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Another reviewer said it best when he called this film 'unpretentious'. Today, of course, most films are pretentious and overblown. Maybe it's because we now live in a pretentious and overblown country, one where people would never listen to the message of a movie like this.

This is one of those rare occurrences where a movie is so well done it seems to exist outside its era. This film was made in 1956, which is amazing, considering the outstanding photography and the striking characterizations. Nobody talks or acts like '50s characters. Things seem a little more dangerous, more savage, so that it would seem you were watching a film from the '80s instead. Of course, in the '80s they didn't make movies like this, they made pretentious ones. But they should have.

The big war films of the '50s were usually full of stock characters and unlikely situations, crammed with out of place stock footage. An example of that kind of mediocre war movie is 'To Hell And Back'. This movie is everything that 'To Hell And Back' was not. 'Between Heaven And Hell' has more interesting and unique characters, more authentic weaponry, and the photography is of a much higher standard.

The reasons why some rather dull movies become well known, while others, like this, remain obscure, has always been a mystery to me.

See it – A vastly underrated and reflective war movie starring Robert Wagner and Buddy Ebsen. This movie has been nearly forgotten over the years, and it's a shame. Much of the story is told in flashbacks. There's very good character development. And best of all, there was much more action than I expected. A bit slow toward the beginning, but there is a really cool action sequence in one of the flashbacks where Wagner and some of his men assault a cliff-side machine gun nest. When the current story picks back up after the flashbacks, there is plenty more action, including an exciting and desperate ending. 3.5 out of 5 action rating

I expect this 1956 war movie was passed over by critics because its star, Robert Wagner, was considered just another light-weight pretty boy of the day. Nonetheless, the movie is better than just another celebrity vehicle, while Wagner is a much better actor than his good-looks suggest, and, I think, time has proved.

Two features distinguish this film from others of the day. First is the subplot of tenant farmers and the class barrier separating them from the land owners they work for. A number of pre-Vietnam movies dealt with racial differences in the military; this is the only one I know of dealing with white Southern sharecroppers and their difficulties. Wagner's unit is a National Guard battalion which means that the unit is made up of men from the same locale with the same class distinctions of civilian life carried over into the ranks of the unit itself. Thus, Robert Keith a patriarchal rich man in civilian life is in similar command of the battalion as the colonel, while Tod Andrew's land owner heads up a platoon as a lieutenant. In short, land owners make up the ranks of commissioned officers, while share-croppers make up the enlisted ranks.

Now, the screenplay departs from this logic in Wagner's case. Though a land owner, he's not an officer; instead he's a sergeant in the enlisted ranks. The reason I think is pretty clear. Officers do not fraternize with enlisted men. But for the plot to deliver its main message, it must break down the social barrier between tenant farmer Buddy Ebsen and land owner Wagner, and that requires that they fraternize. Hence, the screenplay makes Wagner an enlisted man. But this curious departure is for a good cause. Only by getting to know a man (Ebsen) personally can the haughty Wagner overcome the cruelty he has shown his share- croppers in civilian life. The lesson here is similar to that of racially inspired films—it's personal contact that ultimately humanizes and breaks down social barriers. Thus, once the social distance is overcome, the two can become friends and equals and be carried off to the same hospital ship, side-by-side. A humane message, well delivered.

The second feature is perceptively pointed out by Kayaker36. There's an unmistakable homosexual subtext to Broderick Crawford's command center scenes. Today, that wouldn't merit much mention, but remember this is 1956 when about the only thing worse than being a gay was being a communist. And to even hint that gays might be in the military—and in a position of command—is really quite remarkable. The screenplay is adapted from a novel, and I suspect the idea comes from the novel and was rather boldly adapted into the screenplay. But, whatever the source or reason, this is the only war film of the post-war era I know of to even hint at that forbidden topic.

