Dear Edward Dmytryk,
I have watched noirs like Crossfire and Murder, My Sweet which were directed by you. The Young Lions is unlike both those films. It is a rather long and slightly boring anti-war drama. The film has a huge star cast. Brando is great as a sympathetic and humane Nazi. He is all body language as usual. His German accent was a bit funny. Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin play reluctant American soldiers. Clift looked very old and doomed as a Jewish soldier. Martin's was a towering presence and his acting was effortless. The film explores the three characters love lives in detail. The film is as much about their love lives as their war experiences. I liked the fact that neither side is portrayed in very good light. American war movies tend to be overtly partisan and portray Germans as goofy idiots.
May Britt as the frustrated wife of Brando's senior officer made quite an impression on me. The scene where she tries to seduce Brando's character with her sullen face and bovine presence was an interesting erotic interlude in what was otherwise a pretty sleep inducing film.
The many discussions on the nature of man and war were rather trite. The film did have some great boxing scenes when Clift's Jewish soldier is bullied by fellow American soldiers. Hugo Friedhofer's score is pretty good. I liked the rambunctious title score and the romantic tunes as well.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(6/10)
I have watched noirs like Crossfire and Murder, My Sweet which were directed by you. The Young Lions is unlike both those films. It is a rather long and slightly boring anti-war drama. The film has a huge star cast. Brando is great as a sympathetic and humane Nazi. He is all body language as usual. His German accent was a bit funny. Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin play reluctant American soldiers. Clift looked very old and doomed as a Jewish soldier. Martin's was a towering presence and his acting was effortless. The film explores the three characters love lives in detail. The film is as much about their love lives as their war experiences. I liked the fact that neither side is portrayed in very good light. American war movies tend to be overtly partisan and portray Germans as goofy idiots.
May Britt as the frustrated wife of Brando's senior officer made quite an impression on me. The scene where she tries to seduce Brando's character with her sullen face and bovine presence was an interesting erotic interlude in what was otherwise a pretty sleep inducing film.
The many discussions on the nature of man and war were rather trite. The film did have some great boxing scenes when Clift's Jewish soldier is bullied by fellow American soldiers. Hugo Friedhofer's score is pretty good. I liked the rambunctious title score and the romantic tunes as well.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(6/10)