Pork Chop Hill (1959)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

S.L.A. Marshall (book)
James R. Webb (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 July 1959 (Japan)

Genre:

War | Drama | Action

Tagline:

Bold! Blunt! Blistering! The battle picture without equal!

Plot:

American GI's must retake a barren hill in Korea that has been overrun by Red Chinese troops. The ensuing...

Plot Keywords:

Hill | Food In Title | Bunker | Heroism | Negotiation

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Lt. Joe Clemons
Harry Guardino	...	Pvt. Forstman
Rip Torn	...	Lt. Walter Russel
George Peppard	...	Cpl. Chuck Fedderson
Carl Benton Reid	...	American Admiral at Peace Conference
James Edwards	...	Cpl. Jurgens
Bob Steele	...	Col. Kern
Woody Strode	...	Pvt. Franklin
George Shibata	...	Lt. Suki Ohashi
Norman Fell	...	Sgt. Coleman
Lew Gallo	...	Lieutenant, Division Public Relations
Robert Blake	...	Pvt. Velie
Cliff Ketchum	...	Cpl. Payne (radio operator)
Biff Elliot	...	Pvt. Boven
Charles Aidman	...	Lt. Harrold

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #19212) | West Germany:16 (f) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Melville Productions

Trivia:

Martin Landau's first movie role.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before the American attack on the hill, the commanding officer is pointing out positions on a 3D clay model of the hill with his M4 bayonet. He lays his bayonet on the table and covers it with a paper map, then steps over to the radio man in conversation. He then steps back to the map table and the paper map has disappeared.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Clean Slate (1994)

intense movie

I love Gregory Peck and have seen many of his movies. He can't save a bad movie but he always adds a star in my book. Fortunately he does not need to save this one. I am also a fan of classic war movies (lately that's about all I've been watching as I slowly work my way through the local video store's collection). So I really liked this one.

The B&W filming was really gritty and captured the whole pointlessness of the battle that was Pork Chop Hill, right before the 1953 Armistice. We take it, the Chinese take it, we decide to take it back.... You really get a sense of the tactics employed by the troops on both sides and the tough job that is the infantryman's assaulting a hill, amid confusion, snafus, and the ever-present risk of death.