Anyway, the movie is well produced by TCF, with just enough battle scenes to satisfy war- movie fans. The screenplay is also unusual in its depiction of death by friendly fire, a much more common occurrence among soldiers than movies led us to believe. On the other hand, note how, in passing, the script works in a love interest for Wagner so that Terry Moore's name could go up on the marquee and broaden audience appeal. Note too, how Crawford gets a rather lengthy and unnecessarily histrionic scene to justify, I suppose, his starring credit. Remember, he was only a few years past his Best Actor Oscar, at a time when his name still carried audience weight. Actually, combining this film with Tony Curtis's 1954 war movie Beachhead would make a revealing double-feature, showing again how slick and entertaining films from Hollywood's studio period could be. This may not rank with the best or most suspenseful war films of the period. But it does remain an interesting oddity.

Before he started making huge, bloated, disastrously money-losing films in the '60s (Dr. Doolittle, Che, et al.), director Richard Fleischer was responsible for some good, tight well-made little B pictures. "The Narrow Margin" and "Armored Car Robbery" in the early '50s were outstanding film-noir classics, made for very little money. Fleischer made this in the period between his low-budget black-and-white thrillers and his '60s monstrosities, and it's a good one. Robert Wagner is the callow, spoiled rich son of a Southern landowner whose National Guard unit is suddenly activated during World War II and sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Wagner finds himself in the same company with the sharecroppers and tradespeople he scorned back home, and is sent to a base run by a power-mad, vengeful officer who treats his troops the same way Wagner treated his " 'croppers" back home.

This is one of Wagner's better performances. Unlike many of his earlier films, Wagner doesn't try to get by on his good looks and youthful charm; he turns in a first-rate performance here, as do most of the cast. Broderick Crawford as Wagner's crazed commander doesn't quite fit the part, and Skip Homeier--usually a solid, reliable character actor--goes a bit overboard as one of Crawford's goons, but Buddy Ebsen, as one of Wagner's sharecroppers who turns out to be his best friend, L.Q. Jones and Tod Andrews are fine in pivotal parts, and Fleischer stages some exciting battle scenes. Altogether, a well-made, exciting little B picture from 20th Century Fox--a bit garish in Technicolor (black and white would have been more effective)--but well worth your time to see it. Highly recommended.

It deals with a prejudiced and wealthy Southern owner: Robert Wagner who cultivates cotton, having a beautiful wife : Terry Moore, and a powerful father-in-law : Robert Keith. Shortly after, he becomes enlisted into WWIi in the Pacific campaign, there he finds how wrong his misconceptions are, as the has to command a suicide platoon with unexpected consequences . Along the way the starring attempts to help his war colleagues and to survive at whatever means .Then a psychotic commandant : Broderick Crawford, assigns him along with his squadron to a suicide mission behind enemy lines.

Decent WWII movie with worthy sentiments, thrills, battles and exceptional interpretations, especially for its enjoyable support cast. All of them make this rather simplistic tale a meaningful movie. Director knits the action together, providing spectacular battles, impressive fights and action enough. Stars Robert Wagner as the haughty Southern gentleman who is forced to buck his ideas when he is sent to a Pacific island , there the snob sergeant learns all about humility and humanity in the tough times that follow. The best roles go to Broderick Crawford as a stiff-upper-lip and psycho officer, he would subsequently play a similar role in the Spaghetti Western : Mutiny in Fort Sharp , furthermore, the great secondary Buddy Ebsen who is frankly magnificent. Other important secondaries appearing are as follows : Robert Keith, Brad Dexter, Harvey Lembeck, Mark Damon, Scathman Crothers , Frank Gorshin, Skip Homeier and L. Q. Jones, all of them would have notorious cinematic careers.

It contains a rousing and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Hugo Friedhofer. Colorful cinematography in Cinemascope and Technicolor by Leo Tover. The motion picture was well directed by Richard Fleischer, though it has a few gaps. Richard keeps his head down and attempts not let the worthy feelings saturate the proceedings entirely. He was a good craftsman who directed a lot of films concerning all kinds of genres with a special penchant for Action, Fim Noir, Adventure, thriller, such as : "Red Sonja, Ashanti, Conan the Destroyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Mandingo, Mr Majestick, The Don is dead, Soylent Green, The new centurions, See no evil, Rillington Place, The Boston strangler, Fantastic voyage, Barabbas, Compulsion, The Vikings, 20.000 leagues under the sea, The narrow margin, Armored clay pigeon, Follow me quietly and Trapped". Rating 7/10 above average.

