A Walk in the Sun (1945)

Superior Pictures, 20^th Century- Fox

Director: Lewis Milestone

Starring: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte

Honors:

National Film Registry

The understanding of being soldiers fighting overseas through one of history’s greatest confrontations is a complicated thing to grasp and share within any medium. Here with Lewis Milestone’s 1945 picture A Walk in the Sun is a brief glimpse through the cracks of what being a soldier in World War II was like, sharing thoughts of soldiers as they carry out a seemingly routine mission, juggling the emotions of separation, lose, and need to keep one’s morale up for the hopeful return to normalcy. An ensemble piece, this film does not focus on a singular story, other than the mission, which serves as a frame by which we view glimpses into the minds of the many individuals that serve alongside each other.

A Walk in the Sun is a war drama of a platoon of American soldiers as they march through rural Italy in search of bridge they must destroy, meanwhile each man takes on the idea of war and the changes that come with it differently. The film mostly centers on Staff Sgt. Bill Tyne (Dana Andrews) as he does his best to lead the platoon who loses two leader, the first before the invasion of Italy begins and its second leading officer Sgt. Porter (Herbert Rudley) as he breaks down from the stress of battle. The platoon is set to destroy a strategic bridge to off German supplies. Along the way we get to know many of the men as they talk about war and their home lives, what they miss most about where they come from, including the food they wish to taste again, as well as their own excitements and aggravations about being soldiers.

The platoon balances the emotions of prisoners of war, disappointment from fellow soldiers and the ever uncertainty of what will come from just around the corner. In the end the men fight to take a fortified farmhouse and eventually destroy the bridge. The platoon takes on heavy loses making the victory feel just as bitter as it is sweet. The men take a short moment to reflect on the loss and horror of battle while attempting to keep their spirits up as they know more is to come in the long fight for freedom.

The film, based on Harry Brown, shares a different look at war than the usual glorification of battle as an adventure and heroic deeds that many may be accustomed to. Rather A Walk in the Sun centers of the psyche of a soldier and the simple fleeting moments of thought that go through a soldier’s mind outside the world of combat. In getting to know a little about many characters, we too feel the loss as their brothers in arms fall during attacks and each soldier questions what there really is to fight for. We observe as each pine for home or at least a refuge from this warfare centered life, questioning if they may reap the fruits of victory, or join those they have seen slain at their sides? The film comes away with a victory, but also a feeling of irreplaceable lose, an idea of war that is difficult to share with any audience, as most will never understand what it was actually like.

The roots of the film’s production lie with actor Burgess Meredith, who would also be the film’s narrator. It was he who brought the idea to adapt the novel to friend and producer Samuel Bronston. In the middle of filming due to credit issues Bronston was forced to shut down production and the project would land into the hands of director Lewis Milestone’s company Superior Productions, which finished the feature and eventually shared partial profits with Bronston due to a lawsuit settled outside of court.

Lewis Milestone was one of Hollywood’s most successful war genre filmmakers, with his most famous work to that point being the World War I feature All Quiet on the Western Front.  His history of military service and producing military training films makes him one of the finest experts on the subject matter along with production quality. His connections with the military helped bring in Army officers as technical advisors as well as actual tanks and trucks to bring the film some authenticity.

The action is rather gritty, devoid of horrific images, but allows for the audience to fill the gaps in their minds, which can be more gruesome than what any film could do. Milestone does well at making the characters very tangible, and with the wide array of characters delivers a variety to which to draw an emotional connection with. The enemy is almost always portrayed from a distance, giving a sense of mystery of what dangers lie beyond as the film perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being cut off from safety as these men were dropped in the middle of enemy territory.

It took a short while for the film to find a studio to aid in the final costs of the picture as well as distribute it, which eventually landed on 20^th Century-Fox in the summer of 1945. With the final surrender of Japan Fox saw no need for future war pictures, order a near shut down of all war productions as A Walk in the Sun was entering final stages of production. During these final stages the film was screened to US Army officials who requested for minor changes to the picture. These changes primarily filled small loopholes in the story, including why the soldiers did not use bazookas to take out enemy tanks, these were fixed with hastily explaining they were used elsewhere off screen.

Of course, the most important part of the film is the ensemble cast that aided in bringing the wide variety of characters to life on screen. The film’s headliner would be Dana Andrews as the central figure that leads the mission through loss of officers. Tough guy styled character actor Richard Conte would receive high billing as well, portraying a wisecracking machine gunner. We also get to see many up and coming actors to the industry in the picture, including future western star John Ireland, a young Lloyd Bridges, and a medic played by the soft-spoken actor Sterling Holloway, who would be better known for lending his voice talents to Disney characters, including Winnie the Pooh.

A Walk in the Sun would premiere in December 1945, but due to Fox holding back war features after the surrender of Japan, it would not see wide release until June 1946. The film was met with critical acclaim and would become one of American cinema’s more celebrated war features of its day. It also led to novelist Harry Brown eventually turning his career to screenwriting after the encouragement of Lewis Milestone. Decades later A Walk in the Sun may seem to have been swallowed up in the overall scope of American war features as countless pictures have since been released with equal of better acclaim, but this film remains a classic of the genre, its period, and for its gifted director.