When Trumpets Fade (1998) (TV)

Director:

John Irvin

Writer (WGA):

W.W. Vought (written by)

Release Date:

27 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

In the heat of battle not all soldiers can be heroes

Plot:

A private in the latter days of WWII on the German front struggles between his will to survive and what his superiors perceive as a battlefield instinct.

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Prequel | Christmas | Sequel

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ron Eldard	...	Sgt. David Manning
Zak Orth	...	Warren 'Sandy' Sanderson
Frank Whaley	...	Medic Chamberlain
Dylan Bruno	...	Sgt. Talbot
Devon Gummersall	...	Lonnie
Dan Futterman	...	Doug Despin
Steven Petrarca	...	Baxter
Dwight Yoakam	...	Lieutenant Colonel
Martin Donovan	...	Capt. Roy Pritchett
Timothy Olyphant	...	Lt. Lukas
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Bobby
Bobby Cannavale	...	Captain Zenek
Frank-Michael Köbe	...	German sergeant (as Frank Köbe)
András Stohl	...	Wounded soldier
Matthew Rutson Cooney	...	Driver Cpl. (as Matthew Ruston Cooney)

Also Known As:

Hamburger Hill 2 (Australia)
Hurtgen (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic war carnage and strong language.

Runtime:

95 min | UK:92 min (DVD) | UK:88 min (video)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Citadel Entertainment

Trivia:

At the end of the film, the text reveals that little is remembered of the conflict by Hurtgen forest due to the later Battle of the Bulge overshadowing the event.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Dragons teeth of the Siegfried line are not shown as they really were (and in numerous places still are today). 1) In the movie the line is build with four rows of teeth. In reality the line is build with five rows. 2) The teeth are in reality not made in one size as shown in the movie, but in 3 different sizes, where the first and last rows contain the biggest pillars, the middle three are middle sized, and woven in the last row you can find the smallest. 3) The rows are not placed exactly behind each other. If you would see them from above, you would see an angle in the middle. 4) The rows of pillars are also not build in one line. If you would look over a row from the side, you would see a zigzag of pillars. 5) The pillars in the movie are too close too each other. In reality, the area between two pillars is so big, you can park a car between them (as is done by the author of this comment on numerous occasions).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator, news footage: August 1944. The outcome of the Second World War appeared to be no longer in doubt. Paris was liberated. After four years of fighting, victory against the Germans seemed assured. Since the Normandy landings, American and Allied forces had battled their way across northern Europe, and pushed the German enemy to within its own homeland.

Movie Connections:

Follows Hamburger Hill (1987)

Soundtrack:

White Christmas

One of the best war movies ever made

This is a must see film. It presents war realistically. Just as in real combat, some soldiers are reluctant to attack, some officers are not that smart, many soldiers are scared, and the mission is of dubious value.

This particular story focuses on one soldier who was the lone survivor of an allied attack or the Germans. He is promoted to Sgt. against his wishes because they are short of people. Put in charge of new replacements, he is torn between training the new men, and staying out of the fight so he will stay alive.

After another failed attack by his company, he is promoted to Lt. Again he does not want this responsibility, but now has to lead men into battle.

Its one of the few films that show how inept some officers are. Band of brothers is the only other film I can think of that shows an inept American officer, Capt. Herbert Sobel (played by David Schwimmer).

Its also one of the few American films about the Battle of the Hertgen Forrest, which was overshadowed a few months later by the Battle of the Bulge.