Between Heaven and Hell (1956) User Reviews

Another Out Of Nowhere

[ewarn-1 · 8/10 · 4 July 2007]

Another reviewer said it best when he called this film 'unpretentious'. Today, of course, most films are pretentious and overblown. Maybe it's because we now live in a pretentious and overblown country, one where people would never listen to the message of a movie like this.

This is one of those rare occurrences where a movie is so well done it seems to exist outside its era. This film was made in 1956, which is amazing, considering the outstanding photography and the striking characterizations. Nobody talks or acts like '50s characters. Things seem a little more dangerous, more savage, so that it would seem you were watching a film from the '80s instead. Of course, in the '80s they didn't make movies like this, they made pretentious ones. But they should have.

The big war films of the '50s were usually full of stock characters and unlikely situations, crammed with out of place stock footage. An example of that kind of mediocre war movie is 'To Hell And Back'. This movie is everything that 'To Hell And Back' was not. 'Between Heaven And Hell' has more interesting and unique characters, more authentic weaponry, and the photography is of a much higher standard.

The reasons why some rather dull movies become well known, while others, like this, remain obscure, has always been a mystery to me.

Fleisher's film shockingly touches on the US officers martyred at the hands of Japanese snipers

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 15 April 2007]

A stocky figure, loud mouth, bullish features and personality, fitted Broderick Crawford for the roles of a crooked politician, upwardly mobile gangster and a psychopathic commanding officer, three of his finest performances…

The film opens with Robert Wagner reassigned to a company posted up in the hills, a very isolated area under the command of Broderick Crawford (Waco) who almost breaks him, but the young man—seen to get a little shaky in combat—regains his resources and becomes a hero when he saves a fellow soldier (Buddy Ebsen).

With brief flashbacks, we discover that Wagner plays a Southern landowner who treats his croppers badly… His beautiful wife Jenny (Terry Moore) just saw a side of him she never saw before… Gifford argues that Jenny has just seen his business side… But Gifford only comes to realize the error of his rude ways when he is called to active duty and put among the troops in the Pacific theater in World War II…

Aside from a beachhead landing made up mainly of stock shots and a final battle with the enemy, there was a lot of talk

Very underrated war movie

[scheelj · 7/10 · 14 April 2012]

See it – A vastly underrated and reflective war movie starring Robert Wagner and Buddy Ebsen. This movie has been nearly forgotten over the years, and it's a shame. Much of the story is told in flashbacks. There's very good character development. And best of all, there was much more action than I expected. A bit slow toward the beginning, but there is a really cool action sequence in one of the flashbacks where Wagner and some of his men assault a cliff-side machine gun nest. When the current story picks back up after the flashbacks, there is plenty more action, including an exciting and desperate ending. 3.5 out of 5 action rating

Interesting for Its Time

[dougdoepke · 11 January 2009]

I expect this 1956 war movie was passed over by critics because its star, Robert Wagner, was considered just another light-weight pretty boy of the day. Nonetheless, the movie is better than just another celebrity vehicle, while Wagner is a much better actor than his good-looks suggest, and, I think, time has proved.

Two features distinguish this film from others of the day. First is the subplot of tenant farmers and the class barrier separating them from the land owners they work for. A number of pre-Vietnam movies dealt with racial differences in the military; this is the only one I know of dealing with white Southern sharecroppers and their difficulties. Wagner's unit is a National Guard battalion which means that the unit is made up of men from the same locale with the same class distinctions of civilian life carried over into the ranks of the unit itself. Thus, Robert Keith a patriarchal rich man in civilian life is in similar command of the battalion as the colonel, while Tod Andrew's land owner heads up a platoon as a lieutenant. In short, land owners make up the ranks of commissioned officers, while share-croppers make up the enlisted ranks.

Now, the screenplay departs from this logic in Wagner's case. Though a land owner, he's not an officer; instead he's a sergeant in the enlisted ranks. The reason I think is pretty clear. Officers do not fraternize with enlisted men. But for the plot to deliver its main message, it must break down the social barrier between tenant farmer Buddy Ebsen and land owner Wagner, and that requires that they fraternize. Hence, the screenplay makes Wagner an enlisted man. But this curious departure is for a good cause. Only by getting to know a man (Ebsen) personally can the haughty Wagner overcome the cruelty he has shown his share- croppers in civilian life. The lesson here is similar to that of racially inspired films—it's personal contact that ultimately humanizes and breaks down social barriers. Thus, once the social distance is overcome, the two can become friends and equals and be carried off to the same hospital ship, side-by-side. A humane message, well delivered.

