Review of Force of Arms

A ludicrous war picture from Warner Bros., an uncredited rewrite of Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" set in Italy during WWII. Stationed near Napoli, American army sergeant William Holden takes a midnight walk through the cemetery and bumps into female lieutenant Nancy Olson; he tries picking her up but she, a wholesome farmer's daughter and former teacher, sternly rebuffs him. The next day, after the sergeant has been promoted to lieutenant himself, the two go out for drinks and she talks seriously how war has made 'love' into a dirty word, but Holden is too busy smelling her hair and noticing how her eyes light up to give a response (due to the gummy cinematography, Olson never lights up). She's been hurt by true love before--hence her appearance in the cemetery--so we wait while Holden thaws her out...slowly. Tersely-written screenplay by Orin Jannings leaves no foxhole cliché unturned! This was the third teaming of Holden with Olson--they should have quit while they were ahead. *1/2 from ****