Not History - But Not Bad
Added 9/3/2009
A lot of the 1-star reviewers were, apparently, expecting a historical war movie, but all the movie summary says is "set in the backdrop of..." In other words, there was no attempt to make a historical movie - only an entertaining one.
(And, disregard their comments about "firehoses" used for flame throwers. The ones used in the movie looked pretty time-relevent to me.)
No, this is just a war movie, and not a bad one at all. It has an interesting story-line, a "twist" to the ending, and I enjoyed it. One part of the theme is awfully realistic, and that's the disaster that can happen when commanding officers miscalculate. And, regarding the history of this battle, that much truth is present in the movie.
If nothing else, it will introduce you to Hurtgen Forest, which I'd never heard of before getting this movie, and I thank the movie for that. If you're after history, you can Google it and get it. But if you're after entertainment and are a war-movie buff, you'll enjoy this one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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When Trumpets fade
Added 6/15/2009
A very good movie regarding a battle that was fought and is mostly forgotten in the annals of history.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Welcome to the Death Factory
Added 5/26/2009
I picked this movie up years ago because it dealt with something I've had an interest in; the battles that took place in the Hurtgen Forest. My fascination with the Hurtgen Forest derives from the absoluteness of the conditions and how men continued their struggles in a battle that never should have taken place. Rather than the mobile warfare so typified in other WWII battles, the battles in the Hurtgen Forest were typified by relatively static warfare in terrible terrain that was reminiscent of the Civil War struggle in the Wilderness.
Rating wise this ones a solid 4 star movie. The acting is solid, especially given how young/green the actors were. All of the actors did an excellent job capturing the behavior and look of the troops who'd fought in the Hurtgen Forest (especially around 7 November 1944 when the movie takes places). The terrain is between accurate and very accurate depending on the parts you're looking for (the woods and the mud are very accurate; the bridge over the Kall stream and the terrain around the Kall trail were inaccurate). Historically the director and the writers did a good job telling of the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th ID (the 112th was the regiment from the 28th ID assigned to capture Schmidt and Kommerscheidt) and showing the losses the division sustained (the Hurtgen Forest were nicknamed the Death Factory by American troops. I've read of American losses being between 24,000 and 30,000 with German losses being similar. Matter of fact, one battalion went in with 900 men, received 100 reinforcements, and walked out with 50 men of whom half were sent to hospital). The weak point in the movie was showing the area around the Kall Trail and showing them attacking the guns (sorry, they would have been the responsibility of another battalion or the 109th Regiment). This is significant because viewer not familiar with the battlefield could be mislead about conditions (having said that though, they did a great job showing what the battlefield conditions were like though). I recommend this one for lovers of history or those interested in seeing the realities of what war is like. If you're interested in learning more about the battlefield I recommend that you read Follow Me And Die or look on my Listmania for other books on the Hurtgen Forest.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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3.5 stars out of 4
Added 12/18/2008
The Bottom Line:
A well-structured, well-acted and well-made made-for-TV war film, When Trumpets Fade will probably not be remembered as a great film, but when you're watching it you wouldn't be faulted for thinking it was.
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One of the Best
Added 12/15/2008
This is one of the best movies I have seen on the affect war has on those required to fight.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Not History - But Not Bad
Added 9/3/2009
A lot of the 1-star reviewers were, apparently, expecting a historical war movie, but all the movie summary says is "set in the backdrop of..." In other words, there was no attempt to make a historical movie - only an entertaining one.
(And, disregard their comments about "firehoses" used for flame throwers. The ones used in the movie looked pretty time-relevent to me.)
No, this is just a war movie, and not a bad one at all. It has an interesting story-line, a "twist" to the ending, and I enjoyed it. One part of the theme is awfully realistic, and that's the disaster that can happen when commanding officers miscalculate. And, regarding the history of this battle, that much truth is present in the movie.
If nothing else, it will introduce you to Hurtgen Forest, which I'd never heard of before getting this movie, and I thank the movie for that. If you're after history, you can Google it and get it. But if you're after entertainment and are a war-movie buff, you'll enjoy this one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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When Trumpets fade
Added 6/15/2009
A very good movie regarding a battle that was fought and is mostly forgotten in the annals of history.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Welcome to the Death Factory
Added 5/26/2009
I picked this movie up years ago because it dealt with something I've had an interest in; the battles that took place in the Hurtgen Forest. My fascination with the Hurtgen Forest derives from the absoluteness of the conditions and how men continued their struggles in a battle that never should have taken place. Rather than the mobile warfare so typified in other WWII battles, the battles in the Hurtgen Forest were typified by relatively static warfare in terrible terrain that was reminiscent of the Civil War struggle in the Wilderness.
Rating wise this ones a solid 4 star movie. The acting is solid, especially given how young/green the actors were. All of the actors did an excellent job capturing the behavior and look of the troops who'd fought in the Hurtgen Forest (especially around 7 November 1944 when the movie takes places). The terrain is between accurate and very accurate depending on the parts you're looking for (the woods and the mud are very accurate; the bridge over the Kall stream and the terrain around the Kall trail were inaccurate). Historically the director and the writers did a good job telling of the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th ID (the 112th was the regiment from the 28th ID assigned to capture Schmidt and Kommerscheidt) and showing the losses the division sustained (the Hurtgen Forest were nicknamed the Death Factory by American troops. I've read of American losses being between 24,000 and 30,000 with German losses being similar. Matter of fact, one battalion went in with 900 men, received 100 reinforcements, and walked out with 50 men of whom half were sent to hospital). The weak point in the movie was showing the area around the Kall Trail and showing them attacking the guns (sorry, they would have been the responsibility of another battalion or the 109th Regiment). This is significant because viewer not familiar with the battlefield could be mislead about conditions (having said that though, they did a great job showing what the battlefield conditions were like though). I recommend this one for lovers of history or those interested in seeing the realities of what war is like. If you're interested in learning more about the battlefield I recommend that you read Follow Me And Die or look on my Listmania for other books on the Hurtgen Forest.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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