The second feature is perceptively pointed out by Kayaker36. There's an unmistakable homosexual subtext to Broderick Crawford's command center scenes. Today, that wouldn't merit much mention, but remember this is 1956 when about the only thing worse than being a gay was being a communist. And to even hint that gays might be in the military—and in a position of command—is really quite remarkable. The screenplay is adapted from a novel, and I suspect the idea comes from the novel and was rather boldly adapted into the screenplay. But, whatever the source or reason, this is the only war film of the post-war era I know of to even hint at that forbidden topic.

Anyway, the movie is well produced by TCF, with just enough battle scenes to satisfy war- movie fans. The screenplay is also unusual in its depiction of death by friendly fire, a much more common occurrence among soldiers than movies led us to believe. On the other hand, note how, in passing, the script works in a love interest for Wagner so that Terry Moore's name could go up on the marquee and broaden audience appeal. Note too, how Crawford gets a rather lengthy and unnecessarily histrionic scene to justify, I suppose, his starring credit. Remember, he was only a few years past his Best Actor Oscar, at a time when his name still carried audience weight. Actually, combining this film with Tony Curtis's 1954 war movie Beachhead would make a revealing double-feature, showing again how slick and entertaining films from Hollywood's studio period could be. This may not rank with the best or most suspenseful war films of the period. But it does remain an interesting oddity.

Surprisingly good little war film

[BrianG · 7/10 · 7 April 2000]

Before he started making huge, bloated, disastrously money-losing films in the '60s (Dr. Doolittle, Che, et al.), director Richard Fleischer was responsible for some good, tight well-made little B pictures. "The Narrow Margin" and "Armored Car Robbery" in the early '50s were outstanding film-noir classics, made for very little money. Fleischer made this in the period between his low-budget black-and-white thrillers and his '60s monstrosities, and it's a good one. Robert Wagner is the callow, spoiled rich son of a Southern landowner whose National Guard unit is suddenly activated during World War II and sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Wagner finds himself in the same company with the sharecroppers and tradespeople he scorned back home, and is sent to a base run by a power-mad, vengeful officer who treats his troops the same way Wagner treated his " 'croppers" back home.

This is one of Wagner's better performances. Unlike many of his earlier films, Wagner doesn't try to get by on his good looks and youthful charm; he turns in a first-rate performance here, as do most of the cast. Broderick Crawford as Wagner's crazed commander doesn't quite fit the part, and Skip Homeier--usually a solid, reliable character actor--goes a bit overboard as one of Crawford's goons, but Buddy Ebsen, as one of Wagner's sharecroppers who turns out to be his best friend, L.Q. Jones and Tod Andrews are fine in pivotal parts, and Fleischer stages some exciting battle scenes. Altogether, a well-made, exciting little B picture from 20th Century Fox--a bit garish in Technicolor (black and white would have been more effective)--but well worth your time to see it. Highly recommended.

Modest, Flawed but Tough, With One Disturbing Implication.

[kayaker36 · 7/10 · 29 December 2007]

Philadelphia-born Broderick Crawford makes an unlikely Texan and--wisely--does not try to sound like someone from Waco. But "Waco" is the nickname by which the soldiers in 'G' company are ordered to address him, never "Sir" or "Captain". You see, he doesn't want enemy snipers targeting him--a prudent precaution. However, this officer also is afraid, paranoid in fact, that one of his own men might decide to kill him. Accordingly, any soldier entering Company HQ must leave his weapon outside, and the Company commander is escorted at all times by two enlisted bodyguards armed with Thompson submachine guns.

These two blond pretty boys apparently lead a privileged life and they may be more than just bodyguards. They sit languidly about in the grass shack, fondling their weapons and dressed in skimpy and tight-fitting undershirts--every other character in the wartime part of film wears full combat dress. In an early scene, after a typically harsh interview with a replacement soldier, the C.O. is seen retiring to his private quarters in the company of one of these bodyguards. And when that man is later killed in a surprise mortar attack, the gruff, veteran officer is said to have wept! A point is also made of the captain being unmarried.

The script of this film is run of the mill. Crawford gets all the memorable lines.

The state park in Calabassas, California looks nothing like a South Pacific island. Scenes lurch abruptly from the prewar American South to the battlefront. However, there are some really memorable performances--by a young, almost adolescent, Robert Wagner, by Buddy Ebsen and in particular by Crawford as the psychotic--and possibly perverted--company commander. Among other supporting players, Brad Dexter as a battle-hardened lieutenant disgusted by what he sees at Company HQ and not bashful about showing it, and the portrayal of an arrogant, overbearing bodyguard by the always interesting Skip Homeier merit special mention.

