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 enlarge | Director: John Irvin
Actors: Ron Eldard, Zak Orth, Frank Whaley, Dylan Bruno, Devon Gummersall
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy Used: $3.00
You Save: $6.98 (70%)
New (32) Used (33) Collectible (1) from $3.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 4335
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 92
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.6
MPN: D91480D
ISBN: 6305161941
UPC: 026359148026
EAN: 9786305161943
ASIN: 6305161941
Theatrical Release Date: June 27, 1998
Release Date: November 10, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Snap case has some minor shelf wear. DVD is in great condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 It might be one of the most underrated war movies you never saw July 6, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
For me and many (if not most) other film enthusiasts, a film's story and plot - rather than the inclusion of "A List" actors (an arbitrary, usually temporary, and essentially meaningless designation) to its cast - is the initial draw (plus a good trailer doesn't hurt); as for rental movies, the reasons can be less geared towards the plot and more geared towards the wondrous aesthetic of bare female skin. In the World War 2 film WHEN TRUMPETS FADE, viewers get none of the latter aspect but a very commendable example of the former. It is an excellent story and screenplay with an engagingly ironic premise and an effective cast. The setting is the Hurtgen Forest, a short distance from the Belgian/German border. The battle over said real estate was a harrowing and bloody ordeal that inflicted significant casualties on the American troops, who expected a cakewalk following the ongoing German retreat in the wake of the allied liberation of France. Instead, the allies found the weary German troops consolidated in well-planned defensive positions from which they put forth determined and brutally effective resistance. The film actually closely follows the details of the battle (one of the longest in U.S. history).
In the movie, Ron Eldard stars as David Manning, the lone survivor of his platoon returning to the battalion HQ after a devastating battle and a harrowing incident which followed. Instead of a brief respite from the horrendous ordeal, Manning is not only put back into combat rotation, but is also assigned as a squad leader. Manning himself is an underachieving fatalistic malcontent without much interest or effort beyond his own self-preservation. The Company Commander (in an understated but not entirely ineffective portrayal by Martin Donovan) has no illusions about Manning's character, but comes to recognize an unappealing yet practical truth: that Manning's experience (especially when compared to the inexperienced replacements who reinforce the mauled units) and his ability to survive are tantamount to making him the best candidate for the position (if for no other reason than by default). Manning continually asks for an exception from combat duty, which is always and immediately refused. Soon, he is assigned a squad to lead, which is reduced to a mere fire team after an unsuccessful attack by the battalion is savagely repelled by German artillery. Following this latest debacle, the Captain makes Manning a somewhat remarkable deal: if Manning will lead his 4-man fire team on a seemingly hopeless assault to destroy the German artillery positions, the Company Commander will classify Manning as unfit for combat via a Section 8.
Thus, what begins with a suicide mission which the Captain believes will rid him of Manning and the requests for removal from combat duty, spurs an increasing cycle of surprisingly heroic though self-serving actions by Manning that grow in daring and peril. Along the way in his Faustian bargain, Manning unintentionally displays the leadership, bravery, and heroism that he had no interest in possessing, even if the motives lack nobility. It is an intriguing question of the nature of heroism: is its essence defined by motive without regards to results, or actions without regard to motive? As for the characters, there aren't many that are very easy to like in a conventional sense, though you end up rooting for some of them. Besides Manning's self-centeredness and disdain for authority, the Captain is an earnest but ineffectual commander, the new and unprepared (both in terms of training and psychology) platoon leader (Timothy Oliphant) utterly loses his nerve and mind after a disastrous attack, the Battalion Commander (marginal performance by Dwight Yoakum) is a rear echelon officer who reflects the upper chain-of-command's oblivion to the tactical realities of the battle. Eldard may not be the greatest actor ever born, but he nails the role and comes off as rather believable - which is or should be the goal of an actor in a film. Frank Whaley, Dylan Bruno, and Zak Orth all turn in solid performances respectively as a dedicated medic, a tough but jaded sergeant, and the brand new augmentee who transforms from being the platoon's biggest doofus to its most promising soldier through his harrowing experiences.
For fans of war movies, the budget is pretty modest (an HBO movie filmed in eastern Europe) with special effects and military props which might not be top of the line as well. But the violence and gore are frankly depicted, and the terror and tension are palpable (this is the movie which prepared me for the unprecedentedly violent Omaha Beach landing sequence in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN). There isn't much in the way of soppy sentimentality, though there is an argument that could be made for this film being one of the most realistic and best World War 2 films you never saw. It is one of my favorite films of all, though this gritty and dark effort doesn't fall into the category of "feel good movies". It's best to be in the right frame of mood for seeing it, though worth the time spent.
 Great story, bad acting and directing May 2, 2007
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
I disagree with others raving about this movie.....there is a reason it is not shown on HBO anymore and that is because the acting literally stinks. The director did a horrible job with a great storyline and the characters come across as non-believable. The flame thrower scene when they attack the gun emplacement was literally ridiculous.....I had to shut the sound off because of the idiotic forced screaming the guy was doing. Over all I found this movie very hard to get into, I felt like I was on the outside rather than immersed in the storyline and I LOVE war movies. Once again, great story but a lousy portrayal.
Tough Hard Hitting WWII Drama April 6, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Very well produced, written and acted, this film really surprised me as one of the better WWII movies I've seen. The battle in the Hurtgen Forest is captured in a very intense and realistic portrayal of men fighting for thier lives in almost surreal circumstances. My father was a veteran of this battle and I felt the movie did justice to what must have been a nightmare to the men involved.
The Dark Battle November 10, 2006
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
The Hurtgen Forrest was probably the only stupid battle plan to come out of the ETO. There were other dumb plans, but this is the only stupid one. The history around the battle is worth reading up on before watching the movie.
The movie is well cast, well acted and reasonably well filmed. The direction is good in all places, outstanding in others.
Watch it and remember- they weren't fighting for Mom and apple pie- they were fighting for the guys in the trenches next to them, and to try, maybe succeed, to do an unwanted job.
Not Bad If.. October 24, 2006
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
You can either watch this movie while flipping through your manual of authentic WWII gear and tactics to find the flaws -
Or you can imagine yourself as a very young man with 6 weeks of basic training shipped to Europe to face a still very deadly Nazi army.
This movie will get under your skin. And yes, give me three days of front line experience, hand me a flame thrower of any kind (fire hose or not) and tell me to destroy an artillery position and it is entirely realistic to assume that I will scream like an idiot and possibly wet myself in the process.
The first person point of view delivered by the script and cameras went way beyond most big screen war epics to bring me into the cold, damp fear of comabt.
If you're a WWII film buff - you know you're going to watch it. Just try to park the "wheel chair general" mentalilty and you'll come out alright.
Then tell me that the veteran German NCO leading the patrol in your front doesn't make you want to run home to mamma.
If you want the typical GI Joe genre - watch the old 40's and 50's war films. This picture has some good points to make. The bloody dog tags smeared on a Major's breast by a shocked American Lieutenant is worth the price of admission.
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