Wagner.

If you liked BATTLE CRY or just war movies in general; you will be pleased with this film.

..."God is on our side..."

Is this what kept most of Our Soldiers Soldiering On? According to Hollywood it is and for the Most Part Probably True.

As Post War Movies go, some were starting to Consider the Psychological Ramifications of the Experience. This one has its Share of the in Battle Behavior (and motivation) of the Men and the Interaction among the Squad.

But, the Pain and Suffering is somewhat like Pretentious Playacting and to move the Characters from one Horror to another. This precedes until the End where it is presented as Necessary for Victory.

The Color Photography is Unimpressive and Static as are the Battle Scenes and We are left with a Film that seems like an After the Fact, Matter of Fact, Justification.

Arguably, it's one of the three or four best WWII movies ever made. A group of U.S. Marines race against the clock to find the source of enemy rockets that prevent them from taking control of a Japanese-held Pacific island. It's certainly a patriotic film. But there is also an undercurrent of despair, based on the human toll that war inevitably takes.

These Leathernecks are tough, but they are also subject to death from enemy fire. And the screen story puts a lot of emphasis on individual characterization. I don't recall a film that did such a good job of combining scene transitions with flashbacks to help viewers understand the motivations of the main characters.

Lt. Anderson (Richard Widmark) is the leader; he suffers from debilitating migraine headaches, but nevertheless pushes on to fulfill whatever dangerous mission he's assigned. One of his men is Conroy (Richard Hylton) who used to stutter, until Anderson helped cure him of it years earlier. Slattery (Bert Freed) is your typical Marine toughie, but he's got a sense of humor and conceals a portable still to make booze. Pretty Boy (Skip Homeier) is a pistol packing dude with a chip on his shoulder. Through the screen story's deep characterizations, viewers naturally become attached to these guys, and root for them as they enter into their dangerous mission. Of the dozen or so men Anderson leads, not all will make it out alive.

As in other battle films, viewers learn the importance of quick decisions, teamwork, effective communication, and keen awareness of one's surroundings. Life occurs moment by moment, in the here and now. Make a plan; execute it; dodge a problem; ignore pain and fatigue; persist. These are lessons applicable to anyone at any time, not just warriors on the battlefield.

"Halls Of Montezuma" is a quality production all the way. The color cinematography is fine, despite the fact that some of the techniques are dated. The ensemble acting is credible. The editing and scene transitions are just terrific. And, as the film's bookends, that rousing theme song: "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" gets the viewer in the right frame of mind.

I normally don't care for movies in this genre. Even this film, like other WWII films, is a tad too predictable, slightly manipulative, and contains some outdated assumptions. Nevertheless, as war movies go, "Halls Of Montezuma" is one of the best.

U.S. Marines battle to take control of a Japanese held island in the Pacific…

Directed by Lewis Milestone, Halls of Montezuma is unabashed in its flag waving paean to the U.S. Marines. With a strong ensemble cast to act out the play, Milestone inter-cuts real war footage with skilled recreations of the guts and glory mission undertaken by the men.

Film is very keen to let us know what sort of men are fighting this war, keeping the characterisations intimate, it's a roll call of the brave, the stupid, the scared and the insane. Flashbacks help fill in the gaps of the men's psychological make ups, and the futility of war message is deftly handled by the astute director.

Colour photography is glossy and impressive, even if it strips away some of the grittiness the story needs to thrive on, and the musical score is kept to a minimum and suitably deals in plays on army anthems. All told it's a thoroughly engrossing and potent war movie and highly recommended to fans of such fare. 7.5/10

Had this movie been made during the height of WWII, it probably would have been one of the biggest hits of the year. It has a very inspiring message that borders on being corny - except when you remember the subject matter. There's a blend of fact and fiction, blind optimism and harrowing drama, but in 1951, audiences didn't care. They were living the Golden Fifties, and they didn't want to be reminded that a few short years earlier, they were afraid everyone would either be killed or conquered by Nazis.

The first half of the war drama features a bunch of flashbacks as a group of Marines await a dangerous beach landing. Richard Widmark is a schoolteacher in the same unit as one of his young students, Richard Hylton. Karl Malden is a doctor who knows Widmark has debilitating migraines, but in balancing professional integrity and friendship, he covers for him. Skip Homeier had a terrible relationship with his mother before shipping off. Three other youngsters include Walter "Jack" Palance, Robert Wagner, and Martin Milner. There's Reginald Gardiner, Jack Webb, Neville Brand, Bert Freed, Philip Ahn (as a POW) and Richard Boone in his film debut. Several of these brave men have huge dramatic scenes where they either die or watch a friend die, and since the film was directed by Lewis Milestone, it's no surprise that he wanted to show audiences the darker side to war. He also mixed in real footage with Hollywood scenes, not only adding realism but saving the world needless explosions and ruined vessels. If you like this type of war drama, with hope persevering amidst terrible death, check out Hell Is for Heroes, Edge of Darkness, and Men in War.

When it was released in 1950, "Halls of Montezuma" was one of the most realistic and ambitious war movies yet made. Today its strengths still outweigh its unfortunate flaws. The flaws are an all-too-familiar sentimental streak, an absurd "revelation" about Japanese tactics, an unconvincing psycho in a clumsy explanatory flashback, and the unlikely presence, in Lt. Anderson's platoon, of a replacement who just happened to have been one of his high-school students in civilian life.

