Between Heaven and Hell (1956)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Harry Brown (screenplay)
Francis Gwaltney (novel)

Release Date:

5 December 1956 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

From the best-selling novel of young love in war!

Plot:

The spoiled rich son of a wealthy Southerner is changed by his experiences in the Pacific during World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | Colonel | Cotton | National Guard | Bravery

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Robert Wagner	...	Sfc. / Pvt. Sam Francis Gifford
Terry Moore	...	Jenny Gifford
Broderick Crawford	...	Capt. 'Waco' Grimes, CO Co.G
Buddy Ebsen	...	Pvt. Willie Crawford
Robert Keith	...	Col. Cousins
Brad Dexter	...	Lt. Joe Johnson aka Little Joe
Mark Damon	...	Pvt. Terry Co. G
Ken Clark	...	Morgan
Harvey Lembeck	...	Pvt. Bernard "Bernie" Meleski (Co. G)
Skip Homeier	...	Pvt. Swanson Co.G
L.Q. Jones	...	Pvt. Kenny Co.G
Tod Andrews	...	Lt. Ray Mosby
Biff Elliot	...	Tom Thumb Co.G
Bart Burns	...	Pvt. Raker Co.G

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #18043) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Tod Andrews character is named Lt. Ray Mosby. Andrews would later portray Maj. John Singleton Mosby in the television series "The Gray Ghost" (1957).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the cast listing, Robert Wagner is listed as Sfc/Pvt. Sam Francis Gifford. He should be listed as T/Sgt/Pvt. Sam Francis Gifford. The rank Sfc (Sergeant First Class) did not exist during WWII. At that time it was T/Sgt (Technical Sergeant).

Tragedies of the war

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.