Featured Audience Ratings

• Randy T

  
  In spite of the studio's blasphemous 'recut' of John Huston's work, <i>The Red Badge of Courage</i> successfully illuminates the fragile psyche of the foot soldier in harm's way. Audie Murphy, given his own combat experience, seems perfectly cast… More
  In spite of the studio's blasphemous 'recut' of John Huston's work, <i>The Red Badge of Courage</i> successfully illuminates the fragile psyche of the foot soldier in harm's way. Audie Murphy, given his own combat experience, seems perfectly cast as the civil war private battling fear and self-doubt while serving in a union regiment. Like the source material from which it sprang, this film is a study in humanity and man's astonishing ability to persevere.

• Bobby H

  
  For 1951 it was a pretty great movie. It had a great behind it, and got it acrossed well. I felt it ended a little suddenly, and to me it seemed like there seemed to be something missing, though im not sure what, but overall, it was a film , for any civil war buff, too see.

• Antony S

  
  Heavily scissored by the studio, it's distressing to think how good Huston's Civil War flick could have been. It has some truly gorgeous visuals, in particular the close-ups of the young soldiers facing their first taste of warfare and the shot of the sunlight breaking… More
  Heavily scissored by the studio, it's distressing to think how good Huston's Civil War flick could have been. It has some truly gorgeous visuals, in particular the close-ups of the young soldiers facing their first taste of warfare and the shot of the sunlight breaking through in shafts through the trees. The decision to keep the novel's anonymous characters (the film is adapted from a Stephen Crane novel), pays off, adding to the sense of alienation in combat (they are referred to in adjective titles, ie: 'The Tattered Man', 'The Tall Soldier'). Murphy also convinces as a young lad staring death in the face, and his eventual defiance in not letting the flags touch the ground makes for some striking cinematography, irregardless of your stance on war. Sadly, this would-be great was truncated down to just over an hour's worth of footage, making it a frustrating experience. In doing so, the audience feels a little short-changed by Murphy getting over his demons in about fifty minutes, the same effect as watching the regular cut of Apocalypse Now after one has grown accustomed to the full nightmare of Redux. What could have been....

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"The Red Badge of Courage" takes place during the American Civil War in 1862. A regiment of Union soldiers has been busy not engaging in combat with the enemy but in constant drilling. Then one day, news reaches them of orders to go into combat. As… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"The Red Badge of Courage" takes place during the American Civil War in 1862. A regiment of Union soldiers has been busy not engaging in combat with the enemy but in constant drilling. Then one day, news reaches them of orders to go into combat. As the soldiers converse amongst themselves, a young soldier, Henry(Audie Murphy), worries about the upcoming battle...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Red Badge of Courage" is an excellent examination of bravery and cowardice under fire, filmed in a very naturalistic style.(It is based on the 1895 novel by Stephen Crane which I read over ten years ago but cannot recall any details from.) The emphasis here is on the soldiers of both sides without any thought given to ideology. This is especially surprising considering the film was made in 1951 during the Korean War and the height of the Red Scare. [/font]

• Mike T

  
  Completely devoid of emotional impact and messily structured, but Huston's direction is solid and the cinematography is marvelous. The film's flaws are more a result of the studio's lack of vision than Huston's, but they're there nonetheless.