A Walk in the Sun (1945)

Approved   |    |  Drama, War

A Walk in the Sun (1945) Poster

During WWII, a platoon of American soldiers trudge through the Italian countryside in search of a bridge they have been ordered to blow up, encountering danger and destruction along the way.

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Photos

  • Norman Lloyd in A Walk in the Sun (1945)
  • John Laurenz in A Walk in the Sun (1945)
  • Danny Desmond in A Walk in the Sun (1945)
  • Gus Lombardo in A Walk in the Sun (1945)
  • Harry Cline in A Walk in the Sun (1945)
  • Richard Conte and George Tyne in A Walk in the Sun (1945)

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Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Another 2 wins.

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
15 May 2000 | JB-12
A microcosm of WWII
This is one of the great war films ever made. Yet there are few combat scenes, and no mock heroics. What makes this movie successful is its depiction of war from the viewpoint of the men in the platoon. The film takes place primarily during the course of a walk from the beach at Salerno, Italy where the platoon has landed to a farmhouse they are to capture 6 miles away.

Although Dana Andrews is listed as the nominal star of the film, the scenes are divided up equally among several men each with their own take on the mission and ultimately the war.

Other than Andrews(approaching the peak of his career as Sgt Tyne)the rest of the cast were young up and comers, many who went on to great acting careers. They included Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges(his first important role), John Ireland, George Tyne, Huntz Hall(on hiatus from the East Side Kids films and very effective) and Norman Lloyd(bitterly brilliant as Archambeau). There is an understated narration by Burgess Meredith and a folk ballad score sung by Earl Robinson. They all perfectly fit in to the picture

The key player in all of this is director Lewis Milestone. A veteran of films since the twenties, his credits included "All Quiet On The Western Front", "The Front Page", and "Of Mice and Men". In "A Walk In The Sun" a Milestone independent production he incorporated the successful elements of the other three and the result is one of the greatest of it's genre. It is a movie not to be missed.

Critic Reviews

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Did You Know?

Trivia

It was Burgess Meredith who persuaded Samuel Bronston to produce a film based on Harry Brown's novel.

Quotes

Sgt. Ward: Apples.
Windy: What'd you say, Sergeant?
Sgt. Ward: Guess I said 'apples.'
Windy: Why?
Sgt. Ward: Just thinkin' of 'em.
Windy: Oh.
Riddle: What kind of apples, sergeant?
Sgt. Ward: All kinds. Baldwnis, McIntosh, Reds, Pippins, Russets... I was thinkin' I'd like to be cuttin' one open, right now. And lickin' ...

Goofs

Other than rank insignia, none of the soldiers' uniforms bear any markings, whatsoever. It was standard practice to mark soldiers' helmets with chalk numbers so that they would know which landing craft they were assigned to board for the invasion. It was also standard practice to wear insignia to denote the soldiers' units for identification purposes, although sometimes the shoulder sleeve insignia were removed to impede enemy intelligence gathering. Also, the soldiers' helmets are shown buckled at all times. It was common for soldiers to leave their helmets unbuckled, as there was a belief that, in the event of a nearby explosion, the helmet would break the soldier's neck when it reacted to the concussion.

Crazy Credits

The beginning shows an unseen male narrator grabbing a book from a shelf and the cast and crew are set out in the pages of a book.

Soundtracks

These are the Men of the Texas Division, United
(uncredited)
Music by Earl Robinson
Lyrics by Millard Lampell

Storyline

Plot Summary

Genres

Drama | War

Details

Release Date:

25 December 1945

Language

English, Italian

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

User Polls

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