Search - Battle of the Bulge [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Restored to its Former Glory on DVD

Kevin R. Austra | Delaware Valley, USA | 12/26/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE is a great war movie. It contains everything you could hope to find a cinematic military classic: Action, tank battles, outstanding pyrotechnics, superb cast, and wonderful soundtrack. Before I continue I want to make it clear that movie THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE should not be confused with the historical Ardennes Offensive. THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE is essentially an action-packed cowboy and indian movie with the Americans as the cowboys and the Germans as the indians. If you watch the film with this understanding you will enjoy it much more.

For the first time, possibly ever, the complete film is presented on DVD in wide-screen. Scenes that have been missing for decades have been restored to the film. Now you can see Lt. Col. Hessler marching between the parked rows of tanks, Hessler's introduction to the English-speaking commandos, the Belgian sniper scene, Charles Bronson's confrontation with Robert Shaw in Ambleve, and the lieutenant (James MacArthur) and his sergeant watching the German advance from a snowy hilltop.

This version is truly wide-screen. In fact, when I premiered this new DVD release, with myself as the sole audience (as my family immediately fled the room), I was amazed at the width of the picture. During my first screening of this edition, I tended to pay more attention to what was going on to the right and to the left of the main characters. This additional perspective, in many ways, makes this almost a new movie.

The DVD is equipped with special features. The movie trailer has been restored and includes alternate takes and dialogue that were not included in the original film. Additionally included are two black and white featurettes on the making of the film. It is also amusing that in one of the featurettes the producer is under the mistaken impression that his production team was using actual German Tiger tanks.

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE was filmed and released in 1965. The movie was still in theaters well into 1966. Remember that BULGE is historical fiction. If you are looking for an accurate overview of the epic struggle in the Ardennes, pick up a good book on the subject. Unlike other historical fiction, such as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, which take place in an accurate historical setting, THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE begins with some degree of plausibility and devolves into an action-packed shoot `em up.

Do not misunderstand me. I like action-packed shoot `em ups. In fact, when I returned home from combat in DESERT STORM, the first movie I put into the VHS player was THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE. The bottom line is that this movie has to be judged on its own entertainment merit. Military history is not this film's best suit. However, it has curiously been adopted by many as the definitive story of the battle. It is fascinating to note that many Army Advanced Course captains have screened THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE as a shortcut to prepare group presentations on the 1944 - 45 conflict. In the early 1990's, when I was in Europe putting together an Army staff ride tour of Battle of the Bulge sites in Luxembourg and Belgium, my battalion commander insisted that I include the hilltop "... where the Americans rolled the fuel drums down on the Germans." Once again, history and Hollywood locked in mortal combat.

I did not originally see THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE in a movie theater. It was not until several years after its release that I saw the wide-screen version of this film during my school district's summer film program. Even though there was something odd about seeing a winter venue film on an outdoor screen on a muggy summer night, I was hooked. What a great movie. Unfortunately, THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE became a time-compression casualty when it reached television.

In the greater New York City area, CBS broadcast THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE every year. In the mid 1970s CBS relegated the movie to its late night lineup. In the 1980s that same cut of THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, complete with CBS' old film splices, found its way to TBS. The film's next stop was a shortened version airing on THE HISTORY CHANNEL and AMC. The recent DVD release finally corrects the injustice done to decades of editing.

Critics of the film have long pointed out that real Sherman and Tiger tanks were not used in the filming and that the Spanish terrain southeast of Segovia and just outside of Valsain does not replicate Belgium. Even in the mid 1960s whole fleets of Sherman tanks were difficult to come by and the only running King Tiger tank is housed in a French military museum. As for the location shooting economy comes into play. In the 1960s Spain was the place to shoot war films and television series.

You could spend days critiquing this film, but I recommend that you chase the critics out of the room and just sit down and enjoy the movie. Make sure the sound is turned up high.




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