Tragedies of the war

[esteban1747 · 7/10 · 8 May 2003]

I saw this film more than 40 years ago for the first time, and now I saw it again recently. This war film is not another one in my personal opinion, it shows many of the tragedies that usually are brought about by any war, innocent soldiers killed accidentally by their colleagues, soldiers afraid during and after the battle, reconsideration of past way of life during the war making statements for changing life after the war, and cruel officers like the one played by Broderick Crawford. The film indirectly touched the problems of exploitation of cotton growers, the way they worked and how they were mistreated by the owners of this business. Piece by piece, the film is positive in its messages, but colored by the usual Hollywood Happy End.

Better than average WWII movie with dramatic elements, breathtaking battles and noisy action

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 2 April 2020]

It deals with a prejudiced and wealthy Southern owner: Robert Wagner who cultivates cotton, having a beautiful wife : Terry Moore, and a powerful father-in-law : Robert Keith. Shortly after, he becomes enlisted into WWIi in the Pacific campaign, there he finds how wrong his misconceptions are, as the has to command a suicide platoon with unexpected consequences . Along the way the starring attempts to help his war colleagues and to survive at whatever means .Then a psychotic commandant : Broderick Crawford, assigns him along with his squadron to a suicide mission behind enemy lines.

Decent WWII movie with worthy sentiments, thrills, battles and exceptional interpretations, especially for its enjoyable support cast. All of them make this rather simplistic tale a meaningful movie. Director knits the action together, providing spectacular battles, impressive fights and action enough. Stars Robert Wagner as the haughty Southern gentleman who is forced to buck his ideas when he is sent to a Pacific island , there the snob sergeant learns all about humility and humanity in the tough times that follow. The best roles go to Broderick Crawford as a stiff-upper-lip and psycho officer, he would subsequently play a similar role in the Spaghetti Western : Mutiny in Fort Sharp , furthermore, the great secondary Buddy Ebsen who is frankly magnificent. Other important secondaries appearing are as follows : Robert Keith, Brad Dexter, Harvey Lembeck, Mark Damon, Scathman Crothers , Frank Gorshin, Skip Homeier and L. Q. Jones, all of them would have notorious cinematic careers.

It contains a rousing and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Hugo Friedhofer. Colorful cinematography in Cinemascope and Technicolor by Leo Tover. The motion picture was well directed by Richard Fleischer, though it has a few gaps. Richard keeps his head down and attempts not let the worthy feelings saturate the proceedings entirely. He was a good craftsman who directed a lot of films concerning all kinds of genres with a special penchant for Action, Fim Noir, Adventure, thriller, such as : "Red Sonja, Ashanti, Conan the Destroyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Mandingo, Mr Majestick, The Don is dead, Soylent Green, The new centurions, See no evil, Rillington Place, The Boston strangler, Fantastic voyage, Barabbas, Compulsion, The Vikings, 20.000 leagues under the sea, The narrow margin, Armored clay pigeon, Follow me quietly and Trapped". Rating 7/10 above average.

Among the Best War Movies

[Thosle · 9/10 · 21 July 2006]

I have a large collection of war movies and consider this one to be among the best ever made. Many of the war movies have what I consider to be too many flashback scenes of home and try to become love stories with a few battle scenes. These scenes in Between Heaven and Hell actually have a real purpose in the story. More than any war movie that I have seen, this one shows a trend in American history that is often overlook—the fact that wars and the men who serve in them traditionally return home with a more egalitarian outlook, hungry to reform the society that they left. Between Heaven and Hell shows a man's transformation into a better person as a result of his war experiences. Sam Gifford is a man on the edge of breaking from the strain of war. He has experienced loss and hardship and realized that in the past he has been the unnecessary source of it for others. Between Heaven and Hell has a psychological realism that most war movies lack. It shows war heroes for what they are—men who rise above their ordinary selves to do extraordinary things in adversity. This is great story telling with great characters.

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (Richard Fleischer, 1956) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 8 April 2006]

I rented this on DVD in honor of director Fleischer's passing a week ago. While it's not among the best of its kind, this underrated war flick is quite well done in most respects - notably the cinematography, in color and Cinemascope, by Leo Tover. Still, with a title like that - as well as its flashback structure and the inspired use of "Dies Irae" on the soundtrack (given a military arrangement!) - one feels that the film had pretensions above its station, which neither hesitant scripting nor the generous budget of a major studio (Fox) could hope to accommodate!

