The Oscar-winning writer and cameraman of MGM's blockbuster depiction of The Battle of the Bulge, 'Battleground' were reunited in Italy two years later to return to the war, with Robert Pirosh this time directing too with results that were satisfactory enough for Pirosh's script to get another Oscar nomination.
Van Johnson is surprisingly good as the Texan who becomes more human as the film progresses and learns to overcome his racist inclinations and to respect his little Japanese-American comrades in arms. The best performance is probably given by a cute pig, but there's also the bonus of a young Gianna Canale in her only appearance in a Hollywood movie as the obligatory glamorous local signorina.
Van Johnson is surprisingly good as the Texan who becomes more human as the film progresses and learns to overcome his racist inclinations and to respect his little Japanese-American comrades in arms. The best performance is probably given by a cute pig, but there's also the bonus of a young Gianna Canale in her only appearance in a Hollywood movie as the obligatory glamorous local signorina.