There are many wonders in this film.
*An opening sequence of a beach landing with as much, if not more, intensity as Spielberg's later "Saving Private Ryan".
*Unglamourised combat where both sides do what is necessary to stay alive. Action from close range or from distance telling the same tale but with a subtle difference in perspective.
*Flawed characters the whole way through with not a hero in sight, and not a single frame wasted as we are given access to private thoughts, and private intimacies.
*Unforgiving and lingering imagery allowing us the time and space to add our own flaws, our own intimacies, our own doubts to the conflicts we are watching.
This is the futility of war in stark colour, played out by people who do not understand why it should be necessary to fight a war but are forced, by circumstance, to live it out until they too are fallen corpses or survivors for yet another day of 'action'.
Cornel Wilde gets the balance spot on using characters and action to nullify any sense of justification for what we see. Like any voyeur we are made to feel guilty for daring to watch such private tragedy unfold. And yet the director gives us hope in so many subtle ways.
This is a sadly underrated film which is up there with the best in the war genre.
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