Not much to add to the reviews but this - there is an authenticity in Audie Murphy (Henry Fleming, "The Youth") which comes from real life, and we see in his performance what must surely be a confession of his own experience of battle as a member of the 3rd Infantry Division during World War 2 - and that gives pause. Murphy ended the war as the most decorated soldier in American history. But he must surely have started it in fear and trepidation, just as The Youth did. And he must have overcome that fear when seeing his own friends die and be maimed brought out of his physically unimposing self an animal rage to get back at the enemy. And although this is a fine thing to have on the battlefield, it leaves lasting scars in life. Murphy never quite got over his post-traumatic stress of having endured years of continuous close battle in some of the war's worst theaters - the slugging matches against the entrenched German defenders in Italy, and the war of attrition in Southern France fought mostly by conscripts with no experience of war. The scars of that experience are chiseled in Murphy's body language and facial expressions. This is a performance straight from life, and whatever else may be said about the film, Murphy's performance puts it in the first rank of military films. A wonderful effort from Huston, despite its flaws. Also to be mentioned - Bill Mauldin, who himself was all too familiar with the horrors of war, which he distilled into his "Willie and Joe" cartoons.
Review of The Red Badge of Courage