I saw this film more than 40 years ago for the first time, and now I saw it again recently. This war film is not another one in my personal opinion, it shows many of the tragedies that usually are brought about by any war, innocent soldiers killed accidentally by their colleagues, soldiers afraid during and after the battle, reconsideration of past way of life during the war making statements for changing life after the war, and cruel officers like the one played by Broderick Crawford. The film indirectly touched the problems of exploitation of cotton growers, the way they worked and how they were mistreated by the owners of this business. Piece by piece, the film is positive in its messages, but colored by the usual Hollywood Happy End.

I have a large collection of war movies and consider this one to be among the best ever made. Many of the war movies have what I consider to be too many flashback scenes of home and try to become love stories with a few battle scenes. These scenes in Between Heaven and Hell actually have a real purpose in the story. More than any war movie that I have seen, this one shows a trend in American history that is often overlook—the fact that wars and the men who serve in them traditionally return home with a more egalitarian outlook, hungry to reform the society that they left. Between Heaven and Hell shows a man's transformation into a better person as a result of his war experiences. Sam Gifford is a man on the edge of breaking from the strain of war. He has experienced loss and hardship and realized that in the past he has been the unnecessary source of it for others. Between Heaven and Hell has a psychological realism that most war movies lack. It shows war heroes for what they are—men who rise above their ordinary selves to do extraordinary things in adversity. This is great story telling with great characters.

I rented this on DVD in honor of director Fleischer's passing a week ago. While it's not among the best of its kind, this underrated war flick is quite well done in most respects - notably the cinematography, in color and Cinemascope, by Leo Tover. Still, with a title like that - as well as its flashback structure and the inspired use of "Dies Irae" on the soundtrack (given a military arrangement!) - one feels that the film had pretensions above its station, which neither hesitant scripting nor the generous budget of a major studio (Fox) could hope to accommodate!

That said, the film features a plethora of gripping action sequences and a solid cast, led by Robert Wagner in a better-than-expected performance as the callous-landowner-turned-jittery-soldier and featuring, among others, Mark Damon (whom I saw in person at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, where he was invited to introduce Vittorio Cottafavi's delightful picaresque epic I CENTO CAVALIERI aka SON OF EL CID [1965]!). Indeed, one might say that BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL only falters whenever the narrative feels the need to return to Wagner's civilian life...which almost turns the film into one of those novelettish upper-crust domestic sagas that were popular Hollywood fixtures around this same time!

Considering that Cinemascope had been introduced only three years earlier, this is one of the outstanding examples from the 50s of a director and cinematographer composing shots for widescreen. I've been teaching film for almost 40 years and would unhesitatingly show excerpts from this in any basic course on movies. Just to sample some, check out Minutes 40-50, especially the quartets of lounging soldiers in medium shot. Sometimes the compositions seem a little self-conscious, but overall this is a remarkable film stylistically. It's wonderful to be able to see it again in widescreen format, as well as other movies that go back to my teenage years. That's why DVD is so great.

This is a WWII film that takes place in the Pacific theater without a lot of actual war being shown. The story sort of fluctuates between showing us Sam's spoiled life in the south as a rich and un-empathetic owner of three cotton gins and land being share cropped and his time as a private in WWII.

The story is supposed to tell us that Sam's time in the trenches with actual sharecroppers made him value and respect them so much that when he gets home he is going to elevate their lives by paying them better etc. We see some of them die and we see him have the shakes, but we don't really see the friendships built or character development...it's really just spoon fed verbally almost as an afterthought which is unfortunate...because really there were some decent actors and with a good script rewrite, I think they could have told the story that they wanted to tell.

Robert Wagner is young and handsome in this film, I imagine his fans will enjoy it. Not a recommendation from me however.

