To Hell and Back (1955)
Grade: 52
"To Hell and Back" held the honor of being Universal Studio's top grossing film for twenty years, until surpassed by "Jaws". While largely forgotten today, it is easy to see why the film was so hugely successful.
Audie Murphy plays himself as World War II's most decorated soldier. Unfailingly self-effacing, polite, heroic and courageous, Murphy makes up for his lack of physical stature by always doing the right thing in battle. Murphy's all-american boy role model fit the 1950s era perfectly, back when it was wise not to question the U.S. Government.
Murphy is a competent actor. It is true that when he is supposed to be angry, he merely shouts, and when he is supposed to be tender, he merely talks more quietly. He lacks emotional commitment to his role, despite playing a perfect version (at least in the eyes of the Army) of himself. Still, his earnest demeanor and slew of earned decorations give him credibility.
Murphy has problems when acting with women. He is polite and passive, and has only one brief romantic scene, with a woman gentle enough to help him along. This may explain Murphy's career as an action hero more than as a romantic lead.
Murphy's army buddies all seem interchangeable after a while. They shoulder their burdens with only witty and well-crafted jabs, never whining or threatening. One has the feeling that the U.S. Army had an eye on the script as a condition of their support during filming.
"To Hell and Back" is not a particularly realistic depiction of WWII battles from a soldier's point of view, since the battles serve merely to depict Murphy's heroism. But the film does accurately reflect an idealization of WWII as viewed by Americans during the 1950s.
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