Battle of the Bulge (Blu-ray) (1965)

"Precise, compelling tale of one of WWII's biggest battles.  Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
"...a rousing, commercial battlefield action-drama...Fonda is excellent.  Variety

Editor's Note This World War II spectacular tells the story of the tank battles of December, 1944, in which the Nazi Panzer forces staged a massive last-ditch offensive on the Belgian front.

	Barbara Werle
	Charles Bronson
	Dana Andrews
	George Montgomery
	Henry Fonda
	Robert Ryan
	Robert Shaw
	Telly Savalas
	Benjamin Frankel - Original Music By
	Bernard Gordon, et. al. - Writer
	Dino De Laurentiis - Executive Producer
	Eugene Lourie - Art Director
	Jack Hildyard - Cinematographer
	Ken Annakin - Director
	Philip Yordan - Producer

An action-packed drama about the battle that brought World War II to a close in Europe. It tells a tense tale of the complicated events leading up to that historical confrontation -- and presents us with a group of strong-willed, highly individual military men who play key roles in the shaping of their country's destiny. Foremost among them is Kiley, an American lieutenant colonel who must overcome his fellow officer's high-handed skepticism to convince him that the supposedly defeated Germans are poised to strike. Premiere
"BATTLE excels as entertainment..." 06/01/2005 p.120-125

FilmCritic.com 7 of 10
This 1965 war "classic" is a war film buff's The Third Man, Casablanca, or Some Like It Hot. It might not be the best WWII epic ever made (that honor, according to the same fans, is allotted to either The Longest Day, Patton, or Cross of Iron) but it is one of the most popular...Thing is, according to the buffs, Battle of the Bulge really isn't as historical as it should be. Apparently many of the facts in the film are distorted, or downright fiction. But that really doesn't matter here - this is an epic. And epics don't abide by the laws of the real world; if they did they'd feel grounded. They'd be tangible, in some sense. When Battle of the Bulge was released to theatres, it toured with a road show, complete with intermission. It was always intended as an experience, not a lesson. For the most part, it succeeds as a larger than life spectacle, but it's the very essence of the spectacle that negates any of the harder won truths buried in its showy meat. - Keith Breese