Robert Wagner stars in this WWII yarn where a privileged land owner or 'cropper' who's been a bit of a cad w/his workers on his land back home (strangely all white!) but once he gets to the battlefront, surrounded by people he knew back home, namely his commanding officer & father-in-law, played by Robert Keith & even one of his comrades in arms, played by L. Q. Jones, one of Wagner's croppers from back home, his attitude changes as he begins to realize everyone deserves a fair shake no matter what strata they come from. As the fighting intensifies, Wagner starts to develop battle fatigue (PTSD to be more accurate) even though he still finds his nerve to be a worthwhile soldier (even after an incident where a comrade accidentally, out of fear, mows down his own men, Jones included!). Wagner snaps & beats the man within an inch of his life & is sent out to a remote bungalow run by a crass Captain, played by Broderick Crawford, who runs ramrod over his men but even w/that Wagner proves his mettle when during a recon mission he spots a large platoon of Japanese heading in their direction which proves catastrophic when Wagner's best bud, played by Buddy Ebsen, is hurt while they're defending a foxhole prompting Wagner, also shot & wounded, to race back to safety to get the Calvary to save the day. Directed efficiently by Richard Fleischer (The Narrow Margin/The Boston Strangler) who knew how to meld characterization w/action gave Wagner a fine platform to build upon. The solid supporting cast which features Brad Dexter, Harvey Lembeck (who would be the go to baddie in the Beach Blanket Bingo movies) & Frank Gorshin (The Riddler from TV's Batman) all contribute even in the smallest of performances.

I just saw this movie on a premium channel. It was an entertaining piece with the popular TV stars of the time. What it did not like was it was a Cinemascope picture shown in the pan and scan mode. This was especially annoying of the widescreen movies of the fifties since they were trying to really give the impression of widescreen by having a lot of scenes on the extreme ends of the film frame. I don't undertand why the channels that show widescreen movies don't show both versions at different times to please everyone.

Somewhere in the early part of this anti war pic an anti classist, Southern sharecropper pic breaks out! An awkward fit, to say the least. Perhaps a John Ford or a Jean Renoir could have made it work since both were masters of these disparate genres (i.e. "They Were Expendable"/"Tobacco Road" in Ford's case, "Grand Illusion"/"The Southerner" in Renoir's) but Richard Fleischer, he of the entertaining noir and fun sci fi, is not equal to the task. Certainly Flesicher gets little help from his scenarist Harry Brown whose screenplay ranges from talky to clunky to pompous and results in scenes where soldiers on the eve of a dangerous beach landing muse on the New South that will arise after WW2 is over. Or dialogue that sounds like it was written by a gifted ninth grader ("What changed you, Sam?" "Knowing good people like you"). And the story decision to give extensive flashbacks to the main character's background as a rich cotton planter rather than to keep the focus where it should be, namely on the Pacific island in wartime, results in potentially interesting characters being woefully under developed so that any empathy we might have for them goes a glimmering. This is particularly evident with Broderick Crawford's deranged and dissipated colonel. Since Brown's screenplay and Fleischer's direction provide us with zero insight into why Waco has allowed himself to sink into physical, mental and moral squalor (the last depicted through typical 1950s homophobia) his soliloquy, given just before he's shot by a sniper, lacks the emotional effect on the viewer that it otherwise might have had and sounds more loud than impassioned or insightful.

However, I would be dishonest if I wrote that I did not find this film interesting in its very realistic depiction of the horrors of combat. And the acting is quite good. Robert Wagner, as usual, is better than he needs to be, especially in his early incarnation of a spoiled rich kid, a Wagner specialty. Also strong in support are Buddy Ebsen as a laconic soldier/sharecropper, Brad Dexter as a frustrated lieutenant and Robert Keith, in my opinion turning in the film's best performance, as a southern gentleman out of his depth in modern war.

Bottom line: Not nearly as good as "Steel Helmet" as a 50s anti war pic but still worth a look. B minus.

It captured my attention when I saw it as kid back in 1956, one of the first movies I remember seeing. I remembered it having some exciting action but was too young to accurately interpret what was going on. Over the years it's made me curious why it never gets screened on a movie channel when so many other war films are repeated incessantly. But during a recent viewing, I suppose I can understand why you never see it anymore. It has it's mysogynistic moments, which you'd expect of a film done back then. Also a very simplistic presentation of the treatment of sharecroppers. And very thinly veiled presentation of possible same sex attraction. Poorly scripted, simplistic war violence and barely believable set locations. But I've seen much worse, and it's worth watching to at least bring one up to date on how war movies have transitioned over time. You'll agree that the script could've been much better, and direction (particularly of the Broderick Crawford character) could've been more hands-on. It's interesting to see how Robert Wagner does in one of his earliest leading roles.

