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The Mountain Road is a 1960 war film starring James Stewart and directed by Daniel Mann. Set in China and based on the 1958 novel of the same name by journalist-historian Theodore H. White, the film follows the attempts of a U.S. Army Major to destroy bridges and roads potentially useful to the Japanese during World War II. White's time covering China for Time magazine during the war led to an interview with former OSS Major Frank Gleason Jr., who served as head of a demolition crew that inspired the story and film. Gleason was later hired as an (uncredited) technical consultant for the film.
The film is a rather somber treatment of World War II and includes themes that were taboo for Hollywood during the war years, such as tensions between allies and racism among American troops. The protagonist is a frustrated and morally conflicted U.S. officer unsure about the value of his mission. For these reasons, The Mountain Road is often labeled anti-war. But it was made with the cooperation of the Pentagon, and it is much more respectful of the military as an institution than are the well-known anti-war films of the 1960s and '70s.
As a World War II combat veteran, Stewart had vowed never to make a war movie, concerned they were hardly ever realistic. The Mountain Road was the only war movie set during World War II in which he starred as a combatant. Stewart, however, had been featured in a wartime short, Winning Your Wings (1942) and in a civilian role in Malaya (1949). Harry Morgan, another cast member in The Mountain Road, later said he believed that Stewart made an "exception for this film because it was definitely anti-war."
Original Release
06/15/1960
US Release
06/15/1960
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
James Stewart | Maj. Baldwin / Major Baldwin |
Lisa Lu | Madame Sue-Mei Hung / Sue-Mei Hung |
Glenn Corbett | Collins |
Harry Morgan | Sgt. 'Mike' Michaelson / Mike Michaelson |
Frank Silvera | Col. Kwan / Colonel Kwan |
James Best | Niergaard |
Rudy Bond | Sgt. Miller / Sergeant Miller |
Mike Kellin | Prince |
Frank Maxwell | Sgt. Ballo / Sergeant Ballo |
Eddie Firestone | Major Lewis / Maj. Lewis |
Directors
Writers
Alfred Hayes, Theodore H. White
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
James Stewart | Maj. Baldwin / Major Baldwin |
Lisa Lu | Madame Sue-Mei Hung / Sue-Mei Hung |
Glenn Corbett | Collins |
Harry Morgan | Sgt. 'Mike' Michaelson / Mike Michaelson |
Frank Silvera | Col. Kwan / Colonel Kwan |
James Best | Niergaard |
Rudy Bond | Sgt. Miller / Sergeant Miller |
Mike Kellin | Prince |
Frank Maxwell | Sgt. Ballo / Sergeant Ballo |
Eddie Firestone | Major Lewis / Maj. Lewis |
Alan Baxter | Gen. Loomis / General Loomis |
Leo Chen | Col. Li / Colonel Li |
Bill Quinn | Col. Magnusson |
Peter Chong | Chinese Colonel |
P.C. Lee | Chinese General |
W.T. Chang | Bit Role |
Kei Thin Chung | Chinese Captain |
Bart Conrad | Bit Role |
Larry Duran | Bit Role |
Charly Ho | Minor Role |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
William Goetz | Producer |