William Wellman
Bastogne

I will preface by saying that war-themed films, spectacular by their nature, can fall into excessive rhetoric. This is a danger found in films made by filmmakers whose nationality is that of the winning country. One only needs to think of the many American films about World War II. The point of view of the Yankee director easily assumed that the soldier hero, in the mold of John Wayne, was all of a piece, invincible, and suited to the advertising slogan "the man who never has to ask". Watching such films, one might even suspect that the war was little more than a long picnic, a bit noisy due to the numerous explosions but still bearable.

But without objecting to certain ethical motivations of World War II (on the other side there were still the Nazi "krauts" and those that the Marines called "yellow faces, baboons, squinty eyes"...), to start seeing more realistic war-themed films one began only with "Bastogne" (original title "Battleground") released in 1950. The screenplay of the work (I remember seeing it many years ago in a suburban cinema in Milan) was by a certain Robert Pirosh who had actually fought on the Western European front, and this lends a sincere tone to the entire plot as it is presented.

In brief summary, the events involved American soldiers of the 101st Airborne Battalion defending the Belgian city of Bastogne, in the Ardennes region. Here, in December 1944, the German army had launched an unexpected offensive against American troops. After the initial confusion, the Yankees reorganized and right in Bastogne, at the center of the Nazi offensive salient, they were giving the "krauts" a hard time while still being surrounded.

These are the main facts, and those expecting to watch a film with epic and rhetorical tones will be disappointed. In a black and white of sober elegance and with limited means (only one American tank is seen), director Wellman focuses on the human and psychological dimension of the soldiers involved in the battle. One must therefore forget the pompous model of John Wayne; here there are men commanded to fight (surely with honor) but always mindful of their precarious and troubled condition. In those moments, there is no shame in one's human weaknesses. Some feel hunger (the rations leave much to be desired), cold (try staying out in the open fighting in the snow, and then we'll talk...). Not to mention the homesickness, as the Allied high commands believed the war would end in time to return home for Christmas 1944. In short, in this, as in other wars, soldiers perform their duty well aware that the goal, more than victory, is to make it home alive. And so it will be for those U.S. troops who, as soon as weather conditions permit, will receive supplies parachuted by Allied planes and will see reinforcements from General Patton's army arrive.

A page of history represented honestly and without any novelistic embellishments, impeccably acted by a good number of actors (among these Van Johnson stands out). A film I never thought I would recently retrieve from that inexhaustible mine like YouTube. Certainly, many other films dedicated to World War II have been made with grand outcomes, but "Bastogne" remains a document still appreciable for its overall sober tone and for its value as a warning against the atrocity of war (in case anyone does not know or has forgotten).