Many viewers will find such flaws even more annoying because they detract from the good things about this movie, including some solid performances (Widmark, Palance, Boone, Webb) a realistic plot, an unusually authentic look--including some (mostly) well integrated combat footage--and a spectacular scope. Until "The Longest Day" (1961), the beach landing here(with flame-throwing tanks)and the later assault on the Japanese were more impressive than any other screen depictions of a large military operation. (BTW, the failure of the Japanese to oppose the landing itself isn't a Hollywood howler; the movie accurately reflects the Japanese defense strategy on Okinawa in 1945.) Milestone's directorial masterpiece, "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930), expresses revulsion at the slaughter of World War I. "Halls of Montezuma" affords a more complex view of men in World War II. The hero is a high-school chemistry teacher whose migraines have addicted him to painkillers; he doesn't care because he assumes he's going to be killed. One character is blinded and another killed by accident. By modern standards such incidents may seem relatively mild, but during the war such troubling images were thought to be too disturbing for film-goers. Even in 1950 they were strong stuff for a movie.

Made at a time when the Cold War was heating up dangerously in Korea, "Halls of Montezuma" is still a revealing postwar response to World War II in the Pacific.

The Marines are tasked with taking a Japanese island and we follow the invasion.

The film starts well with an introduction to our characters and we have flashback sequences that flesh out their characters. But then, really early on, we get the initial landing on the island with shameless crass music that blares out over the action. What a load of nonsense! I note that immediately after this sequence, when the Japanese start firing on the Americans, there is a noticeable lack of similar music. In the name of balance, we needed some rousing, pointless military oom-pah-pah to celebrate the Japanese fighting prowess as they gunned down the Yanks. Where was it, eh? So, from the beginning, this film screams PROPAGANDA. No music is needed during the fighting sequences!

As for the cast, there are the good - lieutenant Richard Widmark (Anderson), doctor Karl Malden, journalist Jack Webb as well as the eccentric sergeant Reginald Gardiner (Johnson) and his cigarette holder. There are also the bad as typified by boxer Jack Palance (Lane) and psychopath Skip Homeier (Pretty Boy). I have read one review that suggests that these two characters were in a homosexual love affair and whilst it didn't occur to me whilst watching the film, I think that this could be correct.

I must return to the dreadful music which returns at the end of the film alongside a rendition of "God save the Queen" not once but twice! What has this film got to do with "God save the Queen!". We then get a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. This is just sappy sentimental crap. I can't say I cared for anyone who died during this film yet we are expected to be emotional for them. Absolutely not.

It's an ok film to watch once but I think it does go on a little too long.

My husband and I were particularly impressed by the camera technique used to transition from foxhole (or ship deck) to a scene in an earlier part of each soldier's life. We were so taken by Milestone's excellent direction and the film's incredible cinematography that the first time we saw it we just had to rewind and watch it over from the very beginning.

Our only regret was that we did not watch the wide screen version.

One of the rare american war movies with a certain sense of

reality: Richard Widmark as a platoon leader conquering the

pacific island of okinawa. From the long waiting time before the

attack on the battleship, to the landing operation on the shores of

okinawa, to the painful losses of his men, we follow these serious

looking americans. Their faces seem motionless and two of the

officers, including Widmark, have psychosomatic war syndroms.

The killing is no fun in this movie, the dying is no fun to watch. All in

all, not very entertaining, but a lesson in war, much more realistic

than later US-movies on the same topic.

A war movie that concentrates upon bonds formed between a Marine Lieutenant, a former High School chemistry teacher and the 7 men of his original Platoon. A tense drama that hinges on the Battalion that has only 24 hours to find the location of the Japanese rockets that will decimate all the marines who have to attack. Character development is excellent and the Lewis Milestone touch is evident in this stirring drama of the Pacific war.

This is truly a classic film showing the horror's WAR during WWII. America was at war with Italy in the beginning of the war and then Germany and Japan. This film depicts the fears and great sacrifices made by our fighting men during One of the worst periods of time. Richard Widmark (Lt. Carl Anderson),"Kiss of Death",'47, played a war veteran who had hang ups dealing with great headaches and Karl Malden(Doc Jones),"On The Waterfront",who supplied the mental support and pills to help Lt. Anderson help his men through the rough terrain. Jack Palance(Pigeon Lane),"The Silver Chalice"'54, gave a great supporting role, ranting and raving during the battle scenes. If you look close, you will see the very young Robert Wagner(Pvt.Coffman),"Banning",'67 perform a very dramatic role. This film is worth viewing and depicts the newly developed flame throwers and the rockets that were use by Japan. This was a necessary WAR, and our fighting men in WWII were greatly honored in this picture for all generations to view!

The fog of war is redefined down to what is left of a US Marine Corps Platoon on a Japanese held island. The lieutenant, a former chemistry teacher and seven members of his original command must find where the Japanese have hidden rockets before the battalion attacks. Characterizations are typical of a Lewis Milestone move and avoid the formula cliches. To the platoon are added a combat historian and a suave, debonaire interpreter. Many future stars are featured in this stirring film at early stages in their careers. As an Reserve Army Colonel and a high school chemistry teacher this film strikes home. Do they find the rockets? You must see this film to find out.