Theo Robertson As I write this NATO has been involved in Afghanistan for twelve years . A political breakthrough almost came about this week when the United States were going to have peace talks in Qatar with the Taliban but due to anger from the Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai the talks were cancelled at the last minute . Even if the talks had gone ahead the talks probably wouldn't have gained much due . NATO will pull out of the country next year regardless of any settlement or political deal . There is a rather sad dimension to this and that is NATO soldiers will still die in combat between then and now and there's something much more poignant about dying in a conflict when the end - regardless of the outcome - is in sight The battle of Pork Chop Hill was the last major battle of the Korean War and this film tells the story of the battle . The UN and communist forces were weeks away from signing an armistice but for reasons of not losing face and to hold bigger bargaining chips continued to commit thousands of troops to a battle that had no strategic value . This is patently absurd and the film tries to put a human and ugly face to this absurdity but never manages it The film is directed by Lewis Milestone who won an Oscar for ALL QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT so he should in theory be the number one contender for making an anti-war movie . However the screenwriter is James R Webb who had previous and subsequent tradition in writing Westerns . Is there any genre that's more black and white than a Western ? This explains the rather sketchy characterisation of the soldiers involved , the a man's got to do what a man's got to do commanding officer , the reluctant hero , the malingerer etc . Even the climatic battle where the US forces are besieged and saved at the last minute resembles a Western cliché and negates any anti-war comment the film is trying to make . From a technical point of view it is a good war film but never becomes an anti-war film

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Non stop action war movie that never lets up for a moment as the US Army and Chinese Communists square off on hill 255 also known as Pork Chop Hill in the spring of 1953. With peace or cease fire negotiations going nowhere at Panmujeom the Red Chinese open up a full scale attack, using ear splitting bugles and human wave assaults, on Pork Chop Hill trying to dislodge the US Army company, Company K, that's holding it. With the battered and pot marked, from artillery shelling, hill being of no real strategic significance to either sides it turns out to be a battle of wills between the two side with the Chinese Communists more then willing to sacrifice their men in order to win!With Lt. Joe Celmons', Gregory Peck, company trying to hold off the fanatical and suicidal Red Chinese attacks it's decided by his superiors safely behind the lines not to reinforce him and thus let him and his men, now down from 135 to just 25 men, to twist in the wind with the Red Chinese planning to launch a final do or die attack on his positions at dusk April 17, 1953. Digging in and waiting for the final curtain to fall Let. Clemons feels that he and his men have been deserted or sacrificed for political expediency in the name of "peace" in order to get the stalled cease fire talks re-started! Where at least with the Communist Chinese their losses will be rewarded with taking the hill, Pork Chop Hill, and using it as a bargaining chip in the Panmunjeom cease fire negations!One of he best movies about the Korean War ever made "Pork Chop Hill" shows the frustration that the GI's suffered in fighting in it. Like in the film there was no hope of winning on the part of the US with the war being fought mostly along the 38th Parallel with the front lines moving no more then ten miles on either direction for more then, From May 1951 to July 1953, two years! Gregory Peck who made only two war movies up until then as a Russian guerrilla fighter in "Days of Glory" in 1943 and a US Army Air Force General in "12 O'Clock high" in 1949 fits right in the part as a grunt down in the mud GI in the film who's sense of loyalty to is country made him forget that it was deserting him and his men at their most argent time of need. Happily the ending of the movie like the battle of "Pork Chop Hill" in real life restored Lt. Clemons' faith in his country even though most of the men under his command didn't live long enough to see or realize it! P.S One of the oddest as well as poignant scenes in the film was just before the final assault on the hill by the Red Chinese. That's when their radio propagandist commentator started playing the song "Autumn in New York", this in the spring in Korea, just in order to fry the GI's brains in order to get them to surrender.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Since the Korean War, nothing has been said about it. Yes it is mentioned in history books but even then, the subject matter is skimmed over. No one really knows what happened during that time except for the individuals who took part in the battle. Unfortunately, not many are left to tell their story. Thankfully director Lewis Milestone had the ambition to make this film in honor of those who fought during that time.Gregory Peck plays Lt. Joe Clemons, a tired soldier who is on the boarder of losing all his men because communication ties are running thin between him and headquarters. Along side Peck is Harry Guardino, George Peppard and Rip Torn. At first, it may seem a little difficult to see who's who, because the film is black and white but it doesn't take long before these recognizable faces come clear. What's nice though is how well each actor portrays their character. Each one has a specific background and when they talk about themselves, it reflects the time of the era very accurately. Another great feature is the set design. Every piece of the set is like what it would be if the viewer were in the soldier's shoes. There's nothing comforting about warfare and that is what's in this film. Barb wire, bunkers, sandbags, flood lights, bayonets and dirt is all that will be seen; which is anything but cozy. Also the fact that the psychological aspect being inserted into the story makes things even more accurate. Trying to persuade the Americans to leave over a loudspeaker can make them very uneasy, which is understandable.As for action, I suspect some viewers will be turned off that there's no blood and guts. But what could someone ask for from the era of conformity? Realistic gore was considered taboo at the time and probably would have freaked too many people out. Especially since the government didn't want the families at home to see what war was really like. For this element, the audience must suspend from their minds that gore just wasn't permissible at the time, and there for, omit it from affecting their judgment of the film.For the few films that focus on the Korean War, this film shows the best reflection of what times were like. The actors perform well, and the set is accurately grimy which is all due to Milestone's direction.

mw1561 I recently saw this film on television. I usually like Gregory Peck, but he seemed a bit too wooden in this role. Two things stick out in my mind that are so unreal that the film has been diminished.The first thing is the radio announcer. It would have been fairly simple to shhot out the loudspeakers. The announcer seemed so up-to-date on events, it was as if he was on the front line.The second thing is the abrupt ending. AT one moment we're being told that "a million Chinese" are surging up the hill, and the next moment Gregory Peck receives a message that "help is on the way, they should be there any minute". And in the span of about 15 seconds, the "million Chinese" are routed.