That said, the film features a plethora of gripping action sequences and a solid cast, led by Robert Wagner in a better-than-expected performance as the callous-landowner-turned-jittery-soldier and featuring, among others, Mark Damon (whom I saw in person at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, where he was invited to introduce Vittorio Cottafavi's delightful picaresque epic I CENTO CAVALIERI aka SON OF EL CID [1965]!). Indeed, one might say that BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL only falters whenever the narrative feels the need to return to Wagner's civilian life...which almost turns the film into one of those novelettish upper-crust domestic sagas that were popular Hollywood fixtures around this same time!

Post Korean War Revision Is Poor History

[georgewilliamnoble · 5/10 · 15 April 2015]

So what do we have, well it is in colour and widescreen and it is a world war 2 film set, we are told in the early title "on a island in pacific in 1945". So from the start we are in some imagined battle zone that never did exist. That soon becomes very clear as the war presented is a static one, in which the American's sit around a lot and talk while the Japanese swarm all over. The only battle that could fit any of the facts so far was Guadalcanal but that was 1942 not 1945 and by that time the Americans were advancing everywhere and the Japanese fighting defensively.Well no matter, its only a movie! Then there is how the film looks, clearly it is in the Californian hills with a few lonely rather comic looking palm trees some with the earth newly dug quite visible, and then there is the jungle which appears then disappears again While everywhere is bone dry as dust, no tropical conditions in this pacific war. No matter, the battle scenes fragmented and episodic flicker now and again but look as fake as our hero's wounds observed via red paint on a shoulder. Then for drama we have a battle fatigued captain given a battle fatigued sergeant busted down to private as a replacement who is sent to defend an exposed hilltop position, against great numbers, how Korean war is all of that? The viewers endurance is now tested by a series of dull to very dull flash backs, and worse we are shown his domestic love life.In full 1950's hair and make up our love interest looks from another era as she in fact is.Next up is the films pacing, slow and plodding while none of the characterisation's ring in in any way true at any time. In Fact Broderick Crawford is so bad and so ill fitting he had to be posted to MASH the 1970's comedy show about the Korean War. As for our star and hero of the movie who takes very unconvincingly to shaking, well hes a good looking kid pretending to be a actor but both Robert Wagner and as for this film it is poor spam pretending to be ham.Though out the film is clumsy muddled and flat and the colour and widescreen only add to all the film obvious short comings.Yet i am judging from the prospective of 60 years on but even by the standards of the day, Between Heaven and Hell must of insulted the intelligence of any ww2 vet who paid to see this fabrication at the movies in 1956 with the war still very fresh in the memory.All of the above said i have seen worse, but when a movie takes itself as seriously as this one it just better be good, and this was a film, that was far from really good.Enough Said.Enjoy at your peril.

Great Early Widescreen

[rspnov · 8/10 · 16 March 2005]

Considering that Cinemascope had been introduced only three years earlier, this is one of the outstanding examples from the 50s of a director and cinematographer composing shots for widescreen. I've been teaching film for almost 40 years and would unhesitatingly show excerpts from this in any basic course on movies. Just to sample some, check out Minutes 40-50, especially the quartets of lounging soldiers in medium shot. Sometimes the compositions seem a little self-conscious, but overall this is a remarkable film stylistically. It's wonderful to be able to see it again in widescreen format, as well as other movies that go back to my teenage years. That's why DVD is so great.

Disappointing!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 12 June 2017]

Copyright 1956 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at Loew's State: 11 October 1956. U.S. release: October 1956. U.K. release: 4 February 1957. Australian release: 28 February 1957. Sydney opening at the Regent. 8,421 feet. 94 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: A somewhat prejudiced and standoffish Young Southerner finds true comradeship in the U.S. Army.

COMMENT: Fox's 64th CinemaScope feature is somewhat disappointing. The novel has undergone several important and basic changes for the screen which have considerably weakened its vitality, its originality and its moral theme. It was Gwaltney's contention that war, despite and because of its horror and brutality, could do some good on the individual level, namely it could awaken a social conscience and an awareness in a previously selfish person who lived only for himself (shades of "The Best Years of Our Lives").

