Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.
- Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
- 2 wins & 7 nominations total
- Maj. Charles White Whittlesey
- (as Rick Schroder)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLiberty Division, the 77th part of the Lost Battalion, took Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa in WWII.
- GoofsA cameraman can be seen on the right of the screen for a second when four troops are about to destroy the German machine guns on the hill, about 20 minutes after the beginning of the movie.
- Quotes
Maj. Prinz: You Americans, you always have so much of everything. No matter. Eventually you have to surrender.
Lt. Leak: I don't think so.
Maj. Prinz: Are you officers so callous? You're surrounded. You have no chance of relief. Every night you send out patrols, and every night we kill them. We can hear the cries of your wounded Lieutenant. There is no dishonor in surrender.
Lt. Leak: Maybe for you, but my guys are different.
Maj. Prinz: What do you mean?
Lt. Leak: What you're up against Major, is a bunch of Mick, Pollack, Dago, and Jew boy gangsters from New York City. They'll never surrender. Never.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cinemania: I anodos kai i ptosi tou Nazismou (2008)
This faithful re-creation of the brutal slaughter of two thirds of Whittlesey's battalion in the Argonne Forest in WWI is one of the finest war movies I've seen (and I include Saving Private Ryan in that list).
The director uses the same sort of hand-held camera footage to re-create how the on-going massacres must have looked through the eyes of the men on the ground. The scene where a man takes a direct hit from a bomb and is vaporised, with just his rolling helmet remaining, is mesmerizing. My partner and I were open mouthed in awe.
As happened so often in WWI, the stupidity and stubbornness of the commanders, often 20-30 miles behind the front line, seems incredible. And the bravery and dedication of the Battalion, made up of a motley crew supposed misfits, mostly from the 'seamy' suburbs of New York, is amazing and beautifully portrayed.
Even the Germans are well rounded characters, not just stupid Huns. they become human too, even if you don't much like them.
And over it all is the poignant underlying knowledge that this is October 1918, just 5 weeks before Armistice Day. It all seems so futile.
But the Battalion held and was credited with being the spearhead for the Allied breaking of the German lines in the area.
I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to all aficionados of war movies.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Загублений батальйон
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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