When Trumpets Fade

A pleasant surprise. A war film that describes one of the sections of the Battle of the Ardennes... No heroism, no pathos, no fearless hero. Ron Eldard's Manning is a selfish man who cares about nothing but his own survival. At that price, he's willing to do a foolish act of heroism... My good impression of the film is somewhat spoiled by strange music and also by the fact that the story lacks gradation... Even so, this film has an interesting theme (the theme of the Battle of the Ardennes is not as common) and especially good acting performances. A good war drama without big effects and mass scenes... And also without unnecessarily sly iconization of Allied heroism. Just the war and its filth. (2004-02-10)

A television film that is very close to the popular series Band of Brothers in terms of its quality. Similar is the unpretentiousness, absence of pathos, glorification of war, and American patriotism. The war, as portrayed by the director, is about the filth in the trenches, stress, fear, efforts to survive, lack of provisions, and sometimes even downright cowardice. The feeling of reality is valuable, but if I were to have any critical remarks, they would be directed toward the fact that even this honestly done work does not say much about the overall character of the war on the Western Front. It was very different from what soldiers experienced on the Eastern Front or the battle lines on the Asian continent. Similar bloody battles fought on the edge of a knife were a rarity from the perspective of Americans. American commanders, considering public opinion in the United States, sought to minimize casualties and did not seek personal contact between their units and the enemy. The war was decided by material and technical superiority, and the front moved forward only slowly after the enemy had been sufficiently decimated through systematic bombing and shelling. When Americans encountered a tenacious and well-motivated adversary, such as Kesselring's units in Italy, the advance of Allied forces was halted despite their significant superiority. As for the acting and directing aspects, I have no comments or criticisms about the film; it would be great if such a meticulous approach could be considered average in cinema. Overall impression: 95%. (2009-09-23)

It's well known that the phrase “Nobody dies” is just a comforting lie. And so, they pull out a pack of cigarettes and light one up, even though they weren’t smoking the day before. The episode from World War II isn’t overly discussed, but it’s no surprise, given that the bloody maw of the Hürtgen Forest claimed over thirty thousand American soldiers in a few months. John Irvin's film is driven by authenticity, featuring a believable range of self-preserving characters that naturally evolve into heroic figures, and includes several scenes that will undoubtedly stick in one's memory (a few seconds of hell between anti-personnel mines, the “Dracarys” of the soldier Sanderson in eliminating a German gun, or the cathartic credits with dragon’s teeth and the Christmas Bing Crosby). Frank Whaley had the chance over four years to test whether it was harder to act as a lapidary behind the Siegfried Line or recall under Jules Winnfield’s pressure if Marsellus Wallace looks like that bitch. A tough choice. (2024-09-09)