Young Lions (The)

Genre: war movie (in black and white)

With: Marlon Brando (Christian Diestl), Montgomery Clift (Noah Ackerman), Dean Martin (Michael Whiteacre), Hope Lange (Hope Plowman), Barbara Rush (Margaret Freemantle), May Britt (Gretchen Hardenberg), Maximilian Schell (Capt. Hardenberg), Dora Doll (Simone), Lee Van Cleef (Sgt. Rickett), Liliane Montevecchi (Françoise), Parley Baer (Sgt. Brandt)

Director: Edward Dmytryk

Screenplay: Edward Anhalt (based on Irwin Shaw’s novel)

Release: 1958

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10

Matters of Duty, Love and Principle 

QuickView

Story-line: a frustrated German seeking a better future for himself, an indifferent Broadway singer and an awkward but courageous young Jew from California face moral dilemmas when they find themselves embroiled in World War II.

Pluses: a star-studded cast in top form, a psychology-driven screenplay about personal relationships, boot camps, combat and persecution, tight direction and faultless production values, Hugo Friedhofer’s musical score that captures every mood and fine cinematography by Joe MacDonald.

Minuses: the film’s running time is nearly 3 hours, so plan accordingly.

Comments: THE YOUNG LIONS is a remarkable, heartfelt epic that even those who don’t like war movies will feel fortunate to have seen. In particular, it gives sufficient room to its brilliantly written female characters and contains several affecting scenes you will instantly recognize as classic moments in cinema. ‟Are we human beings or wild animals?” says Brandt, the German sergeant. That is one question we should ask ourselves every day of our lives…

MBiS

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