But this all-important theme has been completely dropped from the film, whereas the war scenes themselves (which now have no reason for existence other than one-dimensional shoot-em-up heroics) have been retained. Aside from Crawford's powerful performance as the neurotic Grimes, the film has little to offer beyond the competently routine and mediocre conventional.

Typical war movie of the fifties

[TC-4 · 23 September 2000]

I just saw this movie on a premium channel. It was an entertaining piece with the popular TV stars of the time. What it did not like was it was a Cinemascope picture shown in the pan and scan mode. This was especially annoying of the widescreen movies of the fifties since they were trying to really give the impression of widescreen by having a lot of scenes on the extreme ends of the film frame. I don't undertand why the channels that show widescreen movies don't show both versions at different times to please everyone.

Limbo Dancing

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 11 December 2014]

Richard Fleisher's directorial career echoed, arguably on a smaller scale, that of David Lean in that both men turned in top-drawer small scale films at the start of their careers - The Narrow Margin, Brief Encounter etc - and then tended to get bogged down with 'epics'. Between Heaven and Hell sees Fleisher on the cusp, taking a hackneyed theme, Redemption, and making it seem if not quite new-minted at least months away from its sell by date. This time around it' pretty boy Robert Wagner who clearly models his pre-second world war Plantation owner on Simon Legree, gets caught in the draft and by serving alongside men who, in another life could well have been sharecroppers on his plantation - and one, Buddy Ebsen, actually was - sees them in a new light and becomes a better person. Broderick Crawford is the scenery-chewing maverick in an outpost that owes more than a little to Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the likes of Robert Keith, Harvey Lembeck and Skip Homier offer sterling support. One that got away.

between heaven and hell

[mossgrymk · 7/10 · 19 August 2023]

Somewhere in the early part of this anti war pic an anti classist, Southern sharecropper pic breaks out! An awkward fit, to say the least. Perhaps a John Ford or a Jean Renoir could have made it work since both were masters of these disparate genres (i.e. "They Were Expendable"/"Tobacco Road" in Ford's case, "Grand Illusion"/"The Southerner" in Renoir's) but Richard Fleischer, he of the entertaining noir and fun sci fi, is not equal to the task. Certainly Flesicher gets little help from his scenarist Harry Brown whose screenplay ranges from talky to clunky to pompous and results in scenes where soldiers on the eve of a dangerous beach landing muse on the New South that will arise after WW2 is over. Or dialogue that sounds like it was written by a gifted ninth grader ("What changed you, Sam?" "Knowing good people like you"). And the story decision to give extensive flashbacks to the main character's background as a rich cotton planter rather than to keep the focus where it should be, namely on the Pacific island in wartime, results in potentially interesting characters being woefully under developed so that any empathy we might have for them goes a glimmering. This is particularly evident with Broderick Crawford's deranged and dissipated colonel. Since Brown's screenplay and Fleischer's direction provide us with zero insight into why Waco has allowed himself to sink into physical, mental and moral squalor (the last depicted through typical 1950s homophobia) his soliloquy, given just before he's shot by a sniper, lacks the emotional effect on the viewer that it otherwise might have had and sounds more loud than impassioned or insightful.

However, I would be dishonest if I wrote that I did not find this film interesting in its very realistic depiction of the horrors of combat. And the acting is quite good. Robert Wagner, as usual, is better than he needs to be, especially in his early incarnation of a spoiled rich kid, a Wagner specialty. Also strong in support are Buddy Ebsen as a laconic soldier/sharecropper, Brad Dexter as a frustrated lieutenant and Robert Keith, in my opinion turning in the film's best performance, as a southern gentleman out of his depth in modern war.

Bottom line: Not nearly as good as "Steel Helmet" as a 50s anti war pic but still worth a look. B minus.

How war changes a man.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 31 August 2023]

Eternally handsome Robert Wagner takes his unhappy character on a journey from an uncaring, cold cotton farmer to army private forced to give up his uppity demeanor and learn what being a member of a team is like, and in the most auspicious of circumstances. It's World War II in the south pacific, and the sudden death of father-in-law Robert Keith, a superior officer who arranged for Wagner to be in his troop forces Wagner to change his ways, especially when dealing with the tough, constantly barking officer Broderick Crawford who isn't exactly commanding of respect.

Flashbacks of Wagner's marriage to Keith's daughter (Terry Moore) gives insight to Wagner's past so watching him forced to change his ways does give Wagner a circle to complete as he deals with the traumas of war. Sudden deaths are not an uncommon sight nor are panic stricken soldiers shooting at their own side. One man is shot while charging and manages to jump into the ditch of the opposite side to kill someone else with their bayonet.