Never even heard of this movie until I was deployed to Somalia in 93. During down time we would watch it on VHS.

Very good war story. Buddy Ebsen stole the show, as did Broderick Crawford (in a hammie kind of way).

I liked it so much, that I stole the VHS after we returned...tell no one. For the record, the statues of limitation have passed.

Brad Dexter was the only one of "The Magnificent Seven" not to become a major star. When you see his performance in "Between Heaven and Hell," you will wonder why.

He is given a very sympathetic character to play, and gives in return one of his best performances.

Buddy Ebsen started show biz life as a minor, but pleasant, song and dance man, but, as shown here, he became one of the finest dramatic actors of the century (despite such obstacles as "The Beverly Hillbillies").

"Between Heaven and Hell" is a very generic title, and seems to have very little to do with this movie. It has been used dozens of times, and maybe once or twice, somewhere, it was appropriate. Maybe.

Richard Fleischer's directing and Leo Tover's photography, though, overcome the trite title and well complement the excellent acting in presenting a dramatic war story.

From the opening shot, there is fluidity in the camera work that awed me, that left me admiring Mr. Fleischer more than I ever had before. If you don't like war movies -- and I don't -- you will want to watch this one for the photography, including the scenery.

One complaint: The protagonist, played well by Robert Wagner, goes through the mandatory (made so by "the rules of drama") change, but there is no good explanation of his motives, of why he changes.

Perhaps it is plain, right before our eyes, in a manner of speaking only because it is never explicated. But there really should have been some motivational explanations.

Still, it was plausible and reasonable, and, again, the acting and camera work are so good -- no, excellent -- "Between Heaven and Hell" is definitely worth watching.

By the way, do not miss a chance to see this just because the On Demand description is so disgustingly PC. There is no "racism" even though that PC description implies there is.

I found it via the Time Warner Cable system's On Demand. And free!

I first saw this film as a 10-year old in Sydney in the 1950's. Of all the war movies we saw at the time, I thought this was one of the best.

It's easy to see why it made an impression. It felt gritty with fairly convincing locations and spectacular CinemaScope action. Like many baby boomers, my father had fought the Japanese in a setting not unlike the one in the movie. Back then you couldn't escape the impact the war had made. Although Australia wasn't actually invaded (just bombed around the edges), the aura of what the previous generation did was all pervading.

In the film, Private Sam Gifford (Robert Wagner) is a troubled soldier. Although not stated, he is obviously serving in the Philippines - interestingly there isn't a Filipino in site. Sam has lost his sergeant's stripes and is sent to an outfit up in the hills. Here he encounters 'Waco', the anti-heroic company commander played by Broderick Crawford.

There were other megalomaniacal captains in movies at the time. Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick" and James Cagney as Captain Morten in "Mister Roberts" had paved the way, but Broderick Crawford's Captain 'Waco' Grimes just about out-megged them all.

Sam's backstory is seen in flashback. Hailing from a wealthy, Southern land-owning family, he is married to the beautiful daughter of the colonel of his National Guard Unit. However Sam is arrogant and hard on his sharecroppers. His attitude changes when these men become his comrades during the war.

Years later I learnt more about the film. Based on a novel, it is one of the few movies to deal with the 1944-45 Philippines Campaign. It is also one of the few movies to feature differences between National Guard and Regular units of the US army during the war. The politics and rivalries that men recruited from the same area of the United States brought with them to the battlefield provided the drama in this film and also in "Attack", which featured another highly-strung captain played by Eddie Albert.

An unseen star of the film is the music. Along with "The Young Lions" and "In Love and War", the score is one of a trilogy Hugo Friedhofer composed for Fox war movies at the time. One could accomplish great things with one of Hugo's anthems sweeping you along.

For those in the mood, "Between Heaven and Hell" still holds up as a particularly well-made war movie.