"The Red Badge of Courage," Stephen Crane's classic novel about combat during the American Civil War, should have been a memorable movie when you consider the abundance of talent involved in its production. John Huston was a cinematic craftsman who had proved his talent many times over with "The Maltese Falcon," "Across the Pacific," "The Treasure of Sierra Madre," "Key Largo," "The Asphalt Jungle," and his immortal World War II documentaries "San Pietro" and "Let Their Be Light." Audie Murphy had fought in World War II and if anybody knew anything about the rigors as well as the horrors of war, this Medal of Honor recipient should have known. The seasoned cast consists of a number of first-rate character actors, among them Andy Devine, Royal Dano, William Schallert, Robert Easton Burke, Whit Bissell, Arthur Hunnicutt, Tim Durant, and John Dierkes. "Wizard of Oz" lenser Harold Rossen's cinematography is outstanding, especially the close-ups of the Union troops and the shots of sunlight streaming through trees. Clocking in a 69 meager minutes, "The Red Badge of Courage" lacks any sense of substance. Granted, this is a simple tale told from the ankles up of the soldiers in the ranks as they march into combat. You won't find any expository scenes of generals and their adjutants hunched over tables in lantern lit tents discussing strategy. Nevertheless, this movie is just plain lacking. You don't experience the horrors of war, and the battle scenes seem tame. Some of the dialogue is amusing, but Huston seems to have made a movie with battle scenes but no plot. Basically, what we have here is a routine Civil War movie. Stephen Crane painted his novel with colorful prose that doesn't translate well as a black & white film. Such as shame.
Review of The Red Badge of Courage