Buddy Ebsen, Brad Dexter and Mark Damon are among the other men in the troop. There's not a lot of time devoted to getting to know these other characters which tightens the story up for action and the opportunity to see Wagner reborn a hero. Colorful in its big wide Cinemascope presentation, this is rousing and nostalgic and one of Wagner's best performances.

Above-Average World War II Actioneer!

[zardoz-13 · 8/10 · 23 January 2010]

"Violent Saturday" director Richard Fleischer's explosive, bullet-riddled epic "Between Heaven & Hell" combines the plot about clashes between subordinates and their superior officers set against the backdrop of World War II combat in the Pacific with the problem melodrama about Old and New South social consciousness. Robert Wagner starts out as an elitist, bourbon & branch water swilling, Southern cotton gin operator who displays no sympathy for his poor sharecroppers. Before this sturdy 94-minute, Cinemascope movie fades out, the protagonist turns over a new leaf and becomes a more considerate individual who is concerned about the welfare of his workers. The clash between officers in Fleischer's film reached the screen a mere six days before director Robert Aldritch's cynical wartime thriller "Attack." "Between Heaven and Hell" came out October 11, 1956, while "Attack" debuted October 17, 1956. Nevertheless, "Attack" ranks as a more compelling outing because Robert Wagner's NCO doesn't kill the pusillanimous officer, while Lt. Harold 'Harry' Woodruff (William Smithers) in "Attack" kills a cowardly officer. Interestingly enough, Buddy Ebsen appeared in both movies as a G.I. Unlike "Attack," "Between Heaven and Hell" confronts the issue of inequity between poor whites and affluent whites in the Old South. Actually, "Attack" surpasses "Between Heaven and Hell," but the latter picture adds weight to the trend in American World War II movies about clashes between commanders and subordinates. Like the Aldritch film, "Between Heaven and Hell" painted an unsavory portrait of life in the military that showed American soldiers with feet of clay that films such as "The Naked and the Dead," "Tarawa Beachhead" and "The Victors" would build on in later years.

The Fleischer film opens with two soldiers escorting Private Sam Francis Gifford (Robert Wagner of "Titanic") to see Lieutenant Colonel Miles (Frank Gerstle of "D.O.A") about a disciplinary problem after Sam has been arrested for attempting to kill a superior officer. Matters are complicated somewhat because Sam has received a Silver Star for dangling himself off the side of a cliff to sling explosives into a Japanese machine gun emplacement in a cave, a setting that suggests that this exploit occurred on Guadalcanal. Since Sam has won the medal, Miles prefers to send him to serve with George Company rather than imprison him in Leavenworth. The grim dialogue between Sam and the driver of the jeep, Private Willie Crawford (Buddy Ebsen of "Parachute Battalion") suggests that prison would be preferable. Crawford observes as he hands his M-1 rifle to Sam. "Go ahead and kill someone, I don't care. How did you get in this outfit?" Sam replies without enthusiasm, "It was that or Leavenworth." Crawford shrugs, "Shoulda taken Leavenworth."

Sam meets his new superior officer, off-his-rocker Captain 'Waco' Grimes, Commanding Officer, who stipulates that nobody can call him by his rank. Waco dreads that a Japanese sniper will kill him, so he insists that nobody refer to him by his rank. Waco keeps two Thompson machine-gun wielding soldiers at his sides at all times, Private. Swanson (Skip Homeier of "The Gunfighter") and Private Millard (Frank Gorshin of "Batman"), and they wear only t-shirts on this upper chests rather than proper combat fatigues. Waco makes Sam his radio operator and Sam stretches out on the ground after Waco dismisses him and stares into a mud hole. The surface of the mud hole ripples when Sam tosses a pebble in it and the film shifts into flashback mode some 15 minutes into the action to take us back before Pearl Harbor to the South when Sam was a heartless but well-heeled cotton gin operator who had married Jenny (Terry Moore of "Mighty Joe Young") and they were living high off the hog. We learn Jenny's father, Colonel Cousins (Robert Keith of "Branded"),commands Sam's National Guard outfit and organizes it to mobilize for duty. Before his call to duty after Pearl Harbor, Sam reprimands the laziness of his sharecroppers and treats them like dirt. Our hero buddies up with several G.I.s and they become fast friends until they die. Foremost among them is a country boy named Private Crawford. It seems that Sam and his friends were checking out a village when an officer got a case of the nerves and shot Sam's three friends. Sam clobbers the lieutenant with his rifle butt and winds up behind the wire.

"Between Heaven and Hell" suffers minimally from the usual idiocy that afflicts many Hollywood World War II movies. Specifically, American officers wear their rank on the front of their helmets—rather than the rear--making him easy for vigilant Japanese snipers. Unlike most World War II movies, an officer here who dons his helmet with his rank prominently on show dies from a sharpshooting enemy marksman. Top-notch photography by "The Day the Earth Stood Still" lenser Leo Tover gives "Between Heaven and Hell" a sprawling, virile appearance, that belies its actual location at the Twentieth Century-Fox ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains, while "Dead Reckoning" composer Hugo Friedhofer received an Academy Award nomination for his orchestral score. Fleischer conjures up commendable suspense and excitement primarily with the standard theme of friendship; soldiers who buddy up suddenly have to confront the loss of their new-found friends. Meanwhile, this above-average combat opus boasts a cast of first-class thespians that includes Broderick Crawford, Buddy Ebsen, Brad Dexter, Ken Clark, Frank Gorshin, Skip Homeier, and Harvey Lembeck. Fleischer and "D-Day, The Sixth of June" & "A Walk in the Sun" scenarist Harry Brown, who adapted Arkansas-born novelist Francis Gwaltney's 1955 fiction book "The Day the Century Ended," give their military fans more than enough firefights to past muster. Interestingly, Rod Serling tried without success to adapt the Gwaltney novel. Moreover, Gwaltney was a Pacific campaign veteran. American Film Institute records state that,John Sturges was scheduled to helm it. Guy Madison was up for the Robert Wagner role and Twentieth Century Fox contract actress Joan Collins was considered for the role that Terry Moore inherited.

Reevaluating One Self In War

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 15 January 2007]

The location of what's directly Between Heaven and Hell is the Pacific Theater during World War II. Robert Wagner, recently a sergeant, but busted down for striking an officer, gets himself transferred to a new outfit. He's now in a company in a forward position on a remote Pacific Island where the outcome is still in doubt. There's one crazy captain in charge played by Broderick Crawford. He's a bit combat happy to say the least.

Wagner was a spoiled rich kid who married the boss's daughter, Terry Moore, and he's pretty hard on the sharecroppers he manages. That all changes for Wagner during his service in the Pacific where his national guard outfit is now serving and he's with a lot of these same people and his life depends on them and they, him. He gets to reevaluate a whole lot of what he had believed before.

Between Heaven and Hell is a no compromising look at the Pacific War and the men who fought it. Wagner does well in the lead role, but acting honors go to Broderick Crawford as the captain who's bucking for a section 8. When he does get relieved, note the interesting suicide by sniper scenario he sets up for himself.

Also Buddy Ebsen plays a very similar role to the one he played in Attack which also came out in the same year. Ebsen plays one of the sharecroppers who Wagner previously looked down on. Ebsen was staging something of a comeback himself, he would soon be cast in Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and then in The Beverly Hillbillies. Some of those comic parts make us forget what a fine dramatic actor Ebsen could be. He just wasn't given the chance often enough.

For those who like their war pictures with a minimum of flag waving, Between Heaven and Hell is definitely for you.

Performances and camera work make this one to see

[morrisonhimself · 8/10 · 21 July 2015]

Brad Dexter was the only one of "The Magnificent Seven" not to become a major star. When you see his performance in "Between Heaven and Hell," you will wonder why.

He is given a very sympathetic character to play, and gives in return one of his best performances.

Buddy Ebsen started show biz life as a minor, but pleasant, song and dance man, but, as shown here, he became one of the finest dramatic actors of the century (despite such obstacles as "The Beverly Hillbillies").

"Between Heaven and Hell" is a very generic title, and seems to have very little to do with this movie. It has been used dozens of times, and maybe once or twice, somewhere, it was appropriate. Maybe.

Richard Fleischer's directing and Leo Tover's photography, though, overcome the trite title and well complement the excellent acting in presenting a dramatic war story.

From the opening shot, there is fluidity in the camera work that awed me, that left me admiring Mr. Fleischer more than I ever had before. If you don't like war movies -- and I don't -- you will want to watch this one for the photography, including the scenery.

One complaint: The protagonist, played well by Robert Wagner, goes through the mandatory (made so by "the rules of drama") change, but there is no good explanation of his motives, of why he changes.

Perhaps it is plain, right before our eyes, in a manner of speaking only because it is never explicated. But there really should have been some motivational explanations.

