Walk in the Sun, A (1945)

A Walk in the Sun (1945), directed by Lewis Milestone.

GI view of WW2 fighting in Italy, made shortly after the event. Just a few hours of one day, from the predawn landing craft to what looks like an ill-advised assault on a farmhouse.

Long periods of watching, waiting, talking and slogging down the road, punctuated by moments of violence and unsentimental death. The conversation ranges from the very natural and inconsequential to the high-flown and meaningful. All the soldiers are "characters".

The photography is plain and raw, sometimes verging on the surreal. The sound-track includes an unfortunate balladeering narration song from time to time.

As an aside: I recall George Macdonald Fraser writing than anyone pulling a grenade pin with his teeth would be needing dentures. Maybe the Brits had different gear.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Walk_in_the_Sun_poster.jpg