Still, it was plausible and reasonable, and, again, the acting and camera work are so good -- no, excellent -- "Between Heaven and Hell" is definitely worth watching.

By the way, do not miss a chance to see this just because the On Demand description is so disgustingly PC. There is no "racism" even though that PC description implies there is.

I found it via the Time Warner Cable system's On Demand. And free!

Philippines purgatory

[tomsview · 8/10 · 5 January 2019]

I first saw this film as a 10-year old in Sydney in the 1950's. Of all the war movies we saw at the time, I thought this was one of the best.

It's easy to see why it made an impression. It felt gritty with fairly convincing locations and spectacular CinemaScope action. Like many baby boomers, my father had fought the Japanese in a setting not unlike the one in the movie. Back then you couldn't escape the impact the war had made. Although Australia wasn't actually invaded (just bombed around the edges), the aura of what the previous generation did was all pervading.

In the film, Private Sam Gifford (Robert Wagner) is a troubled soldier. Although not stated, he is obviously serving in the Philippines - interestingly there isn't a Filipino in site. Sam has lost his sergeant's stripes and is sent to an outfit up in the hills. Here he encounters 'Waco', the anti-heroic company commander played by Broderick Crawford.

There were other megalomaniacal captains in movies at the time. Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick" and James Cagney as Captain Morten in "Mister Roberts" had paved the way, but Broderick Crawford's Captain 'Waco' Grimes just about out-megged them all.

Sam's backstory is seen in flashback. Hailing from a wealthy, Southern land-owning family, he is married to the beautiful daughter of the colonel of his National Guard Unit. However Sam is arrogant and hard on his sharecroppers. His attitude changes when these men become his comrades during the war.

Years later I learnt more about the film. Based on a novel, it is one of the few movies to deal with the 1944-45 Philippines Campaign. It is also one of the few movies to feature differences between National Guard and Regular units of the US army during the war. The politics and rivalries that men recruited from the same area of the United States brought with them to the battlefield provided the drama in this film and also in "Attack", which featured another highly-strung captain played by Eddie Albert.

An unseen star of the film is the music. Along with "The Young Lions" and "In Love and War", the score is one of a trilogy Hugo Friedhofer composed for Fox war movies at the time. One could accomplish great things with one of Hugo's anthems sweeping you along.

For those in the mood, "Between Heaven and Hell" still holds up as a particularly well-made war movie.

Brings back memories

[cyclingtj · 8/10 · 9 June 2022]

Never even heard of this movie until I was deployed to Somalia in 93. During down time we would watch it on VHS.

Very good war story. Buddy Ebsen stole the show, as did Broderick Crawford (in a hammie kind of way).

I liked it so much, that I stole the VHS after we returned...tell no one. For the record, the statues of limitation have passed.

***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 13 September 2015]

It all comes down to the fact that it had to take the advent of World War 11 to change the thinking of wealthy landowner and share cropper Robert Wagner. He mistreats those who work under him, while marrying the daughter of another wealthy owner, David Keith, who had the foresight to see that war was coming and that the south would change again by war's end.

Stationed in the Pacific, Wagner endures the hardship of war and sees incompetent as well as brutal leadership. His newly found friends are killed before his eyes, and is emotional shaking results.

Buddy Ebsen co-stars as a fellow soldier and friend to Wagner. Broderick Crawford is memorable as the fast, tough talking unit leader, Waco, who can be brutal to the core, while remembering an army of strong discipline.

Ahead Of Its Time

[sambase-38773 · 8/10 · 22 April 2023]

When I sat down to watch this movie I was expecting the usual 1950's movie, that is, dull and predictable. This movie really surprised me. It has a very modern feel. Back in the 50's people were baffled by this movie. They found it hard to follow and confusing. That's because they weren't ready for the realistic randomness that is found in warfare and that this movie depicts. They were probably expecting another John Wayne type movie. That's their mistake.

It's full of surprises all the way through and has lots of good war action sequences that are very realistic. Wars are not fought by heroes they are fought be real men with real weakness and real challenges. And that's what this movie depicts.

Robert Wagner is excellent in the leading role. He plays it gritty and cynical and weary. You can really feel his war fatigue, but he keeps fighting on, even when he's clearly having symptoms of PTSD. Wagner has always been an underrated actor. It's strange how handsome actors are always underrated. Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and Robert Wager were all ridiculously underrated.

I highly recommend this movie, especially if you want the real honesty about the people who fight war on the ground and